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Rose Bowl: Is Penn State Football’s rushing attack better than Utah’s?

By Andrew Adair

AUBURN, ALABAMA - SEPTEMBER 17: Running back Nicholas Singleton #10 of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs the ball through traffic during their game against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 17, 2022 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
AUBURN, ALABAMA - SEPTEMBER 17: Running back Nicholas Singleton #10 of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs the ball through traffic during their game against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 17, 2022 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /
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The Penn State Football rushing attack is much improved this season. Does Rose Bowl opponent Utah have a better rushing attack?

Penn State Football will face off against Utah in this season’s Rose Bowl on January 2nd. The Rose Bowl will give us an unusual matchup as Penn State will take on Utah for the first time in program history. The matchup will also feature two teams that like to move the ball on the ground.

The two rushing attacks are successful and could not be more different. Penn State relies heavily on a two-headed monster in Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Utah takes a more liberal approach and has five players with 65 or more carries.

While many factors are at play in this Rose Bowl matchup, one thing is clear both teams want to run the ball.

Let’s see which team has the better rushing attack.

Penn State

PISCATAWAY, NJ – NOVEMBER 19: Running back Kaytron Allen #13 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates with Nicholas Singleton #10 after scoring a touchdown on an eight-yard run during the third quarter of a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium on November 19, 2022 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Penn State defeated Rutgers 55-10. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ – NOVEMBER 19: Running back Kaytron Allen #13 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates with Nicholas Singleton #10 after scoring a touchdown on an eight-yard run during the third quarter of a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium on November 19, 2022 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Penn State defeated Rutgers 55-10. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Penn State Football saw a revival of their rushing attack this season. Led by a much improved offensive line and a pair of true freshman running backs, Penn State returned to prominence by becoming a balanced offense.

Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen lead the Penn State backfield. The true freshman duo combined for 1,771 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. The Penn State rushing attack is explosive, and they rarely take a loss on a carry.

Quarterback Sean Clifford has not been as active in the rushing attack. You would have to think having Clifford take a more limited was part of the plan in an effort to keep him healthy. Even with a more limited role, Clifford found the endzone five times.

Utah Utes

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 02: Ja’Quinden Jackson #3 of the Utah Utes runs the ball for a touchdown during the second quarter of the PAC-12 Championship football game against the USC Trojans at Allegiant Stadium on December 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 02: Ja’Quinden Jackson #3 of the Utah Utes runs the ball for a touchdown during the second quarter of the PAC-12 Championship football game against the USC Trojans at Allegiant Stadium on December 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /

Utah has a very balanced rushing attack. The Utes have four Running Backs that have over 65 carries. Quarterback Cameron Rising is also heavily involved in their rushing attack with 65+ carries.

Utah has experienced some injuries to their Running Backs and will be without their leading rusher Tavion Thomas. He has missed the last three games. The rushing attack hasn’t missed a beat, as Micah Bernard and Ja’Quinden Jackson have filled in amazingly.

The Utah rushing attack averages over 220 yards per game and have accounted for 37 touchdowns. The Utes also average 5.5 yards per carry. While the Utah rushing attack is not as explosive as Penn States‘, they are very efficient.

The Verdict

Both teams are at their best when their rushing attacks are humming. The Penn State rushing attack relies more on explosive plays, while Utah is five yards and a cloud of dust.

The Team with the advantage in the running game is…

Utah Football

Utah involves more players and doesn’t need a big chunk play to be effective. They also utilize their quarterback more effectively in the rushing attack. While both teams will have success on the ground, Utah will be the best rushing attack Penn State will see since Michigan.

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