Saturday, January 1, 2022 • 11:00 a.m. CT • ESPN2 • Raymond James Stadium (65,857) • Tampa, Fla.
Arkansas Razorbacks Notes
THE RUNDOWN
• Arkansas heads to the Sunshine State for a bowl game for the first time since 2007 to take on Penn State in the Outback Bowl. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT Saturday Jan. 1, 2022, in Tampa, Fla., at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on ESPN2.
• The Razorbacks, who own an all-time record of 15-24-3 in bowl games, will play in their first New Year’s Day game since the 2008 Cotton Bowl. Arkansas’ trip to the Outback Bowl also marks the first time the team has made a bowl appearance since the 2016 Belk Bowl. The Hogs were set to appear in the 2020 Texas Bowl before the game was canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the TCU program.
• The Arkansas offense is averaging 10.1 points more than the 2019 season with 31.5 points per game this year. The Razorbacks averaged 32.2 ppg over final five games to go 4-1. The Hogs’ defense is allowing 12.8 fewer points per game than in 2019, giving up 24.0 points per game this season.
• QB KJ Jefferson is one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in college football. Jefferson has thrown for 2,578 yards and 21 touchdowns while running for 554 yards with five scores on the ground, putting up the SEC’s fourth-best passing efficiency (168.7). He is one of five FBS passers to throw for 2,500+ yards and 20+ touchdowns while rushing for 500+ yards and 5+ scores on the ground this season.
• RB Dominique Johnson has emerged as the Razorbacks’ starting ball carrier after beginning the season as the team’s fifth-string running back. The true sophomore, who briefly converted to tight end in the preseason, has totaled 498 rushing yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns on 86 carries. Powered by Johnson’s team-best 5.8 yards per carry, Arkansas touts the second-best rushing offense in the SEC, averaging 217.3 yards per game on the ground.
• LB Bumper Pool leads the Hogs in total tackles with 120, including 7.5 tackles for loss. Pool, an All-SEC honoree, has the second-most total tackles (315) among all FBS defenders since 2019. 2021 Burlsworth Trophy winner LB Grant Morgan (96) and LB Hayden Henry (94) have teamed up with Pool to make 310 combined stops, accounting for 34.4% of the Hogs’ total tackles (902) this season. Pool (10.0), Morgan (8.0) and Henry (7.8) all rank in the top 10 among SEC defenders in tackles per game this year.
BOWL HISTORY
• Arkansas is headed to Florida for a bowl game for the first time since 2007, where the Hogs will be playing in their first New Year’s Day game since the 2008 Cotton Bowl.
• Arkansas and Big Ten foe Penn State will meet for the first time in program history at this year’s Outback Bowl. The Hogs are 0-4 all-time against Big Ten teams in bowl games dating back to the 1999 Citrus Bowl – one of seven previous Florida bowls to host the Razorbacks.
• Arkansas will play in the Outback Bowl for the first time, while appearing in a bowl game for the 43rd time, tied for the 17th-most appearances in FBS history. Arkansas owns an all-time record of 15-24-3 in bowls.
• Arkansas’ first bowl appearance came at the 1934 Dixie Classic, which was played in Dallas, Texas. The Hogs, led by head coach Fred Thomsen, tied Centenary, 7-7.
• Arkansas’ last bowl appearance was at the 2016 Belk Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. The Hogs lost to Virginia Tech, 35-24.
• Arkansas was set to appear in a bowl game last season, but the 2020 Texas Bowl was canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the TCU program.
• The Hogs have won three of their last four bowl games:
• 2016 Belk Bowl – vs. Virginia Tech – L, 35-24
• 2016 Liberty Bowl – vs. Kansas State – W, 45-23
• 2014 Texas Bowl – vs. Texas – W, 31-7
• 2012 Cotton Bowl – vs. Kansas State – W, 29-16
KJ WOMPERSON
• Redshirt sophomore quarterback KJ Jefferson will make his 15th career start against Penn State in the Outback Bowl.
