Penn State caps bounce-back season on brightest note: Highs and Lows

PASADENA, Calif. – Penn State and Utah settled into a grind-it-out Rose Bowl on Monday. Trading punches throughout the first half, the game appeared destined for a fourth quarter finish.

It wouldn’t last.

First sparked by a Nicholas Singleton 87-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, the Nittany Lions then knocked Utah quarterback Cam Rising out of the game with an injury, picked off Utes backup Bryson Barnes, and controlled the action for the rest of the way.

Here, a look at the highs and lows from Penn State’s 35-21 rout over Utah in the Rose Bowl.

Penn State Rose Bowl highs and lows

PLAYER OF THE GAME Sean Clifford wanted to end his Penn State career on a high note, the final mark on a tenure marked by remarkable highs and lows. 

He more than accomplished that goal.

Clifford’s numbers weren’t the most productive of his career, but his control of the game was a masterpiece, highlighted by a record-setting 88-yard touchdown strike to KeAndre Lambert-Smith on the first play of the fourth quarter. The connection gave Penn State a 28-14 advantage and put Clifford into the storied bowl game’s record books with its longest play. 

PLAY OF THE GAME Penn State’s momentum had turned into a stalemate when the Nittany Lions got their first crack at the ball in the second half. Backed up against their end zone, their prospects were no brighter, facing a 95-yard field.

Nick Singleton upended all that.

Racing through a sea-parting set of blocks up front, the true freshman tailback was untouched for 87 yards on his way into the end zone. The play gave the Nittany Lions a 21-14 advantage. And, by the time Penn State knocked Rising out of the game on Utah’s ensuing possession, and Tig Brown intercepted backup Barnes, the floodgates were opened.

BEST PASS Clifford had multiple perfectly thrown balls in his final collegiate performance, though none were nicer than the 28-yard first down pickup to Theo Johnson thrown late in the first quarter. The completion set up Penn State’s first points of the game.

BEST RUN Singleton put eight carries of 30-or-more yards on his resume in 12 regular season games. None would top his 87-yard dash into the end zone on the brightest lights college football has to offer. Pinned deep in Penn State territory in the third quarter, the freshman running back burst through the Utah defense and out into an open field in which no one could stop him. The touchdown gave Penn State a 21-14 advantage. 

BEST CATCH On what appeared to be a haphazard defensive alignment, Jon Sutherland forced into coverage at corner, Kalen King flat-out made a play. Locked on the Utah slot Devaughn Vele, Penn State’s sophomore corner found the ball, kept position, and capitalized with a leaping interception to give the Nittany Lions possession late in the first quarter.

WORST DROP Penn State had Utah on the ropes late in the third quarter. Riding the wave of Singleton’s touchdown, Rising’s exit, and an interception setting up solid field position, the Nittany Lions faced a critical third-and-6. Clifford connected with Harrison Wallace for an easy first down, only to see the pitch-and-catch lost to the Rose Bowl stadium turf, forcing a Penn State punt and another opportunity for Utah’s offense.

BEST SACK Getting home took the entirety of the first half, but Penn State finally notched its first sack of the afternoon on the final play before heading into the locker room. A horde of Nittany Lions surrounding Rising, Curtis Jacobs put the Utah quarterback on the ground for a 5-yard loss.

BEST HIT Fast forward to the fourth quarter, with Penn State firmly in control, and Tig Brown’s sack of backup quarterback Bryson Barnes served as a bookend to the effort.

BEST EFFORT Keeping the play alive, first and foremost, was paramount for Sean Clifford. Staring at a crucial third-and-8, the Nittany Lion quarterback evaded a quickly collapsing pocket and found KeAndre Lambert-Smith deep down the field for a 32-yard pickup, a first down, and a desperately needed boost of momentum. Just three plays later, Penn State cashed in with a beautiful Clifford-to-Mitchell Tinsley touchdown connection. 

BEST KICK Moving into Penn State territory on the first possession of the second half, Utah stalled when the Nittany Lions eventually forced a third-and-long. Jack Bouwmeester’s beauty of a 39-yard yard punt ensured the Nittany Lions would have no breathing room, though, setting up a first-and-10 at their 5-yard line.

BEST RETURN Coming out of Utah’s first score of the game, Kaytron Allen delivered a 29-yard kickoff return through traffic to set up field position at the 30. 

BEST DECISION Franklin touted the unselfishness of his running backs earlier in the week when the Nittany Lions go to the T formation. At a moment Penn State needed a play, the sentiment rang true as Singleton plunged into the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown late in the first quarter.

MOST TELLING MOMENT Owning a 35-14 lead with 2:30 left to play in the Rose Bowl, the transition at quarterback for Penn State took literal form. Clifford, having produced one of his career best games, exited the game during a timeout and embraced Drew Allar, his heir apparent, to close out the game.

Penn State’s sideline celebrated the achievement, Allar saw action in his 10th game of his debut season, and the program handed off one era to its next.