Dec. 4, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Penn State returns to the Rose Bowl and also makes its first trip to a California bowl for the first time since the 2008 season when the Nittany Lions take on Pac-12 foe USC in the 103rd annual Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual on Monday, January 2 at 5 p.m. (ET). The game will air on ESPN. The Nittany Lions last played in the "Granddaddy of Them All" in 2009.
The No. 5 Nittany Lions and the No. 9 Trojans were selected today for their 10th all-time meeting and third in the Rose Bowl Game. The teams last met in the 2009 Rose Bowl Game, which USC won, 38-24. The trip marks Penn State's 47th all-time bowl appearance.
"I'm thrilled that we'll be representing the Big Ten Conference as we travel to Pasadena for the 103rd Rose Bowl," stated Sandy Barbour, Penn State Director of Athletics. "This is an opportunity for this group of young men to be together yet one more time, proudly representing the Blue and White as they have done all season. It also gives our Penn State family a chance to gather in Southern California for the first time since the 2009 Rose Bowl, and we know our Nittany Lion community will show up in strong support of this football team, and our great University. A sincere thank you to the Rose Bowl Committee and the many volunteers for the work that they do to make this experience one of a kind! We look forward to seeing all great Penn Staters in Pasadena."
"We are very appreciative of the Rose Bowl Committee and are excited to be heading to Pasadena," Penn State Head Coach James Franklin said. "This season has been very special in a number of ways and we are looking forward to keeping our family together for another month. The Rose Bowl is the "Granddaddy of Them All" and we are proud to represent Penn State and the Big Ten Conference. We want to see our amazing fans in Pasadena to continue this fantastic ride on January 2."
This will be Penn State's fourth appearance in the Rose Bowl Game, with the last time coming in the meeting against the Trojans in 2009. Penn State is 1-2 all-time in the Rose Bowl. The Lions made their first-ever bowl appearance in the Rose Bowl against USC in 1923, a 14-3 loss. Penn State did not return to the Rose Bowl against until 1995 when Ki-Jana Carter led the Nittany Lions to a 38-20 win over Oregon.
Penn State is tied for fourth nationally with 28 bowl victories and No. 3 in bowl winning percentage with a 28-16-2 post-season record (63.0) among schools with at least 20 postseason appearances.
ROSE BOWL GAME TICKET SALE TIMELINE
Nittany Lion Club Members -- online pre-sale begins Sunday, Dec. 4, immediately following announcement of Penn State's bowl game.
Alumni Association Members -- online pre-sale begins Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 9 a.m., pending availability.
General Public -- sale begins Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 10 a.m., pending availability.
Student Nittany Lion Club -- online pre-sale begins Friday, Dec. 9 at 7 a.m.
Penn State Students -- in-person sale begins Saturday, Dec. 10 at 8 a.m., Bryce Jordan Center.
As a benefit of membership, Nittany Lion Club members can log onto Account Manager at GoPSUsports.com/myticketportal and request tickets to any of Penn State's potential bowl games. All NLC ticket requests received by Monday, Dec. 5 at 5 p.m. will be allocated based on NLC point totals. The ability to request tickets does not guarantee a Nittany Lion Club member will receive tickets from Penn State's allotment.
Should any tickets from Penn State's bowl allotment remain available after the Nittany Lion Club pre-sale, Penn State Alumni Association members will be sent an email Monday evening with a promo code. They can request bowl game tickets when their pre-sale begins on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 9 a.m. at GoPSUsports.com/bowlcentral. Should an Alumni Association sale occur, seats will be assigned according to NLC point status first, followed by Alumni Association membership.
Any Nittany Lion Club members or Alumni Association members that need assistance can call 1-800-NITTANY or email GoLions@psu.edu starting on Monday at 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. every weekday.