• Of Jefferson’s 14 career starts to date, six have come against top-20 teams in the AP Poll: #1 LSU, #2 Alabama, #2 Georgia, #7 Texas A&M, #15 Texas, #17 Ole Miss.
• Jefferson has thrown for 2,578 yards and 21 touchdowns through 12 games in 2021. He is third in the SEC in average yards per completion (14.0) and in yards per pass attempt (9.4), ranking fourth in the league and sixth among all FBS quarterbacks in passing efficiency (168.7) this season.
• Jefferson has thrown for a touchdown in seven straight contests and posted six games with 2+ passing touchdowns.
• Jefferson currently owns the highest single-season completion percentage (66.9%) in school history when attempting at least 250 passes (184-of-275).
• Jefferson has thrown 170 consecutive passes without an interception, the second-longest streak by an Arkansas quarterback in history. QB Tyler Wilson holds the program record of 184 straight passes without an interception (2011).
• Jefferson, who has also run for 554 yards and five touchdowns this year, is the first Razorback quarterback to have multiple games with at least two rushing touchdowns in the same season (2 vs. Rice, 3 at Ole Miss) since 1997.
• Since 2000, only six SEC signal-callers have thrown for 3+ touchdowns and rushed for 3+ scores in a game: Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel, Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott, Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly, LSU QB Joe Burrow, Ole Miss QB Matt Corral, Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson.
• Jefferson is one of only five quarterbacks in the FBS this season with 2,500+ passing yards, 20+ passing touchdowns, 500+ rushing yards and 5+ rushing scores:
TREYLON DOWN THERE SOMEWHERE
• Junior wideout Treylon Burks has opted out of the Outback Bowl after declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft.
• Burks was named All-SEC first team by both the coaches and AP.
• The star wideout could become the first Razorback selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since OL Frank Ragnow in 2018. Arkansas had not had a wide receiver selected in any round of the NFL Draft since WR Cobi Hamilton in 2013.
• Burks led the Hogs in every major category in 2021: receptions (66), receiving yards (1,104), receiving touchdowns (11), receiving yards per catch (16.7) and receiving yards per game (92.0). He nearly quadrupled the next-leading wideout in receiving (WR Tyson Morris, 305 yards).
• Burks is the fourth pass catcher in Arkansas history to post a 1,000-yard receiving season, becoming the first to do so since WR Cobi
Hamilton totaled a program-record 1,335 receiving yards in 2012.
• Burks is the first Razorback to have back-to-back 800-yard receiving seasons since WR Anthony Lucas (1998-99).
• Burks’ 11 receiving touchdowns this year are tied with WR Marcus Monk’s 11 receiving touchdowns in 20016 for the second-most receiving scores in a single season in school history.
• Burks totaled a school-record six 100-yard receiving games this season. He surpassed the previous program best of five 100-yard
receiving games in a single season, set by WR Anthony Eubanks (1997) and WR Anthony Lucas (1998).
• Burks is one of only two SEC wide receivers this year to total 1,000+ receiving yards and 10+ receiving touchdowns. He finished his season ranked second in the SEC in receiving touchdowns (11), third in receiving yards per game (92.0) and fourth in receiving yards (1,104).
• Burks finished his season ranked eighth in the SEC in total all-purpose yards (1,217) and ninth in all-purpose yards per game (101.4),
rushing for 112 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries in addition to his eye-popping receiving numbers.
• Burks tops the SEC with 22 plays of 20+ yards and touts a nation-best two plays of 80+ yards this season, including a 91-yard touchdown catch from QB KJ Jefferson against Georgia Southern earlier in the year. The play currently stands as the second-longest passing score in school history behind QB Matt Jones and WR Richard Smith’s 92-yarder against Tennessee in 2002.
• For his career, Burks had 146 receptions for 2,399 yards, concluding his time at Arkansas in sixth on both the school’s all-time receptions and receiving yards list. Burks had at least one reception in all 32 games played of his collegiate career. His 10 career 100-yard receiving games are second most in program history, one shy of WR Anthony Lucas’ 11 games.
