Episode Details

Penn State and Utah played a closely-contested game on Monday night in the 2023 Rose Bowl. If the Nittany Lions proved one thing, it's that they have a dominant running game. 

Freshman Nicholas Singleton broke off an 87-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to give the Nittany Lions a 21-14 lead. Singleton had only six carries by the time the decisive fourth quarter started, but he gained 120 yards on those six runs and scored two touchdowns. The budding superstar showed speed, power, and vision during the game in a breakout performance reminiscent of former Nittany Lions rusher Saquon Barkley. 

However, the turning point of the game was the next drive when Utah quarterback Cam Rising exited the game with a knee injury after a first-down scramble where he took a hard hit from three Penn State defenders. 

The game broke open on the first play of the fourth quarter when KeAndre Lambert Smith broke off an 88-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Sean Clifford. 

Clifford, in his swan song, was impeccable. The sixth-year senior exploded during the game for 242 yards and two touchdowns by the time Lambert-Smith hauled in his touchdown. More impressively, Clifford was hyper-efficient, completing 14 of 20 passes with several throwaways thanks to excellent coverage.

Once Penn State went up by two scores, Utah had no answer without Rising. Backup quarterback Bryson Barnes threw a bad interception in the third quarter and took several sacks that ended drives. 

Penn State wins its first Rose Bowl since 1994, and head coach James Franklin gets redemption in his second attempt after a loss to USC in 2016. The Nittany Lions finish the season 11-2, and fans that wanted one got a signature win for 2022. 

Penn State gets signature victory, Clifford reason why | BWI Live Postgame Show

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