The LSU Tigers will square off against the Penn State Nittany Lions on New Years Day in the Capital One Bowl. The Nittany Lions (10-2, 6-2 Big Ten) were passed over as the Big Ten’s No. 2 BCS team, as Iowa, which had the same record as Penn State, was chosen over the Lions for the FedEx Orange Bowl. “Anybody that knows college football knows of Coach Paterno,” LSU coach Les Miles said of the 82-year-old Penn State coach. “I had visited with him briefly on a couple of occasions. I have great admiration and respect for not only his longevity, but how he’s guided that program through different times and how well he’s done.”
The LSU Tigers hoping for a 10-win season. Penn State is hoping for its first win in this game since Jan. 1, 1994. Players to watch are LSU QB Jordan Jefferson and Penn St. LB Navorro Bowman. Jefferson has been a wild card for the Tigers this season, while Bowman is the best defensive player for the Lions.
LSU will be looking for its fifth bowl win under coach Les Miles in five seasons. His 2007 team won the BCS national title, beating Big Ten champion Oho State.
Here are some statistics for both teams:
Total Yards
PSU 412.5 / 36th
LSU 309.7 / 108th
Passing Yards
PSU 246.6 / 43rd
LSU 199.8 / 94th
Rushing Yards
PSU 173.6 / 39th
LSU 129.6 / 84th
Points Scored
PSU 29.7 / 44th
LSU 25.5 / 74th
History of the Capital One Bowl:
The Capital One Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Orlando, Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the Tangerine Bowl (1947-1982) and the Florida Citrus Bowl (1983-2002). Financial services company Capital One has been the title sponsor of the bowl since 2001 when it was the Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl but with the exclusive Capital One Bowl moniker since 2003. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group which also organizes the Champs Sports Bowl and Florida Classic.
Since becoming one of the premier bowls, the Capital One Bowl is traditionally held at 1 p.m. EST on New Year’s Day, immediately before the Rose Bowl, both of which are televised on ABC. In 2004, the Capital One Bowl bid to become the fifth BCS game, but was not chosen, primarily due to the stadium’s aging condition. On July 26, 2007 the Orange County Commissioners voted 5–2 