• Since his freshman year in 2019, Burks is one of only four SEC pass catchers with 2,000+ total receiving yards
NEXT MAN UP
• Following the departure of WR Treylon Burks, WR Tyson Morris and WR Warren Thompson will be relied on even more moving forward.
• Morris has emerged as a big-time playmaker for the Razorbacks after returning to Arkansas for his super-senior season. As one of KJ Jefferson’s go-to targets this season, Morris has 21 catches for 305 yards (14.5 avg.) and two touchdowns, and leads active Razorbacks in yards and catches this year. He has logged a season-best three receptions in five games this season, collecting a season-best 61 receiving yards and touchdown against Georgia Southern.
• The Helena-West Helena, Ark., native, is a local product who went to Fayetteville High School and then attended Central Oklahoma before transferring to Arkansas in 2017. His father, Isaiah, played basketball for Arkansas from 1990-92 and was a second-round pick by the Miami Heat in the 1992 NBA Draft.
• Thompson, a transfer from Florida State, has 18 catches for 292 yards and two scores this season. His best performance came at Ole Miss with four catches for 76 yards and a touchdown.
DEUCE DEUCE
• Redshirt junior running back Trelon Smith has proven to be a pivotal addition on the field for the Razorbacks. After sitting out the 2019 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Smith, who made his way to Arkansas from Arizona State, led the Hogs with 710 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns in 2020 — all five of which came in the season’s last four weeks.
• Smith has shown no signs of slowing down this season, running for a team-leading 592 yards and five touchdowns through 12 games in 2021. The speedster eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the third time in his career in the season-opening win against Rice and has scored a touchdown on the ground in five of the Razorbacks’ 12 games this year.
• Smith surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for his career in the win against Texas A&M, becoming the 19th Razorback player since 1997 to reach the milestone.
FOUR-HEADED RUSHING MONSTER
• The quartet of RB Trelon Smith (592 yards), QB KJ Jefferson (554 yards), RB Raheim Sanders (499 yards) and RB Dominique Johnson (498 yards) has powered the Razorbacks’ ground game this season. Arkansas’ rushing offense ranks second in the SEC and 13th nationally in yards per game at 217.3. Arkansas is one of only two FBS teams, including fellow SEC member Ole Miss, with four 450-yard rushers this year.
• Smith, Sanders, Jefferson and Johnson are the first Hog foursome to each rush for 400+ yards in a season since 1975 when Arkansas averaged 320 rushing yards per game. RB Ike Forte (983 yards), RB Jerry Eckwood (792 yards), RB Rolland Fuchs (618 yards) and QB Scott Bull (533 yards) helped the Razorbacks total a then-school record 3,523 yards on the ground that year.
• Johnson (7), Jefferson (5) and Smith (5) have each rushed for 450+ yards and 4+ touchdowns this season. Arkansas is one of seven FBS teams with three ball carriers with 450+ rushing yards and 5+ rushing scores on the year.
• Johnson has emerged as the Razorbacks’ most trusted ball carrier after beginning the season as the team’s fifth-string running back,
totaling a team-best 5.8 yards per carry and a team-leading seven touchdowns on 86 attempts through 12 games this year.
• Sanders ran wild at Ole Miss earlier this season, totaling a career-high 139 yards on 17 carries, his first career 100-yard rushing game. He is the first Arkansas freshman to rush for 100-plus yards in a game since Chase Hayden (120) did so against Florida A&M in 2017.
• Sanders’ 139 total rushing yards at Ole Miss was the seventh-most rushing yards ever by an Arkansas freshman in a single game.
• Sanders, who has a put up 499 yards on the ground this year, is the first Arkansas freshman ball carrier to total more than 400 rushing
yards in a season since RB Devwah Whaley (602) in 2016.
HOG TRACKER
• Arkansas is one of three SEC teams with a leaguebest seven games of 200+ total rushing yards this season. The Hogs boast the SEC’s second-best rushing attack, averaging 217.3 yards per game on the ground.