Should any tickets from Penn State's bowl game allotment remain available after the Nittany Lion Club and Alumni Association membership sale, the public can purchase tickets starting at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at GoPSUsports.com/bowlcentral, 1-800-NITTANY (8 a.m.-5 p.m.) or visiting the Bryce Jordan Center athletic ticket office, which is open daily from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Sale for Student Bowl Ticket Allotment Begins Friday Morning
An allotment of bowl tickets is being held for Penn State students to purchase. Student Nittany Lion Club members will have an opportunity to buy bowl tickets online only on Friday, Dec. 9 at 7:00 a.m. via Student Account Manager.
The regular student ticket sale for the Nittany Lions' bowl game will be held at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10 via an in-person sale at the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office. More details will be announced later this week.
NLC and Alumni Association Members Can Buy Bowl Tour Packages Sunday Night
Nittany Lion Club and Penn State Alumni Association members can join the Official Penn State Bowl Tour prior to public availability for the tour. Bowl tour packages are available at GoPSUsports.com/bowlcentral. Game tickets are included in a limited number of official tour packages from Penn State Athletics and Penn State Alumni Association travel partner PrimeSport.
Access to join the Official Penn State Bowl Tour, which includes game tickets for a limited number of packages, is available to Nittany Lion Club and Penn State Alumni Association members starting Sunday night, in advance of the public sale on Wednesday, Dec. 7. PrimeSport is the official travel partner of Penn State Athletics and the Penn State Alumni Association. Nittany Lion Club and Alumni Association members can purchase bowl tour packages at: https://www.primesport.com/d/penn-state-nittany-lions.
Seat location at the bowl game for all travel packages purchased with tickets will be assigned based on Nittany Lion Club priority points. Alumni and fans without NLC points can join the Nittany Lion Club by making a minimum donation $100.
Franklin guided the Nittany Lions to the Big Ten Championship with an 11-2 overall record and 8-1 Big Ten mark. It is Penn State's fourth Big Ten title (1994, 2005, 2008) and first outright crown since 1994. Penn State has had a penchant for explosive plays, leading the Big Ten and ranking fifth nationally in yards per reception (16.33).
Running back Saquon Barkley (Coplay, Pa.) is the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and Running Back of the Year. Barkley is second in the Big Ten and ranks 37th in FBS in all-purpose yards (128.15) and paces the Big Ten and ranks ninth in FBS in total touchdowns with 19. Quarterback Trace McSorley (Ashburn, Va.) leads the NCAA with a 16.31 yards per completion mark. He also leads the Big Ten and 14th nationally in passing yards (3,360). He broke the Penn State season passing record and passing touchdowns (25) record in the Big Ten Championship Game. Penn State's defense has been stout, ranking 22nd in FBS in total defense (352.0), third in tackles for loss (8.6) and 15th in sacks (3.0).
USC, which was ninth in the final CFP rankings, is 9-3 overall with a 7-2 mark in Pac-12 play. The Trojans have wins over Pac-12 Champion Washington and Pac-12 South Division winner Colorado. USC finished the regular season with a 45-27 win over Notre Dame. The Trojans, like the Nittany Lions have not lost since October 1, having won eight consecutive games.
Penn State is 24-13 all-time against current Pac-12 schools, having played every Pac-12 team except Utah. The most recent meeting with a Pac-12 team, other than the 2009 Rose Bowl, was versus Oregon State in 2008 in Beaver Stadium, a 45-14 Penn State win.
The Nittany Lions vs. Pac-12 teams overall: Arizona (1-0), Arizona State (1-0), California (3-1), Stanford (4-1), Oregon (3-1), Oregon State (1-0), Colorado (1-1), UCLA (2-4), USC (4-5), Washington (2-0), Washington State (2-0).
The lone Nittany Lion from California is Koa Famer (Lakeview Terrace), who lives 10 short minutes from the Rose Bowl.
Information on the Rose Bowl Game and all related events can be found on the bowl's website: http://www.rosebowlgame.org.
Penn State season ticket renewals and Nittany Lion Club membership renewals also are underway for the 2017 campaign. The ticket invoice and Nittany Lion Club renewal deadline is Feb. 1, 2017. 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 2017 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.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.