Long TDs carry Nittany Lions to Rose Bowl victory
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PASADENA, Calif. -- Penn State wasn't known for a big-play offense throughout the 2022 season.
That changed in Monday's Rose Bowl.
After an even first half, the Nittany Lions blew the game open with a pair of 80-plus yard touchdowns in the second half and cruised to a 35-21 victory over Utah before 94,873 in one of college football's most storied stadiums.
The win put a bow on Penn State's 11-2 season and clinched a Top-10 finish.
Utah, the Pac-12 champion, lost the Rose Bowl for the second-straight year and finished 10-4.
Freshman tailback Nick Singleton busted an 87-yard touchdown run with 9:25 left in the third quarter to break a 14-14 tie, and then Sean Clifford connected with a wide-open KeAndre Lambert-Smith for an 88-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 28-14 with 14:49 remaining.
The defense clamped down and didn't allow another score until the game's final minute after the Nits had built a 35-14 lead.
In total, the Lions' defense made six sacks and nine tackles for loss and knocked out Utah's starting quarterback, Cam Rising, out of the game in the second half.
"Defensively, we were able to get pressure on the quarterback," James Franklin said, "and offensively we made a bunch of really big plays."
Franklin smirked and added, "And 85-yard plays help."
Penn State's longest play of the season was previously 70 yards, and Utah had not allowed an 80-yard score -- let alone two -- in five years.
Prior to Penn State's second-half outburst, the teams played on even terms in the first half, which ended in a 14-14 tie.
"We knew it would be a four-quarter game," Lambert-Smith said.
Clifford was the game's most valuable offensive player. He completed 16-of-21 for 279 yards and two touchdowns. He was not intercepted, and the Lions did not commit a turnover.
Safety Ji'Ayir Brown won defensive MVP honors with eight tackles and an interception.
"I'm so proud to share this with my brothers on the team and the Penn State community," Brown said.
The Nittany Lions took advantage of the game's first turnover as Kalen King intercepted Rising at the PSU 18.
Clifford twice hit tight ends on third down -- Tyler Warren for 16 yards and Theo Johnson for 28 -- to help set up Singleton's 5-yard touchdown to cap an 82-yard drive that gave the Lions a 7-0 lead with seven seconds left in the first quarter.
Singleton wound up rushing for 120 yards on seven carries and two touchdowns.
The Utes answered with a 13-play 75-yard drive of their own as Rising's 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Thomas Yassmin tied the game at 7 with 7:55 remaining in the second quarter.
Tied 7-7, Clifford was at his best on the Lions' next drive. He spun out of a tackle and, rolling left, found Lambert-Smith for 30 yards up the sideline. Clifford followed that with consecutive completions to Kaytron Allen and darts to Harrison Wallace and Mitchell Tinsley, whose 10-yard score bumped the Nits' lead to 14-7 with 4:47 remaining in the first half.
Utah, however, answered again with Rising finding DeVaughn Vele behind the Lions' defense for 47 yards and, three plays later, the Utes' Ja'Quinden Jackson busted a 19-yard touchdown run to tie it at 14 with 2:38 left before halftime.
In the fourth quarter, just as it's been all week here, the skies opened, but the rain didn't dampen Penn State's post-game celebration.
"I'm just happy for our guys. To come out here and play that team, got so much respect for Utah and Coach (Kyle) Whittingham out here on the road," Franklin said. "It's basically a home game for them, and our guys played their tails off. I'm just so proud of them — offense, defense and special teams."