Penn State and Arkansas to Square Off in Outback Bowl

Tampa, FL— The Outback Bowl will feature the Penn State Nittany Lions and the No. 21 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks on New Year’s Day in Tampa, bowl officials announced today.  It will be the first meeting in history for the two teams and the Razorbacks first appearance in the Outback Bowl.

“We are thrilled to extend an invitation to Penn State University and the University of Arkansas to play in this year’s Outback Bowl,” said Outback Bowl Chair Rita Lowman.  “These are two quality teams that should produce a great match-up fans are really going to enjoy watching on New Year’s Day.    We look forward to hosting these teams and their fans and ensure they will have an amazing experience enjoying the Tampa Bay area.”

“We are excited for our upcoming trip to Tampa Bay and to have the opportunity to represent Penn State in the Outback Bowl,” said Penn State Head Coach James Franklin.  “I am thrilled for our guys to have one more month together as a family to prepare for Arkansas. Tampa Bay is a great destination for our loyal fan base, and we know they will be there in full force to help send this special group of seniors off on a high note. Thank you to the Outback Bowl Committee for this opportunity.”

“I am immensely proud of our student-athletes, coaches and staff for the hard work they have put into the preparations and execution of this season,” notes Penn State University Athletic Director Sandy Barbour.  “This bowl is a great opportunity for our football family to be together one final time, while also representing our great University on a national stage. Tampa Bay is a tremendous location for our Penn State community to gather and support our student-athletes and program. Our deepest thanks to the Outback Bowl Committee and the Tampa Bay community for the invitation and eagerness to make this bowl experience top notch for our team. We are excited to see our Penn State family descend on Tampa and passionately represent the Nittany Lions.”

“I’m so proud of everything our team has done to this point to earn a trip to the Outback Bowl,” said Arkansas Head Coach Sam Pittman.  “Playing in a marquee bowl game on January 1st in Florida is an incredible accomplishment for our program and our fans. Being able to showcase our brand in a big-time game on one of the biggest days in college football is just awesome. Playing Penn State will be a big challenge, Coach Franklin and his staff do a tremendous job so we’ll have to have our team ready.”

“We are thrilled to be going to the Outback Bowl in Tampa,” adds Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek.  “Our program has not played in a Florida-based bowl in 15 years and haven’t played on New Year’s Day in 13 years. All of this speaks to the hard work and dedication Coach Pittman, his staff and our student-athletes have put in to get us back to this point. We can’t wait to see Hog fans take over Tampa for New Year’s.”

The Outback Bowl will be played on January 1st at 12:00 PM ET at Raymond James Stadium.     Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster online at www.ticketmaster.com.