2022 Rose Bowl
The 2022 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 2022, with kickoff at 5:13 p.m. EST and televised on ESPN. It was the 108th edition of the Rose Bowl Game, and was one of the 2021–22 bowl games concluding the 2021 FBS football season. Sponsored by Capital One Venture X, the game was officially known as the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One Venture X.
The game saw Ohio State overcoming a 14-point deficit over Utah late in the 2nd quarter to win 48-45, on a 19-yard field goal by Noah Ruggles.
The game was organized by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association and was preceded by the Rose Parade in the morning. Actor LeVar Burton served as Grand Marshal of the Rose Parade. The theme was "Dream. Believe. Achieve." The winner of the game was awarded with the Leishman Trophy.
Teams
Consistent with conference tie-ins, the game was played between Big Ten Conference representative Ohio State and Pac-12 Conference champion Utah. The teams were officially welcomed to Southern California at Disneyland on December 27.This marked the second meeting between the teams; they first met on September 27, 1986, at Ohio Stadium where Ohio State defeated Utah, 64–6.
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Buckeyes, the co-champions of the Big Ten Conference East Division, made their 16th trip to Pasadena to compete in a Rose Bowl Game. Ohio State finished their regular season with an overall 10–2 record, 8–1 in Big Ten games. Their losses came to Oregon in the second week of the season, and to Michigan at the end of the season. The loss to Michigan dropped the Buckeyes out of a spot in the College Football Playoff. Ohio State defeated three ranked teams during the regular season: Penn State, Purdue, and Michigan State. Quarterback C.J. Stroud placed fourth in the annual Heisman Trophy race.Utah Utes
Winners of the Pac-12 championship, this was the first Rose Bowl Game for the Utes. Utah finished their regular season with a 9–3 overall record, 8–1 in Pac-12 play. Their losses came to BYU, San Diego State, and Oregon State. The Utes then faced Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game, a rematch between the teams. Utah had defeated Oregon on November 20 by a 38–7 score, and defeated them again for the Pac-12 title, 38–10. The Utes entered the Rose Bowl with an overall 10–3 record.Game summary
Statistics
Game highlights
The game featured the biggest plays in a Rose Bowl. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba set school, all-Bowls, and FBS receiving records with 347 yards on 15 receptions. Quarterback C.J. Stroud set a new school and Rose Bowl record with 573 passing yards, and a Rose Bowl record six passing touchdowns. The Buckeyes' 683 total yards were a new school record as well as a record for the program in any bowl. Both teams scored 56 points combined by halftime, tying a Rose Bowl record.Marvin Harrison Jr. made his first collegiate career start, catching three touchdowns.