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Tag: Cameron Rising

  • Big-play Penn State roars past Utah 35-21 in Rose Bowl

    Big-play Penn State roars past Utah 35-21 in Rose Bowl

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    PASADENA, Calif. — KeAndre Lambert-Smith had the longest touchdown reception in Rose Bowl history on an 88-yard pass from Sean Clifford, freshman Nicholas Singleton broke a tiebreaking 87-yard touchdown run, and No. 9 Penn State rallied past No. 7 Utah 35-21 in the 109th edition of the Granddaddy of Them All on Monday.

    Clifford passed for 279 yards and two touchdowns in an impressive farewell to Penn State, and Singleton rushed for 120 yards and two more scores on a rainy day filled with spectacular big plays by the Nittany Lions (11-2).

    Utah couldn’t rally with quarterback Cameron Rising sidelined by a second-half injury, and coach James Franklin’s exuberant group comfortably won the Rose Bowl for the second time in school history and the first since Jan. 2, 1995.

    Singleton got the Nittany Lions rolling in a well-played game when he broke through Utah’s defensive front and outran the secondary for his second touchdown early in the third quarter. The 87-yard romp was the third-longest TD run in Rose Bowl history and the second-longest in Penn State’s bowl history.

    Shortly after rain began to fall on the Rose Bowl Game for the first time since 1997, Lambert-Smith got open deep and eluded Utah’s defensive backs on the first snap of the fourth quarter for the longest pass completion in Penn State’s bowl history. Clifford’s pass also broke the Rose Bowl record of 76 yards by Michigan’s Rick Leach to Curt Stephenson in 1978 against Washington.

    Freshman Kaytron Allen added a 1-yard TD run with 10:36 to play, and Penn State’s defense got stops on the Utes’ first six drives of the second half.

    The victory was a fitting finale for Clifford, the sixth-year senior who finally added a memorable bowl performance to his slew of Penn State career passing records in his 51st game. Clifford also became the winningest quarterback in school history with his 32nd victory, passing Trace McSorley.

    Franklin called a timeout with 2:30 left to allow a hero’s farewell for Clifford, who waved at the standing ovation from Penn State’s white-clad fans while his teammates applauded.

    “I’m just so thankful for this place,” Clifford said. “I can’t put it into words. It’s so amazing. I just love Penn State so much.”

    Rising passed for 95 yards before apparently injuring his left knee in the third quarter, forcing the Utah quarterback out of his second straight Rose Bowl early due to injury. Bryson Barnes replaced Rising for the second straight year, but the two-time Pac-12 champion Utes (10-4) couldn’t rally behind their backup.

    Ja’Quinden Jackson rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown for Utah. Thomas Yassmin caught an early TD pass from Rising, but Utah was shut out for 32 straight minutes before Jaylen Dixon’s TD catch with 25 seconds to play.

    Rising, one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in Utah history, got hurt while being tackled after scrambling for a first down near midfield, eventually trudging to the locker room and returning later in street clothes. The Ventura County native also got hurt on a sack in the fourth quarter of last year’s 48-45 Rose Bowl loss to Ohio State.

    Barnes threw his first collegiate passes against the Buckeyes after Rising’s injury and led an improbable tying touchdown drive before Ohio State won it at the gun. Barnes couldn’t recapture that magic in his second Rose Bowl relief role, going 10 of 19 for 112 yards with an interception.

    The unusually gloomy afternoon in Arroyo Seco marked the end of an era for the sport’s oldest active bowl: It was the final edition of the Rose Bowl guaranteed to feature its traditional matchup between Pac-12 and Big Ten teams.

    The game will be a College Football Playoff semifinal next year, and the subsequent playoff expansion means the Rose Bowl won’t usually control which teams make the trip.

    In contrast to several wild Rose Bowls in recent years, including the Utes’ 93-point epic with Ohio State a year ago, both teams traded touchdowns early in drives with several old-school aspects with deliberate use of the run game and solid defense. Singleton even scored the game’s first touchdown on a run out of a T formation.

    Yassmin scored Utah’s first TD while filling in for tight end Dalton Kincaid, the Utes’ leading receiver. Kincaid sat out to preserve his health along with Utah’s leading rusher, Tavion Thomas, and first-team All-American cornerback Clark Phillips III.

    Penn State answered with Clifford’s 10-yard TD pass to Mitchell Tinsley, but Utah evened it less than two minutes later on a 19-yard TD run by Jackson, making it 14-14 at halftime.

    Singleton then made his 87-yard sprint early in the third quarter, surpassing 1,000 yards in his impressive freshman season along the way. Only Saquon Barkley’s 92-yard run in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl was longer in the Nittany Lions’ lengthy bowl history.

