Penn State downs Memphis in highest-scoring Cotton Bowl; attendance lowest since 1948
Penn State knew plenty of big-name programs had fallen in bowl games to lesser-known opponents.
Boise State knocked off Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Utah got the best of Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl. TCU defeated Wisconsin in the 2011 Rose Bowl. And the list goes on.
The Nittany Lions didn’t want to join that club. Their mission was accomplished Saturday.
No. 10 Penn State 53, No. 17 Memphis 39 in the 84th Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium.
Penn State used a steady dose of running back Journey Brown on offense and got impact play after impact play by linebacker Micah Parsons on defense. Both are returning to Penn State next season and are part of a promising foundation, coach James Franklin said.
“I think most people would agree that the program is headed in the right direction,” Franklin said. “We’re developing well. We’re game-planning well. We’re recruiting well.
“I’m going to enjoy this win tonight, but I do think this game and this win, and these 11 wins, and these young players that are going to be returning, is going to give us a lot of momentum going into next season.”
The 53 points were the most scored by Penn State against a ranked opponent since a 63-14 victory over No. 21 Ohio State in October 1994.
The 92 combined points made it the highest-scoring Cotton Bowl in history, passing the 83 points scored in Michigan State’s 42-41 victory over Baylor in 2015.
Brown topped the 200-yard rushing mark with two TD runs, the first player in Penn State history with 200 yards rushing in a bowl game.
“I feel like just the line up front, those big boys, they really set the tone,” said Brown, who had 202 yards on 16 carries. “We said coming into this game, we want to control the pace.”
Parsons showed why he’s one of the top linebackers in the country with two sacks, two forced fumbles and a QB hurry that led to a pick-six by Penn State’s Garrett Taylor.
“Obviously, I was able to get my opportunity and make the most of it,” Parsons said. “I’m grateful for it. When you get your opportunity, your moment, you just got to take advantage of it, I believe. And I was able to take advantage of it today.”
Brown earned most outstanding offensive player of the game honors, while Parsons was the most outstanding defensive player.
Memphis, meanwhile, saw quarterback Brady White throw for 454 yards, but not one of his 32 completions resulted in a touchdown. The Tigers also had six field goals by Riley Patterson, but touchdowns were needed to keep up with the Nittany Lions.
In the end, the Tigers fell short in their upset bid.
“When you kick six field goals in a game and don’t come up with touchdowns, you’ve got no chance,” Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield said. “We had too many self-inflicted wounds on offense, too many penalties. It starts with the offensive line, and I have got to do a better job preparing those guys.
“Defensively, we missed too many tackles, allowed too many gaps in the run game. We’ve got to make sure we’re doing a better job being sound tacklers and being fundamentally sound and all that.
“At the end of the day, 12-win football team, what Memphis has. Winningest seniors, winningest group of players in Memphis football history. And our young guys got a chance to see what it tastes like to be in the Cotton Bowl.”
One of the few downsides in the game was the attendance. Hosting a Group of Five school such as Memphis typically means attendance is going to be down for the bowl game.
But this ranked as the smallest crowd in 71 years with an announced attendance of 54,828, the fewest since 46,000 showed up for the 1948 game between Penn State and SMU. All 12 Cotton Bowls with fewer attendance were played in the 1930s and 1940s.
The previous low since the game moved to AT&T Stadium was 59,615 when another Group of Five team (Western Michigan) faced a Big Ten team (Wisconsin) following the 2016 season.
By comparison, the most attended Cotton Bowl was after the 2008 season, when 88,175 watched Ole Miss take on Texas Tech. The most at AT&T Stadium was 87,025, following the 2012 season, between Texas A&M and Oklahoma.
Last year’s College Football Playoff matchup between Clemson and Notre Dame drew 72,183.
But the low attendance didn’t mean it wasn’t an enjoyable atmosphere for the players, especially with Memphis playing in its first New Year’s Six game.
“It was awesome to run out into that stadium and see a bunch of blue,” White said.
Added linebacker Xavier Cullens: “It was really amazing. They put a smile on our faces because they traveled so far to watch this.”
Next year’s Cotton Bowl is scheduled for Dec. 30, 2020, at AT&T Stadium.
This story was originally published December 28, 2019 at 5:05 PM.