• The Razorbacks last had four 500-yard rushers in a season in 1975 when RB Ike Forte (983 yards), RB Jerry Eckwood (792 yards), RB Rolland Fuchs (618 yards) and QB Scott Bull (533 yards) helped Arkansas total a then school record 3,523 yards on the ground.
• QB KJ Jefferson is one of only five FBS signal-callers with 2,500+ passing yards, 20+ passing touchdowns, 500+ rushing yards and 5+ rushing touchdowns this year. He is one of only three FBS passers — and one of two in the SEC — to throw for 20+ touchdowns with three or fewer interceptions this season.
• Arkansas has scored 30+ points in nine of QB KJ Jefferson’s 14 career starts: 48 at Missouri (2020), 38 vs. Rice (2021), 40 vs. Texas (2021), 45 vs. Georgia Southern (2021), 51 at Ole Miss (2021), 45 vs. UAPB (2021), 31 vs. Mississippi State (2021), 35 at Alabama (2021), 34 vs. Missouri (2021).
• K Cam Little has connected on 19 field goals this season, tied for fourth most in program history. Little is five made field goals shy of matching K Kendall Trainor’s single-season school record of 24 (1988).
TACKLING TRIO
• Through 12 games in 2021, LB Bumper Pool (120), LB Grant Morgan (96) and LB Hayden Henry (94) rank first, second and third, respectively, on the team in total tackles. Their combined 310 stops account for 34.4% of the Hogs’ total tackles (902).
• Arkansas is the only team in the SEC with multiple players in the league’s top 10 in tackles per game this season:
SEC Rank Player Tackles Per Game
2. Bumper Pool 10.0
5. Grant Morgan 8.0
7. Hayden Henry 7.8
BIG RIDGE
• Redshirt senior defensive lineman John Ridgeway wasted no time making his presence felt as a Hog.
• The impact transfer from FCS Illinois State has clogged the gaps up front all year long, racking up 39 total tackles with 4.0
tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks during the regular season.
• After missing the season opener against Rice due to an appendectomy, Ridgeway dominated against Texas. He logged six
total tackles, including 1.0 sack, earning an 87.4 pass rush grade from PFF – the highest among all Razorback defenders.
• Ridgeway began his collegiate career at Illinois State (2017-21), where he earned FCS Freshman All-America honors from
Phil Steele in 2018 and received All-Missouri Valley Football Conference praise in all three seasons.
NO FLY ZONE
• Since Barry Odom began as defensive coordinator in 2020, the Razorbacks have totaled 24 interceptions in 22 games.
• Arkansas grabbed 13 interceptions in 10 games during the 2020 season and has tallied 101 interceptions in 2021 so far.
• The Hogs’ ball-hawking prowess is led by redshirt senior defensive back Montaric Brown’s six interceptions since 2020.
• Brown is tied for the SEC lead and tied for second in the FBS with five interceptions this season. The Ashdown, Ark., native is the first Razorback defender with five interceptions in a year since DB Tramain Thomas picked off five passes in 2011.
• Redshirt sophomore defensive back Jalen Catalon has accounted for five of those 24 interceptions, followed by redshirt sophomore defensive back Hudson Clark (3), junior defensive back Greg Brooks Jr. (2), senior defensive back Joe Foucha (2), redshirt senior linebacker Grant Morgan (2), sophomore defensive back Myles Slusher (2), redshirt sophomore defensive back Malik Chavis (1), redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Eric Gregory (1).
• Arkansas’ 24 interceptions since 2020 are second most in the SEC behind only Alabama (30).
CAM THE KICKER
• True freshman kicker Cam Little has been stellar to begin his young career, drilling 19 of his 23 field goal attempts and all 43 of his point after attempts in 2021.
• Little has announced he will donate $10 per made field goal to Down Syndrome Connection of Northwest Arkansas.
• Little delivered a historic performance in the win against Texas, becoming the first Hog freshman to make four field goals in a game since K Alex Tejada did so against Troy in 2007.
