- OPENING KICK: Penn State returns to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic for the first time since the 1974 season when the Nittany Lions take on American Athletic Conference (AAC) foe Memphis at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday, Dec. 28 at noon (ET). The game will air on ESPN.
- RETURN TO THE COTTON BOWL: Penn State is making its fourth Cotton Bowl appearance with the last coming in the 1974 season with a 41-20 win over Baylor. The Nittany Lions are 2-0-1 all-time in the Cotton Bowl. The Lions' first Cotton Bowl appearance ended with a 13-13 tie against SMU in the 1948 game. Penn State also topped Texas, 30-6, in the 1972 contest.
- BOWLING AGAIN: The Nittany Lions are playing in a bowl game for the sixth consecutive year and in their third New Year's Six bowl under Franklin. Previously, Penn State topped No. 11 Washington in the 2017 PlayStation Fiesta Bowl and faced USC in the 2017 Rose Bowl after winning the 2016 Big Ten Championship. The Lions are tied for fourth nationally with 29 bowl victories and No. 6 in bowl winning percentage with a 29-18-2 post-season record (61.2) among schools with at least 20 postseason appearances.
- THIS DEFENSE: Led by first-team All-American Micah Parsons, Penn State (14.1 ppg) ranks seventh nationally in scoring defense and boasts a stingy rushing defense allowing just 97.7 yards per game (5th FBS). Penn State has 39 sacks to average 3.25 sacks per game (10th in FBS), putting it on pace for its fifth consecutive season with 40 or more sacks. Additionally, the Nittany Lions lead the country with 20 forced fumbles.
- THE OPPOSITION: Memphis carries a 12-1 overall record and won the American Athletic Conference Championship Game to earn its Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic berth. Season highlights included a season-opening win over Ole Miss, spoiling then No. 15/14 SMU's 8-0, undefeated season with a 54-48 primetime win in November, and back-to-back wins over a ranked Cincinnati team to conclude the regular season and claim the conference crown.
LIONS AND TIGERS
- The Penn State Nittany Lions and Memphis Tigers are meeting for the first time on the gridiron.
- Penn State's previous three Cotton Bowl appearances were also against first-time opponents, as Penn State had not previously met SMU (1948), Texas (1972) or Baylor (1975).
- The last time Penn State played a first-time opponent in a bowl game was Auburn in the 1996 Outback Bowl.
- From Bellefonte Academy to USC, Penn State has played 158 opponents in its long history, and Memphis will be the 159th. Since 2000, Penn State has faced 15 new opponents, winning all but the first against Toledo (2000).
| Year | Opponent | Result |
| 2019 | Memphis | -- |
| 2019 | Idaho | Penn State, 79-7 |
| 2018 | Appalachian State | Penn State, 45-38 (OT) |
| 2017 | Georgia State | Penn State, 56-0 |
| 2015 | San Diego State | Penn State, 37-21 |
| 2014 | Massachusetts | Penn State, 48-7 |
| 2011 | Indiana State | Penn State, 41-7 |
| 2009 | Eastern Illinois | Penn State, 52-3 |
| 2008 | Coastal Carolina | Penn State, 66-10 |
| 2007 | Florida International | Penn State, 59-0 |
| 2006 | Youngstown State | Penn State, 37-3 |
| 2005 | Central Michigan | Penn State, 40-3 |
| 2005 | South Florida | Penn State, 23-13 |
| 2002 | UCF | Penn State, 27-24 |
| 2000 | Louisiana Tech | Penn State, 67-7 |
| 2000 | Toledo | Toledo, 24-6 |
- Of the five current FBS teams named the "Tigers," Memphis was the only one Penn State had not yet faced.
- Penn State has played each of the other four "Tigers" teams in bowl games, going 4-2 against the Auburn (1-1), Clemson (0-1), LSU (2-0) and Missouri (1-0) Tigers.
