Rose Bowl 2023: Penn State is up for the challenge
Coach James Franklin has led Penn State back to the Rose Bowl Game for the first time since the 2016-17 season after being ranked 11th in the College Football Playoff ranking. His team’s only losses came to Michigan and Ohio State, both in the College Football Playoff.
While Penn State and No. 8 Utah have never faced each other, Franklin has an idea of what to expect from the Utes.
“After just watching them play here recently, (Utah is a) tough, hard-nosed, disciplined, gritty team, that finds ways to win all different ways,” Franklin said. “I’ve got a ton of respect for what they do and how they do it, and it’s going to be a tremendous challenge.”
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford arrived on campus just a few months after the 2017 Rose Bowl and has taken advantage of every opportunity as a six-year veteran for the Nittany Lions.
Clifford leads the Nittany Lions (10-2) with 2,543 passing yards for 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 12 games played this season. He also holds the program’s record for passing yards (10,382), passing touchdowns (84), and pass attempts (1,335). He also holds records for completion
percentage (.612) and completions (817).
“Sean is just a guy, he’s really represented our university and our football program the right way, both on and off the field, in his entire career,” Franklin said. “He’s maximized that entire experience. He’s maximized it as a student-athlete. … I’m happy for him.
“I’m proud of him. And I know he’s going to prepare like crazy to go out
and play the best he possibly can against a really tough opponent.”
Clifford has been prepared and led an offense that’s featured two true freshmen in the backfield.
Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen have combined for 1,771 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground.
“It’s unusual to do it with a freshman, let alone two true freshmen,” Franklin said. “I think it allowed
Sean to really kind of operate our offense from a run game perspective in terms of how he identifies the front and sets up our blocking schemes, and same thing in pass protection, and allowed us maybe in some down-and-distance situations, which were traditional throwing downs, to be able to run the ball a little bit more.”
Franklin expects to have most of his roster intact as
the Nittany Lions attempt to earn their 11th win of the season.
The team will be without defensive standout Joey Porter Jr., who will forgo the bowl game and begin preparing for the NFL Draft.
Safety Ji’Ayir Brown leads the Nittany Lion with 66 total tackles, including 55 for a loss, and three interceptions. He also has forced two fumbles and recovered another this season.
Record: 10-2 in 2022 Coach: James Franklin has led the Nittany Lions to a bowl game in seven of eight seasons he has served as head coach since 2014. Franklin has an overall career record of 101-51 in his 12 years as a head coach. His name was among those regularly mentioned as a candidate to fill USC’s open position after Clay Helton was fired in 2021, but Penn State signed Franklin to a 10-year contract with a guarantee of $70 million last November, ending that speculation. He spent the first three years of his head coaching career at Vanderbilt.
Rose Bowl history: Penn State is 1-3 in previous Rose Bowl appearances. The Nittany Lions suffered a 52-49 loss to USC in the Rose Bowl Game in 2017.
Notable: One of the Nittany Lions’ top talents, defensive back Joey Porter Jr., will forgo the bowl game and begin preparing for the NFL Draft. Penn State’s only losses this year were to Michigan (13-0) and Ohio State (12-1), who are both in the College Football Playoff. Penn State lost 44-17 at Michigan on Oct. 15 and 44-31 to Ohio State at home on Oct. 29. Penn State’s best win was probably over Big 10 West champion Purdue(8-5), a 35-31 win on the road to open the season.