The Nittany Lions must prove they are tough enough on Monday’s biggest football stage.
Must show how they’ve continued to grow and evolve from the painful learning experiences of October and even their runaway victories in November. To provide even more reasons why next year will be different than this one in the most important defining points.
For Penn State, the Rose Bowl, then, begins and ends up front, on both lines of scrimmage. Not only in its physicality in blocking and running the ball and with elite tackling pursuit to beat the Utah Utes − but also to give a clear look-ahead to a playoff run next fall.
Utah is, perhaps, the perfect test and even a launch pad of sorts. The Utes are built and perform as a Big Ten team like Michigan in the way it wants to impose its will up front. They do that, first, with a three-headed running back combination, productive tight ends and a rugged, impressive decision-maker at quarterback. They complement that with an aggressive, quarterback-mugging attack on defense.
Utah will want to deliver body blows, enforce its will and gradually pull away.
Penn State will want to do the same. Its advantage? It possesses more explosive, game-changing athletes at the right spots to pull that off.
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Most important: The Lions’ offensive line has begun to consistently provide formidable results opening room for tailbacks Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen and protecting quarterback Sean Clifford.
And those blockers are now healthier than at any point since October and must take another step on Monday.
That combination should be enough to keep Clifford comfortable and help him alleviate game-changing mistakes and turnovers. Enough, too, to open pathways against a Utah defense ranked in the Top 20 at stopping the rush (107 yards per game) and Top 10 at sacking the quarterback.
Penn State’s defense should be able to handle the rest of the day’s work, especially with the Utes missing their top two tight ends and offering no significant weapons on the outside. That will allow the Lions to devote more defenders to scrimmage to control Utah QB Cam Rising and those tailbacks.
Penn State’s ever-improving, young stars on each level should win a tight, pounding kind of affair: linebackers Abdul Carter and Curtis Jacobs, cornerback Kalen King and rush end Adisa Isaac on defense; Singleton and Allen and tight end Theo Johnson and a receiver like KeAndre Lambert-Smith on offense.
That’s what will make the difference at the end on this day.
And give one more preview to what should be even better to come next fall.