- Currently, Missouri is the only current FBS "Tigers" team Penn State has tangled with during the regular season, however Penn State and Auburn will meet during the regular season in 2021 and 2022.
| FBS Tigers | Overall Record | First Meeting | Last Meeting |
| Auburn | 1-1 | 1995 | 2002 |
| Clemson | 0-1 | 1988 | 1988 |
| LSU | 2-0 | 1974 | 2009 |
| Memphis | 0-0 | -- | -- |
| Missouri | 3-1 | 1959 | 1980 |
| Total | 6-3 | -- | -- |
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
- Memphis went 12-1 during the regular season with its lone loss at Temple, 28-30, on Oct. 12.
- Since Memphis' loss at Temple, the Tigers have won seven-straight games including three against Top 25 opponents.
- Memphis captured its first outright American Athletic Conference championship and first outright conference title since 1969 (Missouri Valley).
- Memphis ranks eighth in FBS in scoring offense (40.5 ppg), 10th in total offense (480.7) and sixth in kick return average (26.53).
- Running back Kenneth Gainwell, kick returner Antonio Gibson and kicker Riley Patterson were named to the AAC All-Conference first team, while quarterback Brady White was one of six second-team selections and is a Manning Award finalist.
- Gainwell ranks ninth in FBS, averaging 150.64 all-purpose yards per game and eighth in total rushing yards with 1,425.
- Gibson ranks 14th in FBS, averaging 19.88 yards per reception.
- White ranks sixth in the country with 33 passing touchdowns and ninth with 3,560 passing yards.
HEAD COACH RYAN SILVERFIELD
- Ryan Silverfield was elevated to head coach for Memphis after the regular season, replacing Mike Norvell, who was named the head coach at Florida State.
- During the 2019 season, Silverfield served as deputy head coach and offensive line coach, helping lead the Tigers to their first American Athletic Conference Championship.
- With Silverfield, Memphis has 38 wins the past four seasons, including two 10-plus win campaigns in 2017 (10-3) and 2019 (12-1). He is the only member of the staff to be a part of both 10-plus win seasons.
- Silverfield first came to Memphis in 2016 with more than 18 years of coaching experience at the high school, college and NFL levels.
PENN STATE-MEMPHIS CONNECTIONS
- Penn State redshirt freshman CB Trent Gordon and Memphis senior TE Sean Dykes played together at Manvel H.S. in Houston.
- Penn State co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Tim Banks coached at Memphis from 2001-02 as the outside linebackers coach (2001) and defensive backs (2002) coach.
- Penn State defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Brent Pry coached at Memphis from 2007-09 as the defensive line coach.
- Penn State special teams coordinator/defensive assistant coach Joe Lorig coached at Memphis from 2016-18 as the special teams coordinator/outside linebackers coach. During that time, he coached with Memphis interim head coach Ryan Silverfield, running backs coach Anthony Jones (2018) and defensive backs coach TJ Rushing (2018).
- Lorig and Rushing and strength and conditioning coach Josh Storms coached together at Arizona State in 2012-13. Lorig was the special teams coordinator/cornerbacks coach, Rushing was a graduate assistant (2012) and defensive quality control analyst (2013) and Storms worked for the sports performance staff.
- Lorig and Memphis linebackers coach Kevin Clune coached together at Utah State in 2015. Lorig was the safeties coach and Clune was the defensive coordinator.
- Penn State tight ends coach Tyler Bowen and Memphis assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Pete Lembo coached together at Maryland in 2017. Bowen was the offensive line coach and Lembo was the associate head coach and special teams coordinator.
NITTANY LIONS FROM TEXAS
- WR Alec Berger - McKinney/McKinney
- CB Trent Gordon - Spring/Manvel
PENN STATE VS. THE AMERICAN
- Penn State has a long history vs. the teams in the American Athletic Conference, but is playing Memphis for the first time.
- The Nittany Lions own a 77-24-4 overall mark against the 2019 football alignment of the American.