• Little’s 19 made field goals are tied for first among all FBS freshman kickers this season. His 43 made point after attempts, meanwhile, are third most among all FBS freshman kickers.
• Little’s 19 made field goals are tied for fourth most in a single season by a Razorback kicker in program history. He is five made field goals shy of tying K Kendall Trainor’s single-season program record of 24 (1998).
RETURN GURU
• Redshirt junior defensive back Nathan Parodi has emerged as the Razorbacks’ primary punt returner, totaling 17 returns for 197 yards (11.6) and a touchdown. He dazzled against UAPB with four punt returns for 114 yards (28.5 avg.), highlighted by an 80-yard touchdown. His 114 total punt return yards against UAPB rank seventh most in a single game in program history.
• Parodi’s punt return touchdown was Arkansas’ first since WR Joe Adams went 51 yards to the house against Kansas State in the 2012 Cotton Bowl. Parodi’s return is tied for the sixth-longest punt return in school history and is also the longest punt return touchdown by a Razorback since Adams scored on a 97-yard punt return against Ole Miss in 2010.
• Arkansas has totaled 256 punt return yards through 12 games this season, its most since tallying 420 yards in 2011.
Penn State Nittany Lions Notes
INSIDE THE GAME
PENN STATE MEETS ARKANSAS IN OUTBACK BOWL
• OPENING KICK: Penn State takes on No. 22/24/21 Arkansas in the Outback Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for noon on January 1 with a broadcast on ESPN2. The 2021 season is presented by PSECU.
• SERIES HISTORY: The Nittany Lions will meet Arkansas for the first time in program history. Penn State holds a 24-23 record against current members of the SEC, including a 28-20 win over Auburn on September 18. Of the 47 matchups, 20 have come in bowl games, including the 2019 Citrus Bowl against Kentucky. Penn State is 11-16 in regular season contests against the SEC.
• STOUT GARNERS BIG TEN PUNTER OF THE YEAR: Penn State redshirt senior Jordan Stout was tabbed as the Big Ten’s Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year. The Ray Guy Award finalist owns Penn State’s best career punt average (44.81) and season punt average (46.55). He hit 25 punts of 50+ yards and averaged at least 50.0 yards per punt in five games. He landed 34 punts inside the 20, including 18 inside the 10 and six inside the 5. According to PFF, Stout leads the country in punting grade (93.1) and average hang
time (4.36), while ranking second in net punting (45.08).
• FOUR EARN FIRST-TEAM ALL-BIG TEN HONORS: Stout was one of four Nittany Lions who earned first-team All-Big Ten accolades. Jaquan Brisker was a first team selection by the coaches and media after collecting 64 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions. His 5.5 tackles for loss rank fourth among Big Ten defensive backs. Arnold Ebiketie was also a first team honoree by the coaches and media, posting 62 tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. His 17.0 tackles for loss lead the Big Ten and rank second among Power Five defensive linemen. Jahan Dotson was selected first-team All-Big Ten by the coaches. Dotson is the only Power Five receiver with at least 90 receptions, 1,180 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns through their first 12 games of the season.
• THE OPPOSITION: Arkansas is 8-4 overall and 4-4 in SEC play this season. The Razorbacks earned a 34-17 win over Missouri in their regular season finale. KJ Jefferson completed 15-of-19 passes for 262 yards and a touchdown. Treylon Burks hauled in seven receptions for 129 yards and a score, while Trelon Smith found the end zone on a 4-yard run. Arkansas allowed 316 total yards, holding Missouri to 70 passing yards. Bumper Pool led the defense with 13 tackles and Montaric Brown had an interception.
HEAD COACH JAMES FRANKLIN
CAREER AT A GLANCE
• Franklin was named the 16th head football coach in the storied history of the Nittany Lion program on January 11, 2014.
• Franklin is one of six current FBS head coaches to lead his teams to a bowl game in each of his first nine seasons as a head coach.
