Utah’s Rose Bowl Loss Gives Pac-12 a 3-4 Bowl Record
Things looked promising for the Pac-12 when it won three of the first four bowls in which its teams participated. But Pac-12 teams lost their final three bowl games and ended its bowl season with a thud in the Rose Bowl.
No. 11 Penn State, which finished third in its division of the Big Ten, dominated the second half in a 35-21 Rose Bowl victory over Pac-12 champion and eighth-ranked Utah in Pasadena on Monday.
Two third-quarter plays were pivotal.
The first was an 87-yard touchdown run by Penn State freshman Nick Singleton with 9:25 left in the third quarter, which broke a 14-14 halftime tie and gave the Nittany Lions a 21-14 lead.
The second key play came three playus later when Utah quarterback Cameron Rising ran 9 yards for a first down but was injured on the play. He left the game with what appeared to be a knee injury, the same problem that had plagued him late in the regular season.
Rising was not particuarly effective, going 8-for-21 for 95 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 56 yards.
But the Utes moved the ball with him in the game. The Utes had virtually no offense without him.
Bryson Barnes replaced Rising and he had performed well in a similar role in last year's Rose Bowl. But he had no success this time. He was 10-for-19 for 119 yards, but most of that came in the closing moments when the oputcome was decided. Utah did not score a point in the second half until it scored a meaningless touchdown in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford was 16-for-21 for 279 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Singleton finished with 120 rushing yards.
The lone highlight for Utah was a nice touchdown run by Ja'Quinden Jackson that tied the game 14-14 in the second quarter.
It was a disappointing performance by the Utes and the second loss by a Pac-12 team on Monday following USC's loss in the Cotton Bowl.
Here are the other six bowl games involving Pac-12 teams:
Oregon wins thrilling Holiday Bowl
Oregon State Wins Big in Las Vegas Bowl
Washington State Falls Short in LA Bowl
Of the five major football conferences, only the Big 12 has a worst postseason record than the Pac-12 this season, and the Big 12 has a team in the national championship game.
Here are the bowl records by conference (with the number of bowl teams in parentheses). Conferences are listed in the order of their winning percentage. The only postseason game yet to be played is the national championship game next Monday, which involves a Big 12 team (TCU) and an SEC team (Georgia):
MAC: 4-2 (6) -- .667
Independents: 3-2 (5) -- .600
American: 4-3 (7) -- .571
Big Ten: 5-4 (9) -- .556
ACC: 5-4 (9) -- .556
SEC: 6-5 (11) -- .546
Pac-12: 3-4 (7) -- .429
Conference-USA: 3-3 (6) -- .500
Mountain West: 3-4 (7) -- .429
Sun Belt: 3-4 (7) -- .429
Big 12: 2-6 (8) -- .250
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Cover photo of Cameron Rising being helped off is by Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports
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