Utah vs. Ohio State: What to know about today’s Rose Bowl matchup

Where: Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, Calif.

TV/Radio: ESPN/1410

Series history: Ohio State won the only preview meeting 64-6 in Columbus in 1986.

Last game: Vince Workman ran for 168 yards and James Bryant added 145 on the ground as Ohio State put up 715 total yards, the fourth-most in school history. Jim Karsatos threw for 224 yards, and Ohio State scored touchdowns each time Utah fumbled away its first two possessions.

Bowl history: Ohio State is 8-7 all-time in the Rose Bowl, and the Buckeyes have won their last three appearances in the Granddady of Them All. They are 26-27 overall in bowls. Utah is 17-6 in bowls, including a 5-2 mark since joining the Pac 12. The Utes have won their two previous New Year’s Six bowl appearances, beating Pitt in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl and Alabama in the Sugar Bowl four years later.

Coaches: Ohio State’s Ryan Day is 33-4 in three seasons, including 23–1 in the Big Ten. Kyle Whittingham is 144-69 in 17 years as a head coach, all at Utah.

Ohio State notes: Ohio State leads the nation in scoring offense (45.5 points per game) and total offense (551.4 yards/game)… C.J. Stroud enters with the top Ohio State single-season marks in passing efficiency (182.2), completion percentage (70.9) and passing yards per game (351.1)… Ohio State is 25th in the nation in scoring defense (20.9 yards allowed per game), one spot behind Utah (20.6)… Jaxon Smith-Njigba is third in Ohio State single-game history with 80 catches and needs 10 to tie Parris Campbell for the record. Smith-Njigba’s 1,259 receiving yards are also No. 3 in school history, and he needs 176 to match David Boston’s single-season record… Ohio State has not lost back-to-back games since dropping the Big Ten Championship Game to Michigan State in 2013 and the Orange Bowl to Clemson a month later… Four Buckeyes are from the state of California: Stroud (Rancho Cucamonga), Kourt Williams (John Bosco), Chris Olave (Mission Hills) and J.P. Andrade (Bonita).

Utah notes: The Utes are seventh in the nation in tackles for loss (97) and fourth in sacks (42)… They rank 12th in the nation in total defense (315.4 ypg.) and 45th in total offense (428.6)… Dunbar High School grad Tavion Thomas is third in the nation with 20 touchdowns and 43rd with 1,041 yards rushing… The Utah offensive line is 16th in the country in Football Outsiders average line yards, which measures run-blocking efficiency, including 10th on standard downs. The defensive line is 57th overall and 64th on standard downs… Thomas is the team’s highest-rated player at Pro Football Focus with a 90.1 offensive grade out of 100. Others with grades of 70 (starter quality) or better are offense tackles Braeden Daniels (87.4) and Bamidele Olaseni (77.0), quarterback Cam Rising (82.6), receiver Britain Covey (78) and tight ends Dalton Kincaid (80.8), Brant Kuithe (74.1) and Cole Fotheringham (73.2) on offense. On defense the top-rated players are linebackers Devin Lloyd (91.1) and Nephi Sewell along with defensive tackles Mika Tafua and Hauati Putatau and safety Vonte Davis. Thomas is Utah’s only player from Ohio, but 28 current Utes are from California.

Quoted: Utah defensive coordinator on preparing for Ohio State’s offense: “The challenge in bowl games is you’ve got so much time to maybe think that you’ve got to do a bunch of different stuff. So sometimes you diverge away from what got you here. We have to continue to be who we are as a defense. Obviously, there’s going to be some wrinkles here and there that you show, but in a 70 to 90 – hopefully not 90, but plays in a game, there’s only so much you can change. It’s going to come down to fundamentals and technique in my opinion, that and just sheer toughness.”

Next game: Ohio State opens the 2022 season at home against Notre Dame. Utah will open at Florida.

Prediction: Ohio State 31, Utah 27