For Utahs football program, which began playing the sport in 1892, receiving the official invitation Sunday to play in the Rose Bowl marks a monumental milestone.
Not only that, but the No. 11 Utes (10-3), the Pac-12 champion, will square off against a storied program in No. 6 Ohio State of the Big Ten in the New Years Day contest in Pasadena, California.
For us, its a great opportunity for our program. Its the next step in the evolution of our program, getting to the Rose Bowl. Most years, thats what the Pac-12 champion gets to experience, said coach Kyle Whittingham, whose team jumped up six spots in the final College Football Playoff rankings released Sunday.
It was the next step and the next goal for our program. Its something weve been shooting for and had our sights on for a number of years. Weve finally been able to get over that mountain and were very excited to have that opportunity. This bowl game is second-to-none.
The Rose Bowl game is nicknamed The Granddaddy of Them All because it is the oldest operating bowl game, dating back to 1902. Ohio State coach Ryan Day called it the most prestigious bowl game in all of college football.
The Utes earned their spot in the Rose Bowl after thumping Oregon 38-10 in the Pac-12 Championship game last Friday.
As for the Buckeyes (10-2), a program that sets their sights every year on College Football Playoff berths and national championships, the Rose Bowl is quite the consolation prize.
Ohio State was ranked No. 2 in the CFP rankings after blasting Michigan State 56-7 on Nov. 20. A week later, Ohio State lost at archrival Michigan 42-27. The Wolverines finished No. 2 in the final CFP polls Sunday and they face No. 3 Georgia in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 31.
While OSU is disappointed by the way its regular season ended, a Rose Bowl appearance is special.
A tradition-rich bowl like the Rose Bowl means a lot for all of us. You think of all the great players and the great coaches that have coached before in this game and then to play a really good opponent like Utah, the Pac-12 champ, its very significant for us, Day said.
Were certainly always looking to win championships here but I know our guys have a lot of pride in themselves and in the Buckeyes. Were looking forward to playing in Pasadena. Those are the two things that youre looking for a prestigious bowl and a great opponent. Now well go about the business of preparing for this game.
The two programs have met only one time, in 1986, when the Buckeyes clobbered the Utes 64-6 in Columbus. While OSU and Utah have that limited history one matchup that took place 35 years ago they have at least one other key connection.
Urban Meyer coached at both Utah (2003-04) and Ohio State (2012-2018). In fact both Whittingham and Day took over for Meyer when he left those respective jobs.
While this marks the Utes first Rose Bowl appearance, the Buckeyes have played in this game 15 times, including three years ago when they downed Washington 28-23 in Meyers final game as Ohio States coach. OSU has won its last three Rose Bowl games.
Utah, meanwhile, has been waiting for this opportunity ever since it joined the Pac-12 in 2011.
Everybody in Salt Lake is elated to be heading down to southern California for the Rose Bowl, Whittingham said. Were excited to come down and experience it. Ive got a lot of buddies, old USC guys, that have been to the Rose Bowl several times and they say theres nothing that compares to it. Well travel well. Its something the community is very fired up about.
Since Friday, Whittingham said he received over 600 text messages from former players and coaches, congratulating him and his team on their accomplishment.
I just finished responding to every one of them, Whittingham said. No easy task.
Athletic director Mark Harlan said in a statement the program is thrilled to be able to compete on this massive stage.
To get the call today from Laura Farber, president of the Tournament of Roses, and formally receive the invitation on behalf of the University of Utah and this incredible football program was an exciting moment, he said.
It was an honor to accept, and I cannot thank coach Whittingham, his staff and the student-athletes enough for their incredible fortitude all season to make this a reality. We are very grateful, and cannot wait for Jan. 1.
While this will be the Utes first Rose Bowl, they have two prior appearances in a New Years Six bowls winning the 2005 Fiesta Bowl against Pittsburgh and the 2009 Sugar Bowl against Alabama.
The Buckeyes average a nation-leading 45.5 points per game while giving up an average of just 20.9 points per game.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud has passed for 3,862 yards and 38 touchdowns while running back TreVeyon Henderson has run for 1,172 yards and 15 touchdowns. Receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson have combined for 31 touchdowns and more than 3,200 yards.
Defensively, tackle Haskell Garrett has recorded 5.5 sacks while safety Ronnie Hickman has tallied 95 tackles and two interceptions.
Ohio State what a tremendous opponent. Ive been doing a little bit of homework since we found out who our opponent is going to be and there is no weakness, I can tell you that, Whittingham said.
