LOOK: Utah reveals jerseys for Rose Bowl versus Ohio State
Utah will play in their first ever Rose Bowl on Saturday, and they will don new special uniforms for the momentous occasion.
On Tuesday, Utah released photographs of their all-white uniforms with rose-related accents. The pants have red accent stripes down the side, while the shoulder pads have red accents and “UU,” which obviously stands for University of Utah. The same letters can be found on the side of the helmets and a rose lies between them.
Additionally, a small “22” can be found on the rose petal on the side of the helmet. The detail honors fallen teammates Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe. Lowe switched his number to 22 after Jordan’s death, and he became the last player to wear it. The program retired the number earlier this season.
Utah set for first Rose Bowl
Ten years after leaving the Mountain West for the Pac-12, the Utes are headed to “The Grandaddy of Them All.” The teams have played just once, a 1986 matchup which Ohio State dominated 64-6.
Good news for Utah, Ohio State will be without four of their starters: wide receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere and defensive tackle Haskell Garrett. Young players, especially young receivers, will need to step up against a Utah defense that stomped Oregon twice in the final three weeks of the season. Of course, while it was in September, Oregon beat the Buckeyes in Columbus.
Utah running back and Cincinnati transfer Tavion Thomas has been a reliable source of production all season, but specially since the Utes won nine of their last 10 games to close out the year. He had five games with over 100 yards and an additional two with more than 80.
The late afternoon New Year’s Day kickoff is at 5:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Buckeyes are a 4.5-point favorite as of Wednesday morning.