- Penn State is 1-1-1 in bowl games against the 2019 football alignment of the American. The win was over Tulane in the 1979 Liberty Bowl in Memphis, the loss was to Houston in the 2012 TicketCity Bowl in the Cotton Bowl Stadium, and the tie was with SMU in the 1948 Cotton Bowl.
| AAC Opponent | Record | First Meeting | Last Meeting |
| Cincinnati | 8-1 | 1981 | 2005 |
| Connecticut | -- | -- | -- |
| East Carolina | 2-0 | 1985 | 1986 |
| Houston | 2-1 | 1964 | 2011 |
| Memphis | -- | -- | -- |
| Navy | 19-17-2 | 1894 | 2012 |
| SMU | 1-0-1 | 1948 | 1978 |
| Temple | 40-4-1 | 1931 | 2015 |
| Tulane | 1-0 | 1979 | 1979 |
| Tulsa | -- | -- | -- |
| UCF | 3-1 | 2002 | 2013 |
| USF | 1-0 | 2005 | 2005 |
NITTANY LIONS EARN 50TH BOWL BERTH
- Penn State is making its 50th bowl appearance all-time, tied for No. 9 nationally with Ohio State. Memphis is making its 13th bowl appearance and first in a "New Year's Six" game.
- Head coach James Franklin has guided his teams to a bowl appearance in each of his nine seasons as a head coach (3 at Vanderbilt; 6 at Penn State).
- The Nittany Lions' 29 bowl victories rank tied for fourth nationally and lead all Big Ten Conference institutions.
- Penn State's 61.2 winning percentage in bowl games (29-18-2 record) is No. 7 nationally among teams with at least 20 bowl appearances.
- Penn State made its first postseason appearance in 1923 when it traveled across the country to face USC in the Rose Bowl Game to cap off the 1922 season.
- The Cotton Bowl marked Penn State's second postseason appearance on Jan. 1, 1948.
ANOTHER NY6 BOWL
- Penn State is playing in a "New Year's Six" bowl game for the 24th time and the third time in the last four years (2016 Rose, 2017 Fiesta, 2019 Cotton).
- The last time Penn State had a similar stretch of postseason success was from 1980-82 when it went to back-to-back Fiesta Bowls following the 1980 and 1981 seasons before reaching the Sugar Bowl following the 1982 season.
ABOUT THE GOODYEAR COTTON BOWL
- The first Cotton Bowl Classic was founded by J. Curtis Sanford, a Dallas oilman and business executive. He financed the game and guaranteed each institution $10,000, matching TCU and Marquette on January 1, 1937, at Fair Park's Cotton Bowl Stadium before 17,000 fans.
- In 1941, the bowl became affiliated with the Southwest Conference, and that relationship continued to 1996 when the conference disbanded. The game then featured a Big 12 and SEC team before joining the College Football Playoff rotation in 2014.
- In 2010, the Cotton Bowl Classic moved from its namesake stadium in Dallas to AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
- Throughout the holiday season, AT&T Stadium will spotlight the artwork of the 23rd annual Cotton Bowl Art Contest. Each year, elementary students in North Texas submit thousands of illustrations for the contest.
- The Cotton Bowl Athletic Association (CBAA) is a nonprofit organization incorporated under the laws of the state of Texas to promote, sponsor and stage an annual postseason intercollegiate football game in Arlington, Texas.
PENN STATE IN THE COTTON BOWL
- Penn State has a 2-0-1 record in three appearances in the Cotton Bowl.
- Penn State participated in the 12th (1948; SMU), 36th (1972; Texas) and 39th (1975; Baylor) editions of the game.
- Penn State's fourth appearance in the game ranks it in a seven-way tie for 10th-most in the game's history.
- In the 1948 Cotton Bowl, Penn State's Wally Triplett and Dennie Hoggard became the first African-Americans to play in the game. The Nittany Lions stayed at a Naval Air Station 14 miles outside of town due to segregated hotels in Dallas.
- When asked to consider leaving Triplett and Hoggard at home due to segregation, their teammates, led by team captain Steve Suhey, quickly responded in solidarity: "We are Penn State, there will be no meetings," referring to the 1946 Nittany Lion team having voted unanimously to cancel a game at the then-segregated University of Miami.
- Triplett, a halfback and kick returner for the Nittany Lions, was the first African-American to start for Penn State on Nov. 17, 1945, and was the first African-American to be drafted and play in the NFL.
GOODYEAR COTTON BOWL HALL OF FAME
- Penn State greats Lydell Mitchell and Wally Triplett are both members of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Hall of Fame.
- The Hall of Fame honors the many extraordinary individuals who have played a significant role in developing the tradition, prestige and pageantry of one of America's most historic post-season bowl games.