They throw the ball well, they run it well, they score, they defend. They have a 1,000-yard rusher, a couple of thousand-yard receivers and another guy on the verge of it. So we have our hands full. Its going to be a great challenge for our team but all our guys are excited about it. Its going to be a great experience for our players.
Day said Utah, which has won nine of its last 10 games, is a tough opponent.
Nothing but the utmost respect for coach Whittingham. A true gentleman, somebody thats been at Utah for a long time. It says a lot about who he is to be there for so long, he said.
They run the ball well and play really good defense because of that, theyve won a lot of games. Its going to be a really big challenge. Theyre playing well down the stretch. I have nothing but the utmost respect for him and his program. Thats what you want, to play against a really good opponent.
Whittingham was in Florida on Sunday for a recruiting trip. He said hell return to campus for a meeting with his players Monday afternoon.
Day met with his team Sunday to talk about the next challenge.
Our players are excited to find out were playing in the Rose Bowl, he said. An unbelievable opponent, a beautiful setting and everyone here at Ohio State is excited to play in this game.
And for Utah, to be in the Rose Bowl is a long-awaited, monumental milestone.
Get the inside scoop on your favorite team in this email for true Ute fans.
Continued here:
Why Utah going to Rose Bowl is next step in the evolution of our program - Deseret News
- Days of our Lives' Suzanne Rogers on the Evolution of Maggie: "She Knows Who She Is Now, and She's Not Relying ... - Michael Fairman TV - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Kylie Jenner Talks About Her Style Evolution - The Cut - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Equator Coffees Unveils New Packaging Design, Reflecting Brand Evolution & Vision For The Future - Sprudge - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Rosewood Hotel Group Accelerates Growth And Evolution Across Its Four Distinctive Brands - Hospitality Net - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Thomson Reuters Unveils New Brand Evolution - Adweek - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Is It Becoming Acceptable to Speak of Design? - Discovery Institute - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Did Charles Darwin Convert to Christianity and Discredit Evolution on His Deathbed? - Snopes.com - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Milk, it's not just for mammals: An amphibian makes it too - NPR - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Discover Puerto Rico Debuts Evolution of Its Successful 'Live Boricua' Brand Campaign Aimed at Engaging Visitors ... - Yahoo Finance - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- A Journey Through Time: The Evolution of Ras Al Khaimah Art - Business Wire - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Empowering Women: The Evolution and Innovation of coto Social Platform - CXOToday.com - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- The Evolution of Da'Vine Joy Randolph - The Root - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Study on mating behaviors offers clues into the evolution of attraction - Phys.org - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Dragonball Evolutions live-action Goku says goodbye to Toriyama: Sorry we messed up - AS USA - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Investec, evolution of SMEs in the materials handling sector - Leasing Life - March 14th, 2024 [March 14th, 2024]
- Pride & Prejudice and the evolution of the female gaze on screen - Yahoo News UK - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Joe Wong's Musical Evolution - Shepherd Express - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- A global survey of prokaryotic genomes reveals the eco-evolutionary pressures driving horizontal gene transfer - Nature.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Redefining Intelligence: Chimpanzees Break Through the Cultural Evolution Barrier - Medriva - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Mollusk Eyes Reveal How Future Evolution Depends on the Past - Quanta Magazine - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Levy Delves Into the Evolution of ADCs in NSCLC - OncLive - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The Snake Is The Spearhead of Reptile Evolution, But Why? - ScienceAlert - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- 'A very special day: Birds linked to Darwins theory of evolution reintroduced to Galapagos Islands - Euronews - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Why the Powerhouses of Cells Evolve Differently in Plants - College of Natural Sciences - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Driving the DevOps Evolution: ArgoCD, Tekton and Seamless Migrations - DevOps.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Finding the Balance: The Evolution of Public Health Guidance Amidst Controversy - Medriva - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Insider Podcast: Paolini dishes on her Polish roots and hard-court evolution - WTA Tennis - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Interview: Sara Gruen and Rick Elice Talk About the Inspiration and Evolution of the New Musical Water for Elephants - TheaterMania.com - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The Evolution of the Laravel Welcome Page - Laravel News - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- A Serpentine 'Explosion' 125 Million Years Ago Primed Snakes for Rapid, Diverse Evolution - Smithsonian Magazine - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The Evolution of Modern Technologies in Car Development - FinSMEs - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Milwaukee Transformed: From Bronzeville to Veterans Park, Aerial Timelapses Reveal City's Evolution - BNN Breaking - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The eyes are a gateway to evolution of daddy longlegs at least. - University of Wisconsin-Madison - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Adrian Newey: RB20 is the next step in Red Bull's design evolution - PlanetSport - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- LiveScore releases