Utah Football: 3 takeaways from tough Rose Bowl loss to Ohio State

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Utah Utes quarterback Peter Costelli (8) celebrates a touchdown during the second quarter of the Rose Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 1, 2022.College Football Rose Bowl /

1. Utah wasn’t afraid of the big stage

Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised with how good Utah looked. I was expecting Ohio State to flex its muscle and dominate from the opening kick, but the exact opposite happened.

Utah threw some early haymakers and Ohio State was having a tough time responding in the first half. The Utes were up 35-21 at halftime before out-scoring the Utes 27-10 in the second half. It was a tough loss considering how much Utah was up in the second half, but it just went to show that talent usually shines through in the end.

The Utes played Ohio State extremely tough and even though the Buckeyes were probably disappointed in a Rose Bowl berth instead of a playoff appearance, they gave Utah all it could handle. They played a solid game offensively and the Utes were able to keep up.

Cameron Rising looked really good, Tavion Thomas and the run game stepped up, and Britain Covey opened some eyes.

Utah was not afraid of the big stage, and that’s a good step for Kyle Whittingham and Co.

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