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The University of Utah is set to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 108th Rose Bowl on Saturday at 3 PM MST.
Who will be some of the crucial players to watch in the Granddaddy of them all? Both Ute Nation publisher Alex Markham and Scarlet and Gray managing editor Colin Gay give their picks ahead of Saturday's NY6 matchup.
Alex Markham – Ute Nation
Mika Tafua
The relentless edge rusher recently announced he is heading to the NFL Draft after participating in the Rose Bowl. Tafua has started 37 games out of 43 played for Utah. He ranks second among all active Pac-12 defenders with 32 career TFLs. For the 2021 season, Tafua led the Pac-12 with 9.5 sacks, which ranked no. 15 nationally. He won the Pac-12 Defensive Morris Trophy in 2021 as the conference’s top defensive lineman.
Even outside of his individual stats, he’s one of the best in college football at creating pressure. That’s something Utah will look to do a lot of with the Buckeyes down their left tackle and Stroud looking to get off to a quick start with some less experienced but talented receivers. Tafua’s dominance has taken some pressure off of a young, talented Utah secondary that has been ravaged by injuries.
There’s no easy solution to Tafua because if the Ohio State offense focuses on minimizing his impact, freshman and former Rivals250 defensive end Van Fillinger will make them pay. Just ask Oregon how many problems these two caused them.
Devin Lloyd
Over his career at Utah, Lloyd had over 10 All-American selections. In 2021, he won the Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year for the Pac-12 over Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux.
His 2021 stat sheet is ridiculous. He has four interceptions with two returned for touchdowns. Additionally, he has 106 tackles on the season, 22 TFLs, eight sacks, and a fumble recovery.
As evidenced by his stats, Lloyd is a complete linebacker. The former Rivals two-star safety recruit has turned himself into a likely top-15 NFL Draft pick, and a strong case can be made for him as the greatest defender in Utah football history.
While Ohio State saw a handful of players opt out of the Rose Bowl at the start of the week, that’s not in Lloyd’s DNA. He’s the early favorite for Rose Bowl Defensive Player of the Game.
Cam Rising
A First-Team All-Pac-12 selection after taking over for an ineffective Charlie Brewer, Rising’s impact goes well beyond the stat sheet, which is still impressive.
With Utah starting the season 1-1 and on their way to another loss to San Diego State, Kyle Whittingham made the switch to Rising at the end of the third quarter against the Aztecs. Rising would go on to lead a near comeback, as he injected life and swagger into a group that seemed boring, dole, and like they were having no fun under Brewer.
Despite the failed comeback, it was obvious this was Rising’s team. Days later after being informed of the switch, Brewer transferred.
Rising would go on to start 10 games, throwing for 2,279 yards on the season. He has an 18:5 touchdown to interception ratio. Rising is a dual-threat who picks his spots wisely, as he also ran for 407 yards and five touchdowns. In ESPN's QBR Rating, Rising was the best in the Pac-12 at 81.2, good for no. 9 overall.
Time and time again, when a big play needed to be made, Rising has delivered. He’s a huge reason for Utah’s turnaround on the season. The former Rivals150 has the full trust of Whittingham—something not easy to do—and he should be in the early conversation along with Stroud for the Heisman in 2022.
Colin Gay – Scarlet and Gray Report
Tavion Thomas
Ohio State hasn’t been horrible statistically against the run this season, allowing 118.5 rushing yards per game and 3.5 yards per rush: sitting in the top half of the Big Ten.
But many of the Buckeyes’ worst moments defensively came against opposing running backs.
Against Oregon, junior running back CJ Verdell shredded Ohio State for 161 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, seemingly taking a handoff and going the same way each time while still being able to find running room.
And against Michigan, senior running back Hassan Haskins torched the Buckeyes for 169 yards and five touchdowns on 28 carries, carrying the Wolverines through a snowstorm for their first win against Ohio State since 2011.
In the final game of the 2021 season, Utah running back Tavion Thomas has a chance to follow in Haskins’ and Verdell’s footsteps.
The Utah redshirt sophomore running back has been a triumph in a room filled with tragedy. Filling in the shoes of Ty Jordan, a former running back who was killed by an accidental gunshot wound in December 2020, Thomas was a godsend.
The former Cincinnati and Independence CC running back was one of five 1,000-yard rushers in the Pac-12, scoring a conference-high 20 touchdowns.
And he’s a back with something to prove.
The Dayton, Ohio native was recruited by the Buckeyes and told reporters in the days leading up to the Rose Bowl that the program told him it would rather him take the junior college route before arriving to Columbus, calling it a “love/hate relationship” with Ohio State after he was ready to sign.
In Ohio State’s first meeting with Utah since 1986, Thomas seems to have something to play for, something that could be beneficial.
Devin Lloyd
Devin Lloyd was not the Pac-12’s leading tackler, averaging just over eight per game — as many as Oregon safety Noah Sewell.
But with each tackle, the junior linebacker made a huge impact.
Lloyd was second in the country with 21 tackles-for-loss, 7.5 more than any other player in the Pac-12, finishing second in the conference with four interceptions, along with six pass breakups and a fumble recovery.
The junior linebacker may be one of the top NFL prospects left playing in the Rose Bowl, projected as a first-round pick, possibly even in the top half in 2022.
When Ohio State has faced first-round level talent, especially up front, things haven’t gone well, with Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson recording three sacks against the Buckeyes.
With an offensive line that lost one of its starters due to an opt-out, Ohio State will already be a man down up front. If quarterback C.J. Stroud wants to stand upright, the Buckeyes offensive line will have to keep players like Lloyd under control, something not many in his conference were able to do.
Brant Kuithe and Dalton Kincaid
Utah doesn’t seem to do much with its passing offense, averaging only 212.3 passing yards per game compared to 216.1 rushing yards.
The Utes’ offensive game plan seems relatively straight-forward.
But facing Ohio State’s defense, a defense that finished in the bottom half of the conference against opposing passing games, quarterback Cameron Rising may look to incorporate it a bit more than normal.
And it starts with the two tight ends: Brant Kuithe and Dalton Kincaid.
Both have combined for 77 of the team’s 235 receptions (32.8%), but account for nearly 70% of scoring in the passing game, bringing in 13 of Utah’s 21 passing touchdowns this season.
Against an Ohio State defense that consistently seems to give up receptions to slot receivers and tight ends in zone coverage holes in the middle of the field, it seems to be a match made in heaven for Kuithe and Kincaid.
