What several Utes said about the Rose Bowl vs Penn State Part 2

Notable quotes from several Utes in regards to the Rose Bowl vs Penn State.

Cameron Rising

Utah Utes quarterback Cameron Rising (7) looks to pass during the second quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Question: What about this team gives you confidence?

Cameron Rising: "Just the togetherness. I think everybody's focused on just going out there and competing each and every day. I like the head space right now."

Question: What does it mean for the young guys to play in the Rose Bowl so early in their career?

Cameron Rising: "It just shows you the standard and how hard it is to get there. It really puts into perspective how big of a stage that is, playing in The Grandaddy of them All. It's going to be exciting and I know they're looking forward to getting down there."

Question: How has Yassmin grown and whats the chemistry like between you two?

Cameron Rising: "It's been going great. We've been working together since 2019 (on the) scout team. It's always been productive. He's a phenomenal player. Just need to get the ball in his hands and watch him do the rest."

Question: Thoughts on Penn State?

Cameron Rising: "They play a good brand of football, I think similar to ours with physicality and really stressing on defense and making sure the offense is playing complimentary. It's going to be an exciting game because of how well they play on both sides of the ball."

Thomas Yassmin

Utah Utes tight end Thomas Yassmin (87) celebrates scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at Rice-Eccles Stadium / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Question: Whats the formula for successful practices during bowl season?

Thomas Yassmin: "I think the biggest thing is just not approaching it any differently. Obviously, the mentality is a little more intense. Cam [Rising] says it all the time, we just need to do the same thing we always do, just do it better. Just going in with the same approach, just doing things like we usually do and not getting in over ourselves."

Question: What do you like the most about this team right now?

Thomas Yassmin: "I'm sure everyone says it: the brotherhood. Everyone's just so close to each other; offense, defense…the specialists. Everyone's very close-knit, everyone knows each other personally. It's always a good practice environment. It's competitive; we get into it. But at the same time, we go back to the locker room and we're best friends again. I think it's a very good environment to be in."

Question: How does your experience from last year help you now?

Thomas Yassmin: "It's awesome, honestly. It's been a long road for me. I've been here for four-and-a-half years, and I've only started to see action the past six games. It's really good to be out there and show people what I can do. I'm going to continue to do that and continue to do the best I can out there."

Question: Does going into a second Rose Bowl affect the approach?

Thomas Yassmin: "We're all obviously still excited. But we've been there, we've seen it…we know what the atmosphere is like, the environment. Right now, it's just going in there and playing another game. I think that was just the case with the Pac-12 Championship. We go in there, it's just another weekly game for us."

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