Penn State running back Journey Brown was the 84th Cotton Bowl Classic Offensive Most Valuable Player.

Bill Patterson/CBAA

Penn State's Journey Brown Earns Offensive MVP in 84th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Win

12/28/2019 3:29:00 PM

ARLINGTON, Texas — Penn State University running back Journey Brown earned the Sanford Trophy as the Offensive MVP in the 84th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Saturday afternoon at AT&T Stadium. Brown's performance helped lift the Nittany Lions to a 53-39 win over the Memphis Tigers.

The sophomore running back finished the game with 16 carries for a season-high 202 yards and two touchdowns. After Saturday's performance, Brown became the sixth player in Cotton Bowl history to amass 200 yards rushing in the Classic and ranks sixth on the Classic Cotton Bowl list. The outstanding performance also broke Penn State's bowl game rushing record.

His 12.6 yards per attempt rushing ranks third all-time in Classic history, trailing only Dicky Maegle and Johnny Manziel. Brown highlighted a run-heavy Nittany Lion offense that amassed 396 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 53 total rushes.

The Pennsylvania-native found success via big plays on Saturday, breaking free for runs of 56, 44 and 32 yards, respectively. One of those runs came in the Nittany Lions' 28-point second quarter, the highest most points scored by a team in a quarter in Classic history.

The bell cow back scored in each of the first two quarters and played a crucial role in sealing the game for the Nittany Lions after they gained a late fourth-quarter lead. After his award-winning performance, Brown finishes his sophomore campaign with 890 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.

Print Friendly Version