    RARE RAINFALL

    The game began under cloudy skies after a week of uncharacteristically gray skies in Los Angeles, and in the third quarter, rain landed on the Rose Bowl Game for only the third time since 1955. The visiting fans from two hardy cities showed little concern about Southern California’s version of bad weather.

    UP NEXT

    Penn State: Hosts West Virginia on Sept. 2.

    Utah: Begins its quest for a third straight Pac-12 title by hosting Florida on Sept. 2.

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  • Thomas helps No. 13 Utah rout Stanford 42-7

    Thomas helps No. 13 Utah rout Stanford 42-7

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    SALT LAKE CITY — A few weeks ago, Tavion Thomas was on the brink of losing his place on Utah’s team.

    Rushing for a career-high 180 yards on Saturday night proved he’s all the way back.

    “I was just so happy to be out there with my teammates,” Thomas said. “I wasn’t worried about my carries, I was just worried about finishing this thing and playing with these guys.”

    Cameron Rising threw for three touchdowns and No. 13 Utah beat Stanford 42-7 on Senior Night.

    Utah (8-2, 6-1 Pac-12) started slow on a below-freezing night in the shadow of the Wasatch Mountains, but scored 42 straight points after trailing 7-0 to Stanford (3-7, 1-7).

    Utah’s defense was suffocating after the initial score while Thomas recorded his first 100-yard rushing game since the season opener at Florida and eclipsed his previous high (177) set at Stanford last year.

    Thomas, who has been in and out of the lineup with personal issues, was pressed into heavy use because of injuries in the backfield.

    “It’s been challenging but you can’t run from it, you have to attack it. I’ve got great guys here and a great support system and they got me back slowly but surely,” Thomas said.

    He rushed for a four-yard TD in the second quarter and a 36-yard score in the fourth — his 28th career touchdown at Utah, moving him to third on the all-time rushing TD list.

    “There were some bumps in the road … but I’m really grateful he continued to stick with it and fight through some of the issues he was having,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.

    Thomas was a 1,000-yard rusher and had 21 touchdowns last season but was away from team at times this season and missed the Washington State game. He struggled through the middle of the season but showed renewed speed and power in time for Utah’s quest for a Rose Bowl return.

    “It was great to see Tavion in his last game at Rice-Eccles get back to his old self. I’m really proud of him and glad that he’s weathered the storm,” Whittingham said.

    Rising went 20-for-33 through the air for 219 yards with an interception to boost Utah’s home winning streak to 14.

    “Once we eliminated our mistakes, things started to go our way,” Rising said.

    The Utes initially struggled to execute against Stanford, which allows the most rushing yards of any team in the conference. After three fourth-down conversions, including a fake punt, Utah finally scored on a Rising-to-Devaughn Vele 9-yard TD pass in the second quarter.

    “We’ve always been good at getting off the field on third down this year but fourth down has been a different story,” Stanford linebacker Levani Damuni said about Utah going 4-for-4 on 4th down in the first half.

    After that, the floodgates opened and Utah rolled to 514 total yards with 279 on the ground. At the same time, Stanford’s entire offense failed to outgain Thomas, garnering just 177 total yards.

    “We are just doing our job. A lot of the mistakes that were happening early in the season were guys trying to make a big play and not doing their assignments,” said Jonah Elliss, who had 1.5 sacks.

    On Stanford’s second drive, Tanner McKee evaded the rush and threw a 51-yard pass and then snuck in for a one-yard touchdown one play later.

    In the end, McKee passed for 155 yards but didn’t have much time to throw and was sacked seven times.

    “It’s going to be a dirty pocket. It’s going to be tight coverage. When we have those one-on-one opportunities with all the pressure, and we get the protection, we got to hit them,” Stanford coach David Shaw said.

    THE TAKEAWAY

    Stanford: Without any semblance of a rushing attack — just 22 yards — the Cardinal couldn’t move the ball. Stanford’s defense forced Utah to convert four fourth downs to keep drives going but eventually wore down against the run and were exposed when Utah turned to the passing game against a stacked box.

    Utah: The Ute defense looked suspect earlier this season and in this game, but dominated the second quarter by keeping Stanford without a single first down while the offense awoke. Once the Utah line controlled the line of scrimmage, the game was essentially over. Now Utah heads to Oregon in a battle in of one-loss teams.

    POLL IMPLICATIONS

    UCLA, Oregon and Mississippi were ranked ahead of the Utes in the poll and all lost, so Utah may move up a couple notches.

    UP NEXT

    Stanford visits California next Saturday afternoon.

    Utah plays at Oregon next Saturday night.

