Dec. 29, 2015
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Penn State alumni, students and fans in Jacksonville are invited to attend the Penn State Bowl Pep Rally on Friday, Jan. 1 to get ready for Saturday's TaxSlayer Bowl. The Nittany Lions take on Georgia in the TaxSlayer Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 2 at noon at EverBank Stadium.
Fans are encouraged to arrive to Penn State's TaxSlayer Bowl Pep Rally at 1 p.m. with the pep rally starting at 1:30 p.m. at Jacksonville Landing in downtown Jacksonville. The rally is scheduled to include the Voice of the Nittany Lions Steve Jones and former Nittany Lion and current Jacksonville Jaguar Allen Robinson, as well as the Penn State Blue Band, cheerleaders and the Nittany Lion. The rally is free. The list of guest speakers and performers are subject to change pending availability.
Fans attending Saturday's TaxSlayer Bowl can greet the Nittany Lions when they arrive at the stadium at 9:30 a.m. at Gate 2. The Penn State Blue Band, cheerleaders and Nittany Lions will be in attendance at team arrival.
The Nittany Lions will square off against Georgia in the 71st TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday, Jan. 2 at noon. The game will air on ESPN and the Penn State Sports Network. For more bowl information, visit Penn State's Bowl Central at GoPSUsports.com/bowlcentral.
The Nittany Lions and the Bulldogs are meeting for just the second time 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 posted 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.
This is 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 is 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 in 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 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.
Penn State season ticket renewals and Nittany Lion Club membership renewals also are underway for the 2016 campaign. The ticket invoice and Nittany Lion Club renewal deadline is Feb. 1, 2015. There will not be any increase in the price of Penn State football season tickets or Nittany Lion Club donation levels for next season. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2016 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 10 a.m-6 p.m.