Memphis presents tough test in Texas
Cotton Bowl no walk in the park.
DALLAS — Bowl games have an interesting way of feeling like bonuses or add-ons to a season.
In a sense, that’s because they are. They’re a reward for teams that win six games or more.
But the feeling is enhanced in situations like Penn State’s. The regular season ended with the Nittany Lions’ win against Rutgers in November. Since then, a bunch of NFL draft decisions were made and Penn State hired Kirk Ciarrocca from the Minnesota Golden Gophers to be the new offensive coordinator after Ricky Rahne left for Old Dominion.
Now, with the 13th-ranked Nittany Lions (10-2) a day away from playing No. 15 Memphis (12-1) of the American Athletic Conference in one of the sport’s premier games, it almost takes a mental reset to remember that a competitive game between two talented rosters will finish off the 2019-20 season.
That was evident Thursday, at Penn State’s player availability at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Quarterback Sean Clifford was asked about the hiring of Ciarrocca, and, after discussing his feelings on it, he finished his answer by refocusing on the task at hand.
“I’m just excited to get this game going,” Clifford said. “You know, [interim offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen], [interim quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell], both put together a great game plan. The offense is excited to get to work on it and, once that’s over, you know, really start getting to work with our new coach.”
And for the game itself, the Nittany Lions likely will have their hands full.
The Tigers finished the season with an AAC championship and an elite offense. Memphis quarterback Brady White led his team to a top-10 finish in scoring and total offense. White finished tied for seventh in Football Bowl Subdivision with 33 passing touchdowns and 12th with 3,560 passing yards.
Of course, Penn State ended up with a top-10 scoring defense, allowing just 14.1 points per game by its opponents. So, when the Tigers have the ball, it will be a matchup of the teams’ strengths.
“Let me be clear, we have faced a lot of great defenses this year,” Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield said Friday. “This Penn State defense is the best we’ve seen, all right? Their front seven is phenomenal. Their back-end guys play well. They’ve got first-rounders up front. They have got All-American linebackers, all their linebackers are great players. Their back-end can run, they can cover. It’s going to be a challenge.
“There’s a reason why they’ve only allowed 2.6 yards a carry. There’s a reason why they’re only allowing 14 points a game. The Penn State defense is phenomenal.”
On the other side of the ball, Memphis has struggled at times defensively, but still ranks a respectable 48th in total defense, allowing 372.3 yards per game.
How that matches up with the Nittany Lions offense will be interesting in its own right, especially given the changes Penn State will have to deal with offensively.
With Rahne’s departure, Bowen, the tight ends coach, takes over the playcalling duties for this game. And with all the Ciarrocca talk this week, he has had to stay focused Saturday despite
some potential distractions.
“Our focus has been on the Cotton Bowl with this current team,” Bowen said Friday. “Super excited to get to know Coach Ciarrocca and have him on board. I’ve heard great things, but we’ll transition into that mode after this game. Really, our focus right now has been on our players and this Cotton Bowl game.”
No matter what happens, this game will mark some firsts. It’s the first time Penn State and the Tigers have played, and it’s the first time the Nittany Lions have been in the Cotton Bowl since 1975.
That doesn’t mean Penn State doesn’t have any history in Dallas. In 1948, Wally Triplett became the first black player to play in the Cotton Bowl, as the Nittany Lions tied SMU, 10-10.
Saturday, Penn State will wear decals honoring Triplett and that 1948 team.
That is an important part of this week, taking some time to honor the past while appreciating what the Nittany Lions have done this season.
But, once the game begins, Penn State will be focused on getting its 11th win for the third time in the past four seasons, which would mark the first time it has achieved that since 1968-71.
“At the end of the day for us, part of us preparing our players is not just the schemes, it’s also making sure that they understand what they’re getting themselves into,” coach James Franklin said Thursday. “And [Memphis] is a very good football team. This is a well-coached football team. This is an extremely prideful team and proud community as well.
“And we better be ready to play.”