• Franklin is one of three current Big Ten coaches (Ryan Day, Kirk Ferentz) to have won a Big Ten Championship.
• He owns a 91-48 career record with a winning record in eight of his nine seasons at the helm.
• Franklin has led his teams to three Top 10 finishes (3 at Penn State) and six Top 25 finishes (2 at Vanderbilt; 4 at Penn State).
• In the last five seasons, Penn State is one of six teams to rank in the top 12 of the CFP final rankings at least four times.
• From 2016-19, Franklin led the Nittany Lions to three New Year’s Six bowls – 2016 (Rose), 2017 (Fiesta) and 2019 (Cotton), making Penn State one of eight teams to accomplish the feat during the four-year span. Penn State last went to three New Year’s Six bowls in four years in 1980-83 (1980 Fiesta, 1982 Fiesta ,1983 Sugar).
• Franklin guided Penn State to back-to-back New Year’s Six bowls in 2016 (Rose) and 2017 (Fiesta) for the first time since 1985 (Orange) and 1986 (Fiesta).
• From in 2016-19, Franklin led Penn State to 42 wins, the most in program history for the Big Ten era, and 28 league wins, a program record.
• Franklin has 26 years of coaching experience at the collegiate and NFL level.
• In his first 10 years as a head coach, Franklin mentored 82 players who have gone on to the NFL ranks.
• Since 2016, the Nittany Lions have had 29 players selected in the NFL Draft. With six selections in 2021, Penn State is one of five programs to produce at least five draft picks in each of the last four NFL Drafts.
• Franklin has secured top-25 recruiting classes each of his last nine seasons, including a top-5 class at Penn State in 2018.
• Franklin is second all-time in winning percentage by an FBS African American head coach (minimum 80 wins) and is third in total wins.
NITTANY LIONS ON THE FIELD
• In 2020, with Franklin’s emphasis on safety, along with the precautions set by him, the coaching staff, medical staff and support staff, Penn State was one of only two Big Ten teams to play all nine of its scheduled games during a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the emergence of young skill players on offense, true freshmen accounted for 1,486 of Penn State’s 3,873 total yards (38 percent), marking a school record for most combined scrimmage yards by true freshmen in a single season.
• Penn State earned its third 11-win season in four years with an 11-2 record in 2019, including a win over No. 17 Memphis in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. The Nittany Lions posted their fourth-straight top 12 finish in the final CFP rankings, coming in 10th, and were ranked \ninth in the final Associated Press and Amway Coaches polls to earn their 25th AP Top 10 finish. Franklin was a finalist for the Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year award for the second time at Penn State (2016) and third time in his head coaching career.
• In 2018, the Nittany Lions posted their third-straight season with at least nine wins with a 9-4 overall record, earning a berth in the VRBO Citrus Bowl. Penn State finished No. 12 in the final CFP rankings and No. 17 in the Associated Press and Amway Coaches polls.
• Penn State climbed as high as No. 2 in the rankings in 2017 and appeared in a second-straight New Year’s Six bowl, earning a 35-28 win over No. 11 Washington in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. At 11-2, the Nittany Lions earned back-to-back 11-win seasons for the fifth time in program history and first time since 2008 and 2009. Penn State finished the season No. 8 in the Associated Press and Amway Coaches polls and No. 9 in the final CFP rankings.
• Penn State surged in 2016, winning nine consecutive games en route to the Big Ten Championship, a Rose Bowl berth and an 11-3 overall record. Penn State finished the season ranked No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings and No. 7 in the Associated Press and Amway Coaches polls. It was Penn State’s highest finish in the polls since 2005.The Lions claimed their fourth overall Big Ten Championship and first outright title since 1994 with a thrilling, 38-31 comeback win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game. Franklin was honored as Sporting News National Coach of the Year and the Woody Hayes National Coach of the Year, as well as the Dave McLain Big Ten Coach of the Year and Associated Press Big Ten Coach of the Year.
• Franklin guided the Nittany Lions to a 7-6 record in 2015 and a berth in the TaxSlayer Bowl.
