Penn State gets last shot to beat ranked opponent in Rose Bowl
LOS ANGELES >> Monday’s Rose Bowl against Utah is a final opportunity for Penn State to beat a ranked opponent, a chance to show its 10-win regular season wasn’t hollow.
It could be the difference between the Nittany Lions having a great season or a good one.
“I won’t say that,” defensive tackle PJ Mustipher said, “but this game is extremely big for us. They’re an extremely good team with extremely good players. We’re getting to play on the highest level possible.
“This game is huge, but I think we (already) put together a great season.”
No. 9 Penn State (10-2) will try to guarantee itself a top-10 finish in the polls when it meets No. 7 Utah (10-3) at 5 p.m. (TV-ESPN, WEEU-AM/830) in Pasadena.
The Lions lost their only two meetings against ranked teams, falling 4117 at Michigan and 4431 to Ohio State at home. They’ve dropped 11 consecutive games against top 10 opponents since a 24-21 upset win over the Buckeyes in 2016
This is their first matchup against the Utes, who have won the last two Pac-12 championships and who are looking for their first Rose Bowl win.
“We want to be 1-0 this week and play well against a really good opponent,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “I’ll leave that up to people like yourself to determine what type of season we’ve had.”
The Lions and the Utes are quite similar. They both rely on playing physical football with strong running games and hardnosed defenses. They also have veteran quarterbacks in Penn State’s Sean Clifford and Utah’s Cam Rising, the MVP of the Pac12 title game, and veteran coaches in Franklin and Utah’s Kyle Whittingham.
“Penn State is absolutely a complete football team,” Whittingham said Sunday. “They’re strong at every position. Without question, they’re the best defense we’ve played this year. I’m very impressed.
“As a former linebacker I’m very impressed with their linebackers. They have to be one of the best groups in the country.”
Utah ranks eighth nationally in scoring (40.0) and 17th in total offense (472.7) behind Rising and
a powerful ground attack. The Utes, however, will be without their leading receiver, tight end Dalton Kincaid, who opted out of the game to treat an injury.
Defensively, Utah has held opponents to 20.4 points and 325.3 yards per game, ranking in the top 20 in both categories.
“Our programs are both built on fundamentals and being tough and sound,” Franklin said. “We’re playing really well on defense and have been all year long. They’ve been built with Kyle’s background on the defensive side of the ball.
“(Whether it’s) offense, defense or special teams, they really have no weakness.”
Utah dropped its opener at Florida and then conference games at UCLA and Oregon before routing USC 47-24 for the Pac-12 title, its
second win over the Trojans this season.
Penn State began its season 5-0 before losing to the Wolverines and the Buckeyes and finishing with four consecutive victories in November.
Both teams are looking to win the Rose Bowl after losing in their previous appearances. The Lions dropped a heartbreaking 52-49 decision to USC six years ago, and the Utes fell 48-45 to Ohio State last year after Rising was injured midway through the game.
“Going to the Rose Bowl again has been phenomenal,” Whittingham said. “If we were able to get a win, that would obviously be another step in the right direction for our program. But I can tell you right now, our season is a success regardless of what happens.”