- A voting committee comprised of state and national media representatives and select members of the CBAA Board of Directors are appointed every other year to elect the Hall of Fame class.
- Mitchell was inducted in 2005 for his 1972 performance against Texas, in which he rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown to lead the Nittany Lions past the Longhorns.
- Triplett was inducted in 2018 for not only scoring the game-tying touchdown in the 1948 Classic, but for breaking down racial barriers as he and teammate Dennie Hoggard became to the first African-Americans to play in the Cotton Bowl.
BIG TEN IN THE COTTON BOWL
- A Big Ten team has competed in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl in five out of the last six seasons, as the Nittany Lions (2019) will join Michigan State (2014, 2015), Wisconsin (2016) and Ohio State (2017).
- Prior to the Cotton Bowl joining the College Football Playoff rotation for the 2014 season, Ohio State was the only school to compete in the game as a Big Ten member, doing so in the 1987 edition.
- Institutions playing as Big Ten members are 4-1 all-time in the game.
- Penn State (2-0-1), Maryland (0-1) and Nebraska (1-4) have all played in the Cotton Bowl, but did so before joining the Big Ten Conference.
- The current alignment of the Big Ten is 7-6-1 all-time in the Cotton Bowl.
PENN STATE IN DECEMBER BOWL GAMES
- Penn State will be playing in the program's 19th December bowl game and owns a 12-5-1 record in the month.
- This is Penn State's third time playing on Dec. 28.
- PSU is 1-1 on Dec. 28, losing the 1990 Blockbuster Bowl to Florida State and defeating Texas A&M in the 1999 Alamo Bowl.
SATURDAY BOWL GAMES
- Penn State will be playing in a Saturday bowl game for the 15th time in 50 bowl appearances.
- Penn State owns a 10-3-1 record in Saturday bowl games, winning four of its last six.
- Penn State won its first National Championship on a Saturday (Jan. 1, 1983).
| Date | Bowl | Result |
| Dec. 19, 1959 | Liberty | Penn State 7, Alabama 0 |
| Dec. 17, 1960 | Liberty | Penn State 41, Oregon 12 |
| Dec. 30, 1961 | Gator | Penn State 30, Georgia Tech 15 |
| Dec. 29, 1962 | Gator | Florida 17, Penn State 7 |
| Dec. 30, 1967 | Gator | Penn State 17, Florida State 17 |
| Jan. 1, 1972 | Cotton | Penn State 30, Texas 6 |
| Dec. 22, 1979 | Liberty | Penn State 9, Tulane 6 |
| Jan. 1, 1983 | Sugar | Penn State 27, Georgia 23 |
| Jan. 1, 1994 | Citrus | Penn State 31, Tennessee 13 |
| Dec, 29, 2007 | Alamo | Penn State 24, Texas A&M 17 |
| Jan. 1, 2011 | Outback | Florida 37, Penn State 24 |
| Dec. 27, 2014 | Pinstripe | Penn State 31, Boston Coll. 30 |
| Jan. 2, 2016 | TaxSlayer | Georgia 24, Penn State 17 |
| Jan. 1, 2017 | Fiesta | Penn State 35, Washington 28 |
| Dec. 28, 2019 | Cotton | -- |
PENN STATE RETURNS TO THE LONE STAR STATE
- Penn State is playing in the state of Texas and DFW region for the first time since the 2012 TicketCity Bowl, which was played in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
- Penn State is playing its seventh bowl game in Texas, marking its fourth Cotton Bowl appearance in addition to Alamo Bowl (San Antonio) appearances in 1999 and 2007 and the TicketCity Bowl in 2012.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
- Under James Franklin (since 2014), Penn State is 20-5 against non-conference opposition.
- Dating back to a win over Temple in 2016, Penn State is 11-2 in non-conference games with its lone losses coming against USC in the 2017 Rose Bowl and Kentucky in the 2019 Citrus Bowl. During that stretch, Penn State has won 10 consecutive games over non-conference opponents during the regular season.
- The Nittany Lions have won 16-straight non-conference regular-season home games, dating back to a win over Kent State on Sept. 21, 2013.