• Franklin’s first season in 2014 was bookended with a pair of thrilling victories for the Nittany Lions. It began with a final-play 26-24 victory over UCF in Dublin, Ireland, in Penn State’s first-ever international game and ended with a comeback, a 31-30 overtime win over Boston College in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium. Franklin became just the third Penn State coach to lead the team to at least seven wins in his first season, joining Dick Harlow (1915) and Bill O’Brien (2012), and he guided the Nittany Lions to a 4-0 start, joining Harlow as the only first-year Penn State coaches to win their initial four games.
NITTANY LIONS IN THE CLASSROOM
• A program-record nine Nittany Lions were named 2019-20 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars.
• The Nittany Lions posted their first 1,000 single-year APR in program history in 2018-19, topping the previous high of 993 in 2014-15.
• Punter Blake Gillikin took home CoSIDA Academic All-America® first-team honors in 2019 for the second-straight year to become the 12th two-time first-team selection in Penn State history. He graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in May. Gillikin’s two first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors increase Penn State football’s total to 67 honorees, which ranks second in Division I football history.
• Trace McSorley was selected as a 2018 National Football Foundation (NFF) Scholar-Athlete and a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, known as the “Academic Heisman.” He was the 18th Nittany Lion to be selected as an NFF Scholar-Athlete.
• The Nittany Lions had a program-record 35 student-athletes claim Academic All-Big Ten honors in the fall of 2017.
• Tyler Yazujian collected a berth on the CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team in 2016 after an appearance on the second team in 2015.
SCOUTING THE RAZORBACKS
• Arkansas is 8-4 this season, including a 4-4 mark in SEC play.
• The Razorbacks’ wins include No. 15 Texas (40-21), No. 7 Texas A&M (20-10) and No. 17 Mississippi State (31-28).
• Arkansas is averaging 31.5 points per game (44th nationally), 440.9 total yards (30th), 223.6 passing yards (73rd) and 217.3 rushing yards (13th).
• QB K.J. Jefferson has completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,578 yards, 21 touchdowns and only three interceptions.
• Jefferson has rushed for 554 yards and five touchdowns.
• WR Treylon Burks has 66 receptions for 1,104 yards and 11 touchdowns. He ranks 11th in the nation in receiving touchdowns, 25th in receiving yards and 22nd in receiving yards per game (92.0).
• Arkansas is allowing 24.0 points per game (46th nationally), 371.4 total yards (58th), 215.5 passing yards (44th) and 155.9 rushing yards (73rd).
• LB Bumper Pool paces the Razorbacks with 120 tackles and has 7.5 tackles for loss.
• Fellow LB Grant Morgan, the Burlsworth Trophy winner, has recorded 96 tackles, with seven tackles for loss, and an interception.
• LB Hayden Henry leads Arkansas with 10.5 tackles for loss and three sacks to go with 94 tackles.
• DB Montaric Brown has an SEC-high five interceptions, good for second in the country, and five pass breakups.
• K Cam Little sits 14th in the country with 1.58 field goals per game and 24th with an 82.6 field-goal percentage.
LAST OUTBACK BOWL FLORIDA RALLIES IN FOURTH QUARTER TO BEAT NITTANY LIONS
Penn State’s bid for a fourth New Year’s Day bowl victory in the past six years was turned back in the final minute as Florida captured a 37-24 win in the 25th Outback Bowl in Raymond James Stadium.
The Nittany Lions took a 24-17 lead late in the third quarter, but the Gators scored the next 13 points for a 30-24 lead midway through the fourth frame. After both teams exchanged punts, Penn State took possession at its own 21-yard line with just 3:04 left to play. Matt McGloin completed an 18-yard pass to Derek Moye and Evan Royster’s 23-yard burst made him the first Nittany Lion with a trio of 1,000- yard rushing seasons. With the ball at the Florida 25, a McGloin pass was picked off by Ahmad Black, who returned it 80 yards for a touchdown to seal the game with 55 seconds to play.
