Jan. 1, 2016
JACKSONVILLE ââ'¬" The long wait is over, and Penn State (7-5) is set to meet Georgia (9-3) in the 71st TaxSlayer Bowl inside EverBank Field on Saturday at noon (ESPN).
Playing in their 46th bowl game, the Nittany Lions will head into their fifth all-time visit in the Gator/TaxSlayer Bowl with 28 bowl victories, which leads all Big Ten institutions.
Penn State has manufactured a superb string of practices leading up to Saturday's game. The Lions arrived at their destination hotel on Monday in Fernandina Beach. The team practiced three times at Fernandina Beach High School before a walk through on Friday afternoon.
The team has enjoyed many events and festivities around the bowl game all week, including a trip to Naval Station Mayport, Wolfson Children's Hospital, a golf outing and some time in the hotel's lagoon pool and the Atlantic Ocean.
Now, focus is solely on the task at hand. Head coach James Franklin and the captains participated in a preview press conference on Friday at EverBank Field to talk about the anticipation leading up to Saturday's second meeting between the Lions and Bulldogs.
"I'm really proud of our team and how the group has handled things this week," Franklin said. "Now, it comes down to what it always does, executing the gameplan and execution of fundamentals and techniques and playing with passion."
Finishing the season on a high is important on numerous fronts. At the top of the list is how a strong outing in a bowl game can send a team into the offseason with a big boost.
"I think obviously, taking a step from last year is really, really important," said Franklin. "Ending the season on a positive note against a historic program like Georgia is very important on a national stage like the TaxSlayer Bowl."
For the veterans on the team, a successful bowl game would put an exclamation point on the careers of a special senior class. It's a group of men who have been through almost anything you can imagine in their time with the Blue and White. The group will leave the program with back-to-back bowl game appearances when it looked like the postseason may never happen.
"We are really looking forward to this game," said center Angelo Mangiro. "For the seniors, going out as winners (is really important) because you don't know, for most of the guys, if you are ever going to play in a game again."
On the field, the Nittany Lions expect a tall task against a talented Georgia team. The Nittany Lion offense will face off with a unit ranked among the nation's best. Keeping mistakes to a minimum and staying on top of the first down chains are at the top of the list for the offensive unit.
"This is a very talented defense," said quarterback Christian Hackenberg. "I have a ton of respect for what they've done. I think they've got some great players up front. I have a ton of respect for the secondary. I think they are one of the most fundamentally sound groups I've ever seen on tape. It's going to be a great challenge for us, and we are really excited about it as an offense."
The matchup pits two very similar defensive units. Both teams are expecting a physical game where years are tough to come by. The Lions enter the TaxSlayer Bowl healthy on both sides of the ball. That includes Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and All-American defensive end Carl Nassib, who saw very limited action during the last two weeks of the season.
The Nittany Lions are 23-21-0 all-time against current SEC schools, which includes a 1-0 mark against Georgia after Penn State scored its first national championship with a 27-23 victory in the 1983 Sugar Bowl.
The 2015 version of the Nittany Lions has one more chance to put on the iconic white uniform in Jacksonville on Saturday. Following a great week of preparation, the Lions are ready to embrace the opportunity and task at hand.
"Being with these guys and the 2015 team for one last game is special," Zettel said. "You put in so much time throughout the offseasons and years with everyone that the guys become brothers and family. And being able to put the helmet on one last time with this team is special."