NO. 17 MEMPHIS VS. NO. 10 PENN STATE SET TO CLASH ON DEC. 28^th

The Tigers and Nittany Lions are coming to North Texas! The 84^th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic will feature the American Athletic Conference Champion Memphis Tigers against Big Ten power Penn State on Saturday, Dec. 28^th at AT&T Stadium.
 
Memphis and Penn State will be playing each other for the first time in the history of both football programs.
 
"One of the many benefits to being a New Year's Six bowl as a member of the College Football Playoff is getting an opportunity to host new teams or teams that haven't been to the Classic in decades," Carl Ice, Chairman of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic said. "Memphis is making their first trip to the Classic and Penn State hasn't been here in 45 years. We look forward to rolling out the red carpet and putting on a great show."
 
Tickets sold through the Cotton Bowl ticket office are sold out. Tiger and Nittany Lion fans are directed to purchase tickets through their respective university allotment by contacting the Memphis and Penn State ticket office.
 
Eight days after Memphis took down Cincinnati at home in the final game of the regular season, the Tigers were once again hosting the Bearcats, but this time with an AAC Championship and a trip to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on the line. Memphis becomes the 50^th different team to play in the Classic's storied 84-year history.
 
When the dust settled, Memphis came back from a halftime deficit to defeat Cincinnati, 29-24, and earn their spot in the Classic. The win gave the Tigers their first outright conference championship in 50 years.
The Tigers (12-1, 7-1 in AAC) are riding a seven-game win streak. Memphis will be making their 13^th bowl appearance and their first in a New Year's Six bowl game. The Tigers fell to Wake Forest, 37-34, in the Birmingham Bowl last season.  Memphis is 5-7 overall in bowl appearances.
 
Memphis junior QB Brady White, who led the AAC in pass efficiency, has thrown for 3,560 yards and 33 touchdowns. Kenneth Gainwell led all freshman running backs nationally with 115.1 yards per game going into Saturday's AAC Championship. Junior wideout Demonte Coxie leads the team with 68 receptions for 1,144 yards, including nine catches for 165 yards on Saturday.
 
The Tiger defense is led by LB Austin Hall, who has a team-high 69 tackles to go with two fumble recoveries. Memphis has a pair of outstanding defensive ends, including Bryce Huff with 6.0 sacks and 15.0 tackles for loss (TFL) and Joseph Dorceus, who has 5.0 sacks and 14.5 TFL.
 
Penn State is making their fourth appearance in the Classic and their first since the Nittany Lions ran to a 41-20 win over Baylor in the 1975 Classic. Penn State's first appearance in the Cotton Bowl came in 1948 when the Nittany Lions led by Wallace Triplett played an SMU squad led by Doak Walker to a 13-13 tie. Triplett was inducted in the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in 2018. Penn State defeated Texas, 30-6, in the 1972 Classic. Overall the Nittany Lions are 2-0-1 in the Classic.
 
Penn State is one of five teams (Penn State, Wisconsin, LSU, Oklahoma and Boise State) in FBS to have a winning record each of the last 15 years. The Nittany Lions finished the regular season with a 10-2 record, 7-2 in conference.
 
Penn State ended the regular season with a 27-6 win over Rutgers. Penn State's only losses came at Minnesota (31-26) and at Ohio State (28-17). The Nittany Lions are making their 50^th bowl appearance and are 29-18-2 in bowl history.
 
The Nittany Lions have one of the best defenses in the country, ranking ninth nationally in scoring defense, only allowing 89 yards rushing per game (4^th in FBS). The Nittany Lions lead the country in forced fumbles.
Penn State head coach James Franklin is in his ninth season as a collegiate head coach, leading all nine to bowl games. The Nittany Lions rank fourth in the Big Ten in offensive yards per game, led by quarterback Sean Clifford. Wide Receivers' KJ Hamler and Jahan Dotson and tight end Pat Freiermuth have accounted for nearly 65-percent of Penn State's receiving yards this season.
 
The 84^th Classic will be televised on ESPN as the lead-in to the two College Football Playoff Semifinals at 11 a.m. on Dec. 28^th. For additional ticket and event information, fans can visit goodyearcottonbowl.com.