Penn State’s career rushing yardage leader, Royster gained 98 yards on 20 carries against the Gators to finish the season with 1,014 yards on 208 carries. On Florida’s first play from scrimmage, cornerback D’Anton Lynn grabbed his third interception of the season at the Gators’ 39-yard line. McGloin completed passes of 16 yards to Brett Brackett and 15 yards to Graham Zug to give the Nittany Lions a first-andgoal. On third down from the Florida 5, McGloin lofted the ball to Derek Moye, who snared it for his eighth touchdown catch of the season. Collin Wagner’s PAT kick gave Penn State a 7-0 lead with 9:08 left in the first quarter.
Moye had game highs with five catches and 79 yards and made his 15th career touchdown catch. Making his fifth career start, McGloin was 17-of-41 for 211 yards, with one touchdown and a school-record five interceptions. The Penn State defense limited Florida to just 279 yards (101 passing) and an average of 3.9 yards per play.
Junior defensive tackle Devon Still recorded a career- and season-high 3.5 TFL against the Gators, with a career-best seven stops (six solo) overall. Senior linebacker Chris Colasanti made a game-high 10 hits, compiling his fifth double-figure tackle game of the season.
TEAM NOTES
PENN STATE EARNS 51st BOWL BERTH
• Penn State is making its 51st bowl appearance, ranking 10th all-time.
• Head Coach James Franklin has guided his teams to a bowl appearance 10 times (3 at Vanderbilt; 7 at Penn State).
• Penn State’s 30 bowl victories are tied fifth nationally and lead all Big Ten schools.
• The Nittany Lions’ 62.0 winning percentage in bowl games (30-18-2 record) is No. 6 nationally among teams with at least 20
bowl appearances.
• Penn State made its first postseason appearance in 1923 when it traveled across the country to face USC in the Rose Bowl Game
to cap off the 1922 season.
ANOTHER NEW YEAR’S DAY BOWL
• Penn State is playing in its 26th New Year’s Day Bowl.
• The Nittany Lions are 14-10-1 when playing on New Year’s Day.
• Penn State last played on New Year’s Day in the Citrus Bowl to finish the 2018 season, falling 27-24 against Kentucky.
• The blue and white’s last win on New Year’s Day came in the 2010 Capital One Bowl vs. LSU (19-17).
PENN STATE IN THE OUTBACK BOWL
• The Nittany Lions are playing in the Outback Bowl for the fifth time.
• Penn State made its first appearance in the Outback Bowl in the bowl’s inaugural game in 1996, defeating Auburn, 43-14.
• The Nittany Lions’ second Outback Bowl appearance came in 1999 when they earned a 26-14 win over Kentucky.
• Penn State defeated Tennessee, 20-0, in the 2007 Outback Bowl.
• In its last appearance in Raymond James Stadium, Penn State dropped a 37-24 decision against Florida.
NITTANY LIONS IN FLORIDA BOWLS
• Penn State is playing in a bowl game in Florida for the 23rd time in program history.
• The Nittany Lions are 10-11-1 in the previous 22 appearances.
• Penn State has played in the Blockbuster Bowl (0-2), Citrus/ Capital One Bowl (2-4), Gator Bowl (1-3-1), Orange Bowl (4-1) and Outback Bowl (3-1).
STOUT TABBED TOP B1G PUNTER
• Redshirt senior Jordan Stout was named the Big Ten Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year.
• He is first Penn State player to win the Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year award.
• Stout became Penn State’s 36th conference major award winner and the 10th in the James Franklin era.
• According to PFF, Stout owns the country’s highest punting grade (93.1) and average hang time (4.36) and is second in net punting (45.08).
• Stout owns Penn State’s best career punt average (44.81), leading by 1.68 yards per punt, and holds Penn State’s best season punt average (46.55).
• Stout has averaged at least 50.0 yards per punt in five games this season and has 25 punts of 50+ yards.
• He’s also landed 34 punts inside the 20 this season, including 18 inside the 10 and six inside the 5.