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  • Rising scores on 2-pointer, No. 20 Utah tops No. 7 USC 43-42

    Rising scores on 2-pointer, No. 20 Utah tops No. 7 USC 43-42

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    SALT LAKE CITY — Time was dwindling but the decision had already been made as Cameron Rising drove Utah down the field against previously unbeaten Southern California.

    “We were going to keep the ball in Cam’s hands,” Utes coach Kyle Whittingham said. “And if we score and time is close to expiring, we were going for 2, no question.”

    Rising threw for 415 yards, ran for three touchdowns and scampered up the middle for a go-ahead two-point conversion with 48 seconds left in No. 20 Utah’s 43-42 victory over the seventh-ranked Trojans on Saturday night.

    The Utes dedicated the game to Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe, former players who died within a year of each other. In the locker room after the game, the team presented the game ball to the fallen players’ mothers in a poignant moment. Both players wore jersey number 22.

    “We wanted to make sure we represented 22 well,” Rising said as the Utes had hand-painted portraits of Jordan and Lowe on their black helmets.

    Even when the Utes were down two touchdowns, Rising said his teammates never doubted.

    “We had an unwavering belief,” Rising said. “Having Ty and Aaron on your helmet made it that much easier to go.”

    Rising rushed a yard for a touchdown on fourth down to set up the deciding conversion.

    “Cam Rising is a competitor, warrior, you name it. He’s a champion,” Whittingham said.

    Caleb Williams threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns for Southern California (6-1, 4-1 Pac-12). Utah (5-2, 3-1) held the Trojans on their last-ditch drive, handing them their first loss as a record crowd of 53,609 shook Rice-Eccles Stadium and then flooded the field.

    “I’m going to be honest, I hate losing. I really, really, really, I hate it, simply,” a devastated Williams said. “So, yeah, I had a little emotion.”

    The Utes needed every one of Rising’s big plays with his legs and his arm during his career night. Rising, who was once committed to current USC coach Lincoln Riley when he was at Oklahoma, became the first Utah QB to throw for 400 yards since Brian Johnson had 417 against San Diego State in 2005.

    Dalton Kincaid had 16 catches for 234 yards, the most for a Ute since Carl Harry had 255 yards in 1988 and the most catches and yards receiving for a Utah tight end.

    “Cam made some really nice throws to him and he made some really phenomenal catches,” Riley said. “The yards that he had after the catch really, really hurt us.”

    Southern Cal’s Mario Williams had four catches for 145 yards and Jordan Addison had seven receptions for 106 yards before an ankle injury took him out of the game.

    Against an all-out blitz, Williams connected with Michael Jackson III, who stepped through a tackle for a 20-yard touchdown with 6:15 to play for a 42-35 lead. It was Jackson’s first catch of the season.

    The Trojans scored on their first three possessions of the game. The assault continued throughout the game but the Utah defense secured the victory after Rising’s heroics in the fourth quarter.

    “Their team is full of explosive players … but they have to play for four quarters and that showed the resiliency of our team,” Utah linebacker Karene Reid said of the final stop.

    Utah has won 23 of its last 24 home games, including a streak of 12 in a row.

    “That certainly had to be one of the most exciting games in Rice-Eccles history. What a performance by our football and it’s a really good team we beat, very talented and the quarterback’s tremendous,” Whittingham said.

    Addison, the 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner at Pittsburgh as the nation’s top receiver, had seven catches for 106 yards but hurt his ankle on a reverse in the third quarter.

    KINCAID STEPS IN

    Brant Kuithe was Utah’s focal point in the passing game but is out for the season with a knee injury. Kincaid stepped in with his historic game and the Utah offense didn’t miss a beat, even when the running game faltered.

    “He’s an absolute athlete, one of the best tight ends in the country and tough as nails,” Whittingham said.

    Rising said this game was a result of an instant connection when they both transferred to Utah in 2020 and the trust has grown each year.

    “He’s an easy guy to throw the ball to. When he touches the ball that often, he make plays, he extends them. He’s a player,” Rising said.

    THE TAKEAWAY

    Southern California: The Trojans were prolific on offense, but the defense couldn’t stop Rising, especially when it counted. Key penalties often stymied the Trojans when they had opportunities to take a commanding lead.

    Utah: Rising willed the Utes to the win but the defense was gashed by the Trojans. Utah defenders often took poor angles against USC’s speed. Utah turned almost exclusively to the passing game as the running game was stuffed, except for Rising’s power runs.

    POLL IMPLICATIONS

    Utah should rise but the Trojans shouldn’t fall far after the two teams went toe-to-toe for 60 minutes.

    UP NEXT

    Southern California: At Arizona on Oct. 29.

    Utah: At Washington State on Oct. 27.

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