its 'Evolution of Fan' report - Gambling Insider - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The loyalty program evolution makes its way to the full-service restaurant category - Nation's Restaurant News - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution #1 spoiler-free review: goes hard on the action, but ... - Gamesradar - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Exploring U.S. Financial Evolution: DAR Hosts Talk on Federal Reserve History in Thomasville - BNN Breaking - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Why cloud evolution needs a cohesive approach to succeed - CIO - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Gilead Sciences CEO on Company's Evolution and Commitment to the Bay Area - BioSpace - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Navigating the AI Quandary: Human Supremacy vs Machine Intelligence Evolution - BNN Breaking - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Denis Villeneuve breaks down the evolution of sandworms in 'Dune: Part Two' - Mashable - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Continued evolution of law improves governing capacity - Chinadaily.com.cn - China Daily - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- The Evolution of the DEX Space with dYdX's CEO Antonio Juliano - Blockster - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- Quick Commerce Evolution: 3PL Firms Aim for Same Day Delivery, Chasing Blinkit and Zepto's Lead - BNN Breaking - March 6th, 2024 [March 6th, 2024]
- What If...? Star Jeffrey Wright Addreses the Watcher's Evolution and 'Epic' Season 2 Finale - CBR - Comic Book Resources - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Evolution of the Connected Autonomous Vehicle - Ward's Auto - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- A project to capture the evolution of human culture. - Psychology Today - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- The Evolution of a Digital Soul. Beyond Code: A Journey of Heart and | by Mark Randall Havens | Dec, 2023 - Medium - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- 4 Clues That Reid Is Finally Returning In Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 - Screen Rant - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Evolution of Samoyed and Kitten's Friendship Delights Internet: 'Wholesome' - Newsweek - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Crypto Evolution: Pullix (PLX) vs OKB (OKB) & KuCoin (KCS) - Crypto Reporter - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Alfa Romeos mediocre F1 season heralded its era of evolution: Prime Tire - The Athletic - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Beyond The Uniform: 10 Years of Evolution in SYNC Performance's Custom Program - SkiRacing.com - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Why SZA's evolution into a popstar has earned her recognition as artist of the year - Salon - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- AI in 2023 Rises, Falls and Evolution - Finance Magnates - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Indonesia's Indosat pursues evolution from telecom to tech company - Nikkei Asia - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- EdTech Evolution: 3 Stocks Educating the Next Generation - InvestorPlace - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Informa Tech Interview with Huawei about voice evolution and innovations at 5G Core Summit 2023 - Informa Tech ... - Light Reading - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Looking ahead: What will the DeFi evolution look like in 2024? - Ledger Insights - Ledger Insights - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Why Cat Bohannon wrote 'Eve, How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution' | India News ... - IndiaTimes - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- The smart-design evolution of the laboratory space - pharmaphorum - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- The WILD Evolution of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TMNT (VIDEO) - FandomWire - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- The supernatural invades American museums via indigenous artifacts - Why Evolution Is True - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Baleen Whales First Evolved Large Body Size in Cold Southern Waters, New Fossil Shows - Sci.News - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- The Evolution of Identity in Taiwan The Diplomat - The Diplomat - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- From the Archive: The Evolution Of Hockey Pools - The Hockey News - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- 'X-Men: Evolution' Is Better Than 'X-Men: The Animated Series' - Collider - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Unveiling the Silver Screen: The Evolution of Celebrity Nudity in Cinema - The Hype Magazine - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Are Humans Still Evolving? 'Maybe More Rapidly Than Ever,' Says Scientist - Newsweek - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- The Intersection of Real Estate and Fintech: Evolution, Impact of Policies, and Global Dynamics - CXOToday.com - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Kyle Richards' Style Evolution: Her Best Looks - Us Weekly - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2's "Deeper Secrets" Teased By Aisha Tyler - Screen Rant - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Saturday: Hili dialogue Why Evolution Is True - Why Evolution Is True - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- NBA 2K24 MyTEAM New Year Resolution Adds 14 Evolution Cards - ClutchPoints - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- dive into the history of NASA's logo evolution from the space ... - Designboom - November 8th, 2023 [November 8th, 2023]
- Resolving the puzzle of same-sex sexual interactions - Nature.com - November 8th, 2023 [November 8th, 2023]
- The History and Evolution of Black Friday And How It Got Its Name - Yahoo Life - November 8th, 2023 [November 8th, 2023]
- Evolution of Terran R, with Tim Ellis (Relativity Space) - Payload - November 8th, 2023 [November 8th, 2023]
- Brownell Raves About Breakout Junior's Evolution - The Clemson Insider - November 8th, 2023 [November 8th, 2023]