Nittany Lions Prep for Bulldogs
UNIVERSITY PARK – Penn State returns to a Florida bowl for the first time since the 2010 season when the Nittany Lions take on Southeastern Conference foe Georgia in the 71st annual TaxSlayer Bowl. The game will air on ESPN with a 12 noon kickoff on Saturday, Jan. 2.
The Nittany Lions (7-5) and the Bulldogs (9-3) were selected for just their second all-time meeting and the 46th all-time bowl appearance for Penn State. The only other meeting between the teams came in the 1983 Sugar Bowl when the Nittany Lions claimed a 27-23 win over Georgia to claim their first National Championship. That game featured “The Catch,” a 48-yard diving touchdown reception by wide receiver Gregg Garrity from Todd Blackledge to give the Lions a 27-17 lead. Garrity’s son, also named Gregg, is a student-athlete on the 2015 team.
This will be Penn State’s fifth appearance in the TaxSlayer Bowl, formerly the Gator Bowl, with the last time coming in 1976 when the Nittany Lions fell to Notre Dame, 20-9. Penn State was 1-2-1 all-time in the Gator Bowl. The Lions made back-to-back Gator Bowl appearances in 1961 with a win over Georgia Tech (30-15) and 1962 with a loss to Florida (17-7). Penn State also tied Florida State (17-17) in the 1967 Gator Bowl.
Penn State is tied for third nationally with Georgia and Oklahoma with 28 bowl victories and is No. 2 in bowl winning percentage with a 28-15-2 post-season record (64.4) among schools with at least 20 postseason appearances.
Head coach James Franklin guided the Nittany Lions to a 7-5 regular season record to become bowl eligible for the second consecutive season and 46th time overall. The Nittany Lions’ mentor has guided all five of his teams as a head coach to a bowl appearance. Consensus first-team All-American defensive end Carl Nassib leads the nation in sacks and forced fumbles and earned numerous postseason awards, including Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and three national awards, including the Lombardi Award, Ted Hendricks Award and Lott IMPACT Award.
Penn State is 23-21-0 all-time against current SEC schools having played every SEC team except Arkansas, Mississippi and Mississippi State. The most recent meeting with an SEC team was versus Alabama in 2011 in Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions are 12-6 against SEC teams in bowl games.
NITTANY LIONS EARN 46TH BOWL BERTH
• Penn State made its first postseason appearance in 1923 when they traveled across the country to face USC in the Rose Bowl Game to cap off the 1922 season. Since then, the Blue and White have made the ninth-most postseason appearances in FBS history.
• Penn State will be making its 46th bowl appearance all-time, tied for No. 9 nationally. The Nittany Lions’ 28 post-season victories are tied for No. 3 nationally with Georgia and Oklahoma, and lead all Big Ten Conference institutions.
• Penn State’s 64.4 winning percentage in bowl games (28-15-2 record) is No. 2 nationally among teams with at least 20 post-season appearances. USC (67.3) is the only school with a better bowl winning percentage than Penn State.
• Penn State has won five of its last eight bowl games, with victories in the 2006 FedEx Orange Bowl (Florida State), 2007 Outback Bowl (Tennessee), 2007 Alamo Bowl (Texas A&M), 2010 Capital One Bowl (LSU) and 2014 Pinstripe Bowl (Boston College). The losses came in the 2009 Rose Bowl (USC), 2011 Outback Bowl (Florida) and 2012 TicketCity Bowl (Houston).
LIONS IN THE TAXSLAYER/GATOR BOWL
• Penn State has a 1-2-1 record in four appearances in the formerly named Gator Bowl.
• Penn State made its first appearance in 1961, defeating Georgia Tech, 30-15.
• The Nittany Lions ultimately made three consecutive bowl appearances in the Gator Bowl, returning the very next year in 1962, falling to Florida, 17-7, and returning after a five-year bowl drought in 1967, tying Florida State, 17-17.
• Penn State made its last appearance in 1976, suffering a 20-9 defeat to Notre Dame.
LAST TIME IN THE GATOR BOWL (1976)
Meeting Notre Dame for the first time since 1928, a 3-0 turnover deficit proved to be Penn State’s undoing as the Irish posted a 20-9 victory in the 1976 Gator Bowl.
It was apparent in the early going that the teams were evenly matched and breaks would be the determining factor. After Penn State took an early 3-0 lead that Notre Dame erased with a first-quarter touchdown, the Irish used a turnover and solid offense to outscore the Lions, 13-0, in the second period, cruise to a 20-3 halftime lead and never relinquish their hold.
Penn State out-gained the Irish, 274-273, led by the rushing tandem of Bob Torrey and Matt Suhey. Quarterback Chuck Fusina hit 14 of 33 passes for 118 yards, including Penn State’s only touchdown, an eight-yard strike to Suhey in the fourth quarter. Jimmy Cefalo made five catches for 60 yards and had three carries for 18 yards to earn Penn State Outstanding Player of the Game honors. All-America linebacker Kurt Allerman made a game-high 16 tackles.
