Penn State-Florida Clash Set for 25th Outback Bowl
By the Numbers: Penn State and the Outback Bowl
FEATURE: A New Year's Day Clash Among National Powers
Dec. 5, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State fans wishing to follow the Nittany Lions to the Outback Bowl can buy their tickets now at www.GoPSUsports.com or by phone starting on Monday, Dec. 6.
Penn State will clash with Florida in the 25th Outback Bowl at 1:00 p.m. on New Year's Day at Raymond James Stadium (65,657) in Tampa, Fla. Coach Joe Paterno's squad will be meeting a Southeastern Conference opponent in a bowl game for the third time in the past six years and will be seeking its fifth bowl victory since 2005.
Current Nittany Lion Club members and season ticket holders can purchase Outback Bowl tickets online now at www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets. In order to purchase tickets online, buyers will need to have their account number and password. Nittany Lion Club members also can purchase tickets by phone weekdays from 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. by calling 814-865-5555. The deadline for all online and phone orders is Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 6:00 p.m.
The general public can purchase tickets starting Monday, Dec. 6 at 10:00 a.m. at www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets or by calling 814-865-5555. Phone orders can be made weekdays from 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Student bowl tickets will be available via a walk-up sale at the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office at a time and date to be announced. Student Nittany Lion Club members will receive priority for ticket purchase and location. SNLC members are encouraged to present their membership card to expedite the buying process. There will be a two (2) ticket limit per student ID and tickets can be purchased with cash only.
Students interested in buying bowl tickets should check Student Central and/or The Daily Collegian this week for the date and time of the sale. Tickets will be issued at the time of purchase.
Penn State and Florida will be meeting for the first time since the 1998 Florida Citrus Bowl and just the third time overall. The Gators won, 17-7, in the 1962 Gator Bowl and 21-6, in the last meeting in Orlando. The squads had one common opponent during the 2010 season in Alabama. The Nittany Lions lost in Bryant-Denny Stadium, 24-3, on Sept. 11 and the Gators lost, 31-6, in Tuscaloosa on Oct. 2.
Florida will be the fourth Bowl Championship Series winner from the 2009 season that the Nittany Lions have played this year, having already played at Alabama, Iowa and Ohio State. The Nittany Lions will be playing a team from the same state as the bowl site for the fourth time in the last six years (Florida State, Texas, USC and Florida).
The Nittany Lions will be making their 37th post-season trip under Paterno, who is the all-time leader in bowl wins (24) and appearances. Paterno, one of only three active coaches to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, will be taking a team to a 25th New Year's Bowl game, having compiled a superlative 17-7 mark.
The Nittany Lions are 3-0 in their previous Outback Bowl appearances, defeating Tennessee, 20-10, on January 1, 2007; Auburn, 43-14 on January 1, 1996 and Kentucky, 26-14, on January 1, 1999. Penn State All-America wide receiver Bobby Engram was the Outback Bowl MVP vs. Auburn, All-America defensive end Courtney Brown, was the MVP in the 1999 Outback Bowl and tailback Tony Hunt earned Outback Bowl MVP accolades against the Volunteers four years ago.