GRAPEVINE, Texas – Memphis received a big North Texas welcome Sunday afternoon as the No. 17 Tigers arrived in the Lone Star State for their Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic matchup against the No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions.

The official travel party was greeted by a host of Cotton Bowl Classic dignitaries and the Kilgore College Rangerettes, America's first precision dance drill team, with "Go Tigers Go" playing in the background. Excitement filled the air as the Memphis contingent got their first taste of the program's first New Year's Six bowl experience.

"From the moment we took off, you could sense the excitement in our young men," said head coach Ryan Silverfield. "The hospitality here is first class. The Cotton Bowl puts on a first-class operation, so we're really excited about that. We've got a great opponent in Penn State. We're excited about the challenges ahead and a fun week in Dallas."

The players and coaches got settled into their home away from home for the next seven days, conducted a team meeting and enjoyed a relaxing night before turning their focus back to Penn State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten Conference).

Bowl preparations continue for the Tigers (12-1, 7-1 American Athletic Conference) Monday morning for their first workout at AT&T Stadium. Prior to practice, Silverfield, senior defensive end Bryce Huff and redshirt junior quarterback Brady White are set to hold the team's first official media session.

Silverfield added, excitement aside, he knows his Tigers are ready to get back to work to cap their season on a high note.

"We've got a fantastic team that knows the right way to do things and the structure we have in place," said Silverfield. "Obviously, we have to continue to work through this week and get ready for our game on Saturday."

The 84th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is Saturday, Dec. 28 at 11 a.m. CST on ESPN. Kickoff is slated for 11:10 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.