Mike Golic Jr. Scouts the Penn State-Utah Rose Bowl

How might Penn State 'upset' the Utes? Golic breaks down the matchup and where the Lions have an edge.

The legacy of Penn State's 2022 football season hinges on a fascinating matchup with No. 8 Utah in the Rose Bowl. The Lions (10-2) lost only to two playoff participants, Michigan and Ohio State, but didn't beat a team in the College Football Playoff rankings' final top 25.

As a result, the Rose Bowl could swing perception of the Lions' season and their future.

"If Penn State were to go out and be able to upset this Utah team in the Rose Bowl, that would absolutely be the beginning of increasing and growing those expectations heading into 2023," football analyst Golic Jr. said.

Upset? That's what he said. The former Notre Dame lineman, now a DraftKings analyst and host of the GoJo podcast with former teammate Brandon Newman, called the Rose Bowl one of the more fascinating games of bowl season.

In a recent interview, Golic discussed the matchup, his appreciation of Penn State's freshman backs and what Penn State must do to win its first Rose Bowl since 1995.

Question: OK, you said the word 'upset' there. Why would a Penn State win over Utah be an upset?

Mike Golic Jr.: I think Utah across the board, especially the way they were playing late in the season, is just a better team. And part of that is quarterback. Sean Clifford is always a complicated conversation to have around Penn State. He is very good college quarterback. I think that what Utah has in Cam Rising is better. Between mobility, decisiveness, and overall just the way he commands that offense, I see a little bit more there and right now coming off winning the Pac-12 championship.

I know it's impossible to have that conversation without mentioning [USC quarterback] Caleb Williams' hamstring injury and how that affected the [Pac-12 championship] game, but they physically beat USC both sides of the ball. Utah got punched in the mouth Week 1 of the season against Florida, and they had playoff hopes that were kind of dashed. But the response from them, combined with what that offense has done on the ground and with the tight end room and the defense setting the standard we've seen under [coach] Kyle Wittingham for a while now, I think all that makes them a team in the trenches I would worry about.

Q: How fair is it to call Utah a Big Ten team in Pac-12 clothing? Do they play with a Big Ten mindset?

Golic: I think so. We think about all these conferences having traditional identities, and it used to be that you had to work your conference's identity in order to win, right? That's what we're seeing with Michigan at the top level in the Big Ten. Ohio State was built to win national championships, Michigan was built to win the Big Ten. And at some point, that came home these last couple seasons. Utah, I think you're right, is in a similar position. Now, that's not to say there aren't other physical teams in the Pac-12. ... But I think Utah is certainly that team that brings the physical mindset that maybe we also associated with Oregon when Mario Cristobal was there for a couple of years. So yeah, I would say there's a lot of Big Ten flavor to this Utah meal.

Utah quarterback Cameron Rising celebrates his team's win over USC in the Pac-12 championship game. Utah is making its second consecutive Rose Bowl appearance :: Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today Sports

Q: You've seen Penn State's freshman running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen in person. What impression did they leave?

Golic: I just think they have a lot of confidence. With these guys, it's the home-run ability and what that adds to an offense. As an offensive lineman, when you know that you could be at the bottom of the pile scratching and clawing and pop your head up and see Nick Singleton 40 yards down the field streaking for a touchdown, that makes it even easier to go out there and sell out on every given play. It's like playing with a mobile quarterback who's a big-time playmaker. You know every play has the potential to be the play. For both those guys, the consistency was big, they were dependable, but I think that home-run ability for me was always a big separator and especially a big boost to this offense.

Q: What impact did Manny Diaz have as Penn State's defensive coordinator this season?

Golic: One, he had good weapons up there. Like [defensive tackle] PJ Mustipher, who is the spine of that defense, a very prideful veteran that you had to work there. [Linebacker] Abdul Carter and what he was able to do, especially as the season went along. You felt them growing in confidence, getting him more snaps. He's a really talented guy who looks very familiar with that No. 11. And then when you combine that with having cornerbacks you trust, it allows you to do a bunch of things. And that was what Manny Diaz did.

His defense was really variable. ... In those ways, Manny gave them, in certain spots, a schematic advantage to really put stress on opposing offenses. Those kinds of defenses require a lot from the neck up. So the fact that Penn State was able to accomplish what it did in Year 1 is impressive. And listen, they were coming off a really great stretch with the prior coordinator [Brent Pry], and it's always a challenge for a veteran coach like Manny to come into a situation where guys are used to doing things a certain way, and it worked really well for them by and large. To meet them halfway but still be able to put your own imprint on it, I think he did that really well this season.

Q: Back to the Rose Bowl. Utah wins if...

Golic: I would say Utah wins if Cam Rising goes out and has the kind of game we've seen him step up and have in big games. He's an incredible dual threat. That's the one thing that stuck out to me most. Seeing him in person, he's just fast enough at the college level to make you pay, and he's tough enough on the back side of that to really be willing to risk it in pivotal situations. And he just makes really quick, decisive decisions. If he's allowed to play in rhythm like that, and they're allowed to dictate the terms on offense the way that they have, I think they win if he's that decisive.

Q: And Penn State wins if...

Golic: For Penn State, they win if they're able to ball-control this thing and then make those big plays. That was a signature part of this offense, being able to hit from distance on the ground and being able to pry open holes for those freshmen. So if we're calling their names and putting gold stars around their performances at the end of the day, that will be key. And then if Sean Clifford is able to avoid the big turnovers. So I would say a clean game from Clifford going out in his Penn State career and those freshmen continuing shine.

PENN STATE FANS: Looking for Rose Bowl tickets? SI Tickets is your one-stop shop for tickets to a variety of Penn State sporting events, from football to basketball, hockey to volleyball. Need tickets to the Penn State game? Check out SI Tickets.

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