Penn State wins its second Rose Bowl in five games as they defeat the Utah Utes with a smothering second-half defense. Here are your takeaways.
1: Balanced football
The Nittany Lions protected the football and made no turnovers as they threw for 279 yards and ran for another 169 yards. With the exception of a few stuck drives, the Nittany Lions were able to keep the Ute offense off the field with a balanced attack.
2: Explosive Games
Penn State now has the longest passing game in Rose Bowl history and the third-longest running game in Rose Bowl history, both coming in the same game. Nicholas Singleton took the ball 87 yards for the touchdown that would put Penn State 21-14, then a few drives later, Sean Clifford found KeAndre Lambert-Smith for an 88-yard touchdown pass that pretty much clinched the win sealed.
3: Excited players
With all the talk about “bowls don’t matter,” both teams were fired up from the start. The game was physical throughout, and several times during the game things got dicey. Both teams wanted to end their year with a win, and when the Nittany Lions sealed the win, you could see the emotion on the sidelines. The biggest emotional performance came from Clifford, who ended his career by putting Penn State back in the Rose Bowl and walking away with the win.