Penn State 35 – Utah 21
Behind a huge night by quarterback Sean Clifford in his final game as a Nittany Lion, Penn State rolled past Utah in the Rose Bowl on Monday night 35-21, putting an exclamation point on an 11-2 season for Penn State football.
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 02: Harrison Wallace III #6 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates a first down against the Utah Utes during the fourth quarter in the 2023 Rose Bowl Game at Rose Bowl Stadium on January 02, 2023 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Clifford threw for 279 yards and two touchdown passes, including an 88-yard strike to KeAndre Lambert that blew the game open at 28-14 in the fourth quarter. Clifford didn’t do it alone of course. Running back Nicholas Singleton enjoyed a superlative Rose Bowl, gashing the Utes for 120 yards on just seven carries.
Singleton’s 87-yard touchdown run in the third quarter broke a 14-14 tie, and jump-started a Penn State second half surge.
The victory improved Penn State’s Rose Bowl record to 2-2; it also ended the Bowl season on a good note for the Big Ten, which didn’t have much fun this Bowling season after Michigan and Ohio State were eliminated in the College Football Playoff.
