How can Penn State win the Rose Bowl against Utah? Here are the game’s 2 key matchups
READ MORE
Rose Bowl 2022
The Nittany Lions are taking on the Utah Utes in the Rose Bowl. Here’s a look at our coverage from Pasadena, California, leading up to the Jan. 2 game.
Expand All
Penn State will close out its season Monday afternoon in the Rose Bowl when it takes on the Utah Utes. The Nittany Lions will attempt to earn their 11th win of the year.
Let’s take a look at the two key matchups that will impact the game.
Jon Sauber: Utah QB Cam Rising vs. Penn State’s defense
Penn State is finishing its season facing off against one of the better dual threat quarterbacks in the country. Rising has been a star for the Utes the past two seasons. He’s a good passer who doesn’t turn the ball over, while also being a good runner who is willing to put his head down and plow through contact for the sake of finishing a play.
He’s racked up 2,939 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns and has only thrown seven interceptions, while also gaining 409 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. He’s willing and able to use both facets of his game at any time to help put the Utah offense in an advantageous position.
Rising has struggled at times, however, against better defenses. Three of his interceptions came in the team’s loss to Oregon, and he threw one against each of Florida and UCLA. He’s an excellent quarterback, but Penn State might also be well positioned to slow him down.
The Nittany Lions’ defense is one of the best in the country and has found success this season against the run and the pass. The team did struggle with a physical matchup against Michigan, but it seems that is the outlier rather than the standard for the group. The front seven is fast and athletic enough to make plays in space against the Utes, while the back four should be able to lock down the Utah wide receivers in Monday’s matchup.
Even without cornerback Joey Porter Jr., Penn State will be able to put out two high level outside cornerbacks. Johnny Dixon and Kalen King have both proven they can play with the best receivers in the country this season. That should limit passing windows for Rising, who will have to force throws — potentially leading to turnovers — or take off and run. Then it will depend on Penn State’s linebackers being athletic enough to run him down and physical enough to get him to the ground.
Rising is one of the best quarterbacks the Nittany Lions will have seen once the game is over, but they’re also uniquely positioned to take advantage of his weaknesses despite not being at full strength.
Kyle J. Andrews: Utah RB Micah Bernard vs. Penn State’s linebackers
Utah is simply an extremely physical team. It all starts with the Utes’ running game.
In the beginning of the season, Tavion Thomas led Utah on a warpath with 4.8 yards per carry on 142 rushing attempts, 687 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. He played in 10 games and suffered a toe injury on Nov. 19 in a 20-17 loss to Oregon. Thomas subsequently announced that he’d turn pro.
Micah Bernard might not be Tavion Thomas, but he still packs a punch of his own. He’s averaging 5 yards per carry on 95 carries, 474 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. While Bernard hasn’t cracked the 100-yard mark this season, he’s reached both 91 rushing yards and 88 rushing yards in 12 and 11 attempts, respectively. The redshirt sophomore has also proven to be a capable receiver out of the backfield with 31 receptions for 306 yards and a touchdown.
The Nittany Lions will have their hands full, specifically the linebackers. Bernard is a big back, standing at 6 feet, 202 pounds. Of course Penn State will attempt to match the team’s physicality with Utah and the first person who comes to mind is freshman linebacker Abdul Carter.
Carter plays downhill with fervent intensity and has the speed to keep up with nearly any running back. He has 55 total tackles (35 solo) and 10.5 tackles for loss on the year. That’s not counting the 6.5 sacks that he already has, which could take Bernard out of the passing game with the Utes needing an extra blocker in the backfield for quarterback Cam Rising.
Junior Curtis Jacobs has continued to show off his ranginess in the front seven, making plays from sideline to sideline. He too can cause problems in the running game with 5.5 tackles for loss this season.
This story was originally published December 29, 2022 at 2:00 PM.
