DALLAS – Game week for the 84th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic officially began on Saturday afternoon as the No. 10-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions arrived in Dallas and checked in at their team hotel. The Nittany Lions (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten Conference) will take on the No. 17 Memphis Tigers (12-1, 7-1 American Athletic Conference) in seven days in the first meeting between the two programs.
Penn State touched down at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport at 2:50 p.m. before traveling to the hotel and conducting a brief news conference featuring head coach James Franklin, center Michal Menet and cornerback Trent Gordon. Later Saturday evening, the Nittany Lions settled in for an official party dinner event while the team gathered for a team meeting after dinner.
The Nittany Lions are making their third New Year's Six bowl appearance in the last four years (Rose, Fiesta and Cotton). Franklin is one of only five current Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) coaches to lead his teams to bowl games in each of his first nine seasons as a head coach (three at Vanderbilt and six at Penn State).
"We take great pride in our consistency," Franklin said. "One of the most important things you can create in a program is consistency. I'm very proud of that. We've got to find a way to get a win in the Cotton Bowl. It's very important to me, and very important to us. Ten wins is nice. Eleven wins is nicer. It's great to get a bowl ring, but the best thing for me would be to see these guys get a ring that says 'Cotton Bowl Champions' on there for the rest of their lives."
Menet, a junior team captain, and Gordon, a freshman cornerback and native Texan (Spring, Texas/Manvel High School), spoke for the team about making the Nittany Lions' first Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic appearance since the conclusion of the 1974 season (a 41-20 victory over Baylor).
"I have a lot of family coming to see me play – about 14 people, so it's an exciting time for me and my family," said Gordon, who has played in nine games this season and recorded 16 tackles and five pass breakups.
"One thing we always talk about is being present in the moment – be serious about your film work and practice, and have fun when the opportunities come along," said Menet, who recently earned the team's Dick Maginnis Award as the Nittany Lions' outstanding offensive lineman.
The Nittany Lions will conduct a closed practice on Sunday afternoon.
The Memphis Tigers are scheduled to arrive in Dallas on Sunday afternoon at 4:45 p.m. The Tigers and Head Coach Ryan Silverfield will host their arrival press conference on Monday, Dec. 23, at 9:30 a.m. at AT&T Stadium.
The 84th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is Saturday, Dec. 28 at 11 a.m. CST on ESPN. Kickoff is slated for 11:05 a.m.
Leading into the two College Football Playoff semifinal broadcasts, this year's Classic is a part of the ESPN bowl lineup for the sixth straight year. Mark Jones and Dusty Dvoracek are set to the call the action from the booth with Olivia Dekker reporting from the sidelines.
ESPN Radio returns as the Classic's national radio partner for the eighth consecutive year with Brad Sham and Jordan Rodgers in the booth and Kris Budden on the sidelines to describe all the action from AT&T Stadium.