- Penn State has won 11-straight games against teams that are not members of a Power Five conference. Penn State's last loss to a team outside the Power Five was at Temple to open the 2015 season.
NITTANY LIONS IN NFL VENUES
- Penn State will be playing in AT&T Stadium, the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, for the first time.
- It will be the 12th current NFL venue that Penn State has played in.
- The last time Penn State played in an NFL venue was for the 2017 Fiesta Bowl, which was played in State Farm Stadium (then known as University of Phoenix Stadium), home of the Arizona Cardinals.
- The Nittany Lions have also played in the current homes of the Baltimore Ravens (M&T Bank Stadium), Indianapolis Colts (Lucas Oil Stadium), Jacksonville Jaguars (TIAA Bank Field), Miami Dolphins (Hard Rock Stadium), New Orleans Saints (Mercedes-Benz Superdome), New York Giants/New York Jets (MetLife Stadium), Pittsburgh Steelers (Heinz Field), Philadelphia Eagles (Lincoln Financial Field), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Raymond James Stadium) and Washington Redskins (FedEx Field).
- The Lions have played 21 bowl games in 11 different venues that housed NFL teams at the time, posting a 13-8 record.
INDOOR NITTANY LIONS
- If the AT&T Stadium roof is closed for the Cotton Bowl, it will be the first time Penn State has played indoors since the 2017 Fiesta Bowl in the Arizona Cardinals' State Farm Stadium.
- AT&T will become the third retractable roof stadium that Penn State has played in. The Nittany Lions' first was Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the 2016 Big Ten Championship Game and the second was University of Phoenix (now State Farm) Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, (Cardinals) for the 2017 Fiesta Bowl.
- Penn State is 11-3 all-time indoors, including a 5-1 record in the Carrier Dome, 1-0 records in Lucas Oil Stadium, the RCA Dome and State Farm Stadium, a 1-2 record in the 1975, 1979 and 1983 Sugar Bowls in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and a 2-0 record in the 1999 and 2007 Alamo Bowls in the Alamodome.
BOWL BOUND
- Of Penn State's 12 regular season opponents, eight earned bowl invitations: Buffalo, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Pittsburgh.
- Ohio State (Fiesta Bowl) led Penn State opponents with a No. 2 ranking in the final College Football Playoff rankings to earn a semifinal berth, while No. 8 Wisconsin (Rose Bowl) joins the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions in a "New Year's Six" bowl.
- Nine of 14 Big Ten teams will participate in a bowl game.
NITTANY COWBOYS
- Two former Nittany Lions are members of the Dallas Cowboys: LB Sean Lee and OL Connor McGovern.
- Lee has played his entire 10-year career with the Cowboys, while McGovern is a rookie on the squad.
FRANKLIN SET TO BOWL AGAIN
- Head coach James Franklin has guided his teams to bowl appearances in each of his nine seasons as a head coach (3 at Vanderbilt; 6 at Penn State).
- He is one of five active head coaches who have earned bowl eligibility in their first nine or more consecutive seasons on the job.
Bowl Eligibility First 9+ Seasons
| # | Coach | Team(s); Years |
| 14* | Chris Petersen | Boise State/Washington; 2006-pres. |
| 12* | Dabo Swinney | Clemson; 2008-pres. |
| 11 | Bronco Mendenhall | BYU; 2005-15 |
| 10 | Mike Leach | Texas Tech; 2000-09 |
| 9* | James Franklin | Vanderbilt/PSU; 2011-pres. |
* Bowl eligible this season
SENIORS SET FOR FINALE
- There are 16 Nittany Lion seniors who will suit up for the final time.
- The 2019 seniors have been instrumental in the Nittany Lions earning a 41-11 record the past four years with four winning seasons, starting with the 2016 Big Ten Championship, a Rose Bowl appearance, Penn State's highest ranking since 1999 (No. 2), a Fiesta Bowl Championship and now a Goodyear Cotton Bowl appearance.
- The 2019 senior class has accumulated 41 wins in its four years, making it just the fifth class in program history to have 41 wins (1997, 1996, 1975, 1974).
- The group is the first class to reach 40 wins since the 2009 class (40-12).
- The seniors include: Nick Bowers, Cam Brown, Weston Carr, Dan Chisena, Nick Eury, Blake Gillikin, Steven Gonzalez, Jan Johnson, Hunter Kelly, Colton Maxwell, John Reid, Michael Shuster, Garrett Taylor, Justin Tobin, Robert Windsor and Jake Zembiec.
TEN AGAIN
- Penn State finished the regular season 10-2, marking the 24th 10-win season in program history and 10th since joining the Big Ten in 1993.
- The Nittany Lions reached the 10-win mark in the regular season for the 19th time in program history.
- Penn State reached the 10-win plateau for the third time in four years. The last time the Nittany Lions had three 10-win seasons in a four-year span was 1993-96 (10, 1993; 12, 1994; 11, 1996).
WINNING WAYS
- Penn State is 41-11 over the past four seasons (2016-19), which is the seventh-best record in FBS.
- Dating back to 2015, Penn State has won 31 of its last 34 home games.
- Penn State's 48 wins over the last five years (2015-19) rank tied for 10th in FBS and tied for third in the Big Ten (Ohio State, 61; Wisconsin, 52; Michigan, 48).
- Penn State's 137 wins over the last 15 years (2005-19) rank tied for 12th in FBS and third in the Big Ten (Ohio State, 171; Wisconsin, 150).
- Penn State clinched its 15th consecutive winning season. The Nittany Lions join Wisconsin, Oklahoma, LSU and Boise State as the only teams with a winning season each of the last 15 years.
- Head coach James Franklin has guided his teams to a winning record each of the last eight seasons (2 at Vanderbilt, 6 at Penn State).
- Since 2016, Franklin's 78.85 percent (41-11) winning percentage ranks third among current FBS coaches behind Clemson's Dabo Swinney 94.91 percent (56-3) and Alabama's Nick Saban 92.73 percent (51-4).
STREAKING
- Sophomore WR KJ Hamler has a reception in all 25 games of his career.
- Sophomore TE Pat Freiermuth has a reception in his last 24 games (all but his first career game).
- RB Journey Brown has rushed for a touchdown in his last four games.
- Penn State has won 11 consecutive games against teams that are not members of a Power Five conference.
- Penn State has won 10 consecutive games at home.
- Penn State has won 11 consecutive games against unranked opponents.
- Penn State has won 10 consecutive games over non-conference opponents during the regular season, dating back to a win over Temple in 2016.
- Penn State has won its last 14 consecutive against its neighbors (schools within 250 miles of Beaver Stadium).
- Penn State has won 16-straight non-conference home games, dating back to a win over Kent State in 2013.
MILESTONE WATCH
- Noah Cain is one touchdown shy of tying the Penn State record for rushing TDs by a freshman (D.J. Dozier, 1983; Saquon Barkley, 2015).
- ... is 148 yards shy of 500 career rushing yards.
- KJ Hamler is 81 yards shy of 3,000 career all-purpose yards.
- ... is four receptions shy of 100 career receptions.
- ... is 142 yards shy of 1,000 receiving yards this season.
- Ricky Slade is 87 yards shy of 500 career rushing yards.
- Journey Brown is 268 yards shy of 1,000 career rushing yards.
- Pat Freiermuth is 164 yards shy of 1,000 career receiving yards.
- Sean Clifford is 479 yards shy of 3,000 passing yards this season.
- ... is 913 yards shy of 4,000 career total offense yards.
- ... is six touchdowns shy of 30 career passing TDs.
- ... is 284 yards shy of 3,000 career passing yards.
- Cam Brown is four tackles shy of 200 career tackles.
- Micah Parsons is 22 tackles shy of 200 career tackles.
- Jan Johnson is four tackles shy of 150 career tackles.
- Yetur Gross-Matos is 2.0 sacks shy of 20 career sacks.
- Shaka Toney is 3.0 tackles for loss shy of 25 career TFLs.
- ... is 4.5 sacks shy of 20 career sacks.
- Robert Windsor is 6.0 tackles for loss shy of 25 career TFLs.
- Tariq Castro-Fields is 10 tackles shy of 100 career tackles.
- Jake Pinegar is 19 points shy of 200 career points scored.