TEAM
- Penn State lost its first meeting against Arkansas.
- The Nittany Lions are 3-2 in Outback Bowl appearances.
- Penn State is 12-9 in bowl games against current SEC teams.
- The Nittany Lions are 14-11-1 when playing on New Year's Day.
- Penn State played in its 51st bowl game, ranking 10th in the FBS.
- The Nittany Lions are 30-19-2 (.608) all-time in bowl games, ranking sixth in bowl victories.
- OT Olu Fashanu, DE Smith Vilbert, DT Dvon Ellies and CB Kalen King all made their first career starts. Penn State has 13 players who made their first collegiate start this season and 16 who made their first Penn State start.
OFFENSE
Bowl
- WR Parker Washington's seven receptions are tied for third-most by a Penn State player in a bowl game. He's tied with seven players, most recently Saquon Barkley in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl.
- WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith's 24.7 yards per reception (three receptions, 74 yards) rank fourth by a Penn State player in a bowl game.
- QB Sean Clifford's 242 total yards (195 passing, 47 rushing) sit seventh in a bowl game at Penn State.
- Clifford's 195 passing yards rank 15th in a bowl game at Penn State.
- Clifford's 328 career passing yards in bowl games holds 11th at Penn State.
Season
- Penn State's 3,491 passing yards this season ranks third in program history and PSU's 268.5 passing yards per game holds fourth all-time.
- The Nittany Lions' 291 completions are second in a season in program history and their 486 passing attempts are second all-time.
- Penn State's 25 passing touchdowns are tied third in a season in program history and PSU's 59.9 completion percentage sits fifth all-time.
Sean Clifford
- QB Sean Clifford completed 14-of-32 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown.
- Clifford connected with KeAndre Lambert-Smith on a 42-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
- Clifford ended the season with 3,107 passing yards. He sits fourth in a season at Penn State. On the day, Clifford moved ahead of Christian Hackenberg (2,955, 2013; 2,977, 2014) and Daryll Clark (3,003; 2009).
- With the one passing touchdown, Clifford concluded the season with 21 touchdown passes. He is tied seventh in a season at Penn State with Tony Sacca (1991) and Kerry Collins (1994).
- With 14 completions, Clifford raised his career total to 607. He passed Zack Mills (606; 2001-04) for third all-time at Penn State.
- Clifford's 261 completions in 2021 rank fourth in a season at Penn State.
- Clifford's 428 pass attempts in 2021 sit third in a season at Penn State. On the day, Clifford jumped Anthony Morelli (402; 2007) and Trace McSorley (427; 2017).
- With 242 total yards on the day, Clifford pushed his season total to 3,271 yards (3,107 passing, 164 rushing). His 3,271 yards rank fourth in a season at Penn State. On the day, Clifford bettered his 2019 season (3,056), Michael Robinson (3,156; 2005), Daryll Clark (3,214; 2009) and Matt McGloin (3,220; 2012).
Parker Washington
- WR Parker Washington hauled in seven receptions for 98 yards, including a 42-yard reception in the first quarter.
- Washington's seven receptions are tied for third-most by a Penn State player in a bowl game. He's tied with seven players, most recently Saquon Barkley in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl.
- Washington hit the 100-reception mark for his career. His 100 receptions rank 18th all-time at Penn State, moving past Joe Jurevicius (94; 1994-97) and KJ Hamler (98; 2018-19).
- With 1,310 career receiving yards, Washington sits 22nd all-time at Penn State. On the day, he passed David Daniels (1,222; 1988-90), DeAndre Thompkins (1,245; 2015-18) and Scott Fitzkee (1,263; 1975-78).
- Washington finished the season with 820 receiving yards, holding 20th in a season at Penn State.
- The sophomore concluded the season with 64 receptions, sitting sixth at Penn State. On the day, Washington jumped Mike Gesicki (57; 2017), Chris Godwin (59; 2016), OJ McDuffie (63; 1992) and Bobby Engram (63; 1995).
- Washington ended the season with 12 catches of 20+ yards.
- Washington has caught a pass in all 22 games of his career.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith
- WR KeAndre Lambert-Smith hauled in a 42-yard touchdown in the second quarter. It was his third touchdown reception of the season.
- Lambert-Smith's 24.7 yards per reception (three receptions, 74 yards) rank fourth by a Penn State player in a bowl game.
- He added a 32-yard reception and ended the season with eight catches of 20+ yards.
Keyvone Lee
- RB Keyvone Lee had a 25-yard run in the second quarter.
DEFENSE
Team
- The Nittany Lions held Arkansas to 90 passing yards, marking the 16th time Penn State has limited an opponent to less than 100 passing yards since 2014.
- Penn State recorded nine tackles for loss and five sacks on the day.
- With two red-zone stops, including an interception in the first quarter, Penn State ended the season with 16 stops on 48 red-zone possessions. Penn State's 16 red-zone stops are the most in the FBS in 2021.
- With an interception in the first quarter, Penn State extended its takeaway streak to 19-straight games, dating back to the Nebraska game in 2020. Penn State has forced 28 turnovers during the streak (19 interceptions, 9 fumbles).
Bowl
- DE Smith Vilbert's three sacks are a Penn State bowl record. Nine previous players had two sacks, most recently Micah Parsons in the 2019 Cotton Bowl.
- Vilbert's three sacks tied an Outback Bowl record. He equaled the mark set by David Pollack, Georgia (2005), Kalimba Edwards, South Carolina (2001), Srecko Zizakovic, Ohio State (1990) and Craig Ogletree, Auburn (1990).
- S Ji'Ayir Brown recorded two interceptions. He tied the Penn State bowl record. Thirteen previous players had two interceptions in a bowl game, most recently Derek Fox in the 1999 Alamo Bowl.
Ji'Ayir Brown
- S Ji'Ayir Brown recorded an interception in the end zone to end Arkansas' first drive.
- He added his second interception of the game in Arkansas's final drive of the first half.
- Brown's six interceptions this season are tied for 10th at Penn State. They are the most by a Penn State player since Anthony Scirrotto also had six in 2006.
- With the two interceptions, Brown had a hand in eight takeaways (six interceptions, two fumble recoveries) this season.
- Brown's two interceptions tied a Penn State bowl record. Thirteen players previously had two interceptions in a bowl game, most recently Derek Fox in the 1999 Alamo Bowl.
Smith Vilbert
- DE Smith Vilbert had the first three sacks of his career (all in the first half) to tie the Outback Bowl game record. He equaled the mark set by David Pollack, Georgia (2005), Kalimba Edwards, South Carolina (2001), Srecko Zizakovic, Ohio State (1990) and Craig Ogletree, Auburn (1990).
- His three sacks broke Penn State's bowl record for sacks, topping the mark set by nine players with the most recent coming in the 2019 Cotton Bowl when Micah Parsons had two sacks against Memphis.
- Vilbert's three tackles for loss are tied for the fifth-most in Penn State bowl history. He's tied with eight other players, most recently Parsons in the 2019 Cotton Bowl.
- Vilbert's 17 sack yards are tied for the third-most in a bowl at Penn State. The 17 yards are also tied for the sixth-most tackle for loss yards in a bowl by a Penn State player.
- Vilbert's three sacks are the most by a Penn State player since Shaka Toney had three against Purdue in 2019.
- Vilbert finished the game with a career-high four tackles.
Nick Tarburton
- DE Nick Tarburton had his first career sack in the second quarter and added a tackle for loss in the third quarter.
- Tarburton registered a career-high seven tackles. His previous high was three against Ohio State this season.
Curtis Jacobs
- LB Curtis Jacobs posted a career-high 10 tackles (eight solo). His previous best was eight at Michigan State earlier this season.
- Jacobs notched his first career double-digit tackle game.
- Jacobs recorded his third career sack in the first quarter.
Keaton Ellis
- S Keaton Ellis tied a career high with six tackles. He also had six against Iowa in 2020.
Tyler Elsdon
- LB Tyler Elsdon recorded a career-best five tackles. His previous high was three against Ball State this season.
Kalen King
- CB Kalen King matched a career high with five tackles. He also had five at Michigan State earlier this season.
Amin Vanover
- DT Amin Vanover collected a career-high three tackles. His previous best was two against Illinois in 2020.
Jordan van den Berg
- DT Jordan van den Berg recorded the first five tackles of his career.
- van den Berg registered a tackle for loss in the third quarter.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Jake Pinegar
- K Jake Pinegar converted a 43-yard field goal in the second quarter.
- He has 37 career field goals, breaking a tie with Collin Wagner (2007-10) for 11th all-time at Penn State.
- Pinegar has 51 career field goal attempts, sitting in sole possession of 10th all-time at Penn State, breaking a tie with Nick Gancitano (1981-84) and Tyler Davis (2015-17).
Jordan Stout
- K/P Jordan Stout had a punt fair-caught at the Arkansas 10 in the second quarter. It was Stout's 35th punt inside the 20 this season and the 43rd of his career.
- Stout landed all three kickoffs for touchbacks. He ended the season hitting touchbacks on 59-of-65 kickoffs (91 percent) and landed 165-of-196 (84 percent) for touchbacks in his Nittany Lion career.
- Stout finished his Penn State career with a 44.54 punt average, a Nittany Lion record. His average is 1.41 yards ahead of second all-time.
- Stout concluded the season with a 46.01 punt average, also a Penn State record. His season average is 2.06 yards ahead of second place.
Parker Washington
- PR Parker Washington had his first career punt return in the second quarter. He had two returns for 23 yards.