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James Franklin calls for Penn State 'white out' at Rose Bowl

IMG_6598by:Nick Kosko•12/25/22•

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(Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

With Penn State preparing for the Rose Bowl, head coach James Franklin already knows what color he wants his team and fans to wear out in Pasadena. The Nittany Lions are known for their “white outs” at home, where the team wears their all-white uniforms and the entire crowd of over 100,00 wears white to the game.

“Nittany Nation, in case you were wondering what color to pack for the (Rose Bowl game)…,” Franklin wrote on Twitter.

That would definitely give Penn State the fan advantage over Utah, which played in the game last season. The Utes are a little closer travel-wise, but Franklin called the Nittany Lions fans to action.

Penn State got the invite to the Rose Bowl to face the Pac-12 champions by virtue of the “next man up” moniker. Michigan and Ohio State (the No. 2 and 4 teams in the country) made the College Football Playoff.

Penn State last made the Rose Bowl with a Big Ten title in 2016 but lost to USC in the final game.

Franklin had to navigate Rose Bowl prep with National Signing Day and the transfer portal running rampant over the last couple of weeks.

“I think the next class will become more of a priority after this first signing day because we’ll have more time at that point to focus on the next class, to focus a little bit more on the transfer portal and go from there,” Franklin said. “But balance is kind of the key word, you’re running in a thousand different directions, making sure our guys are finishing strong academically, obviously making sure we’re doing everything we can for bowl prep, God forbid you go buy a Christmas present, you know all those types of things.”

Penn State went 6-1 at home this season, only losing to Ohio State in front of a packed Beaver Stadium. So it seems the “white out” works for Franklin’s crew.

The offense is led by quarterback Sean Clifford, who’s in his final season at Penn State. This year, Clifford can throw a career high in touchdown passes if he tosses two more against the Utes.

He has 2,543 yards, 22 touchdowns, seven interceptions, a 63.6% completion percentage, 177 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

On the flip side, Cameron Rising enters his second straight Rose Bowl with Utah after the Utes won back-to-back conference titles. This season, Rising has 2,939 yards, 25 touchdowns, seven interceptions, a 66.2% completion percentage, 409 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.

No. 11 Penn State takes on No. 8 Utah in the Rose Bowl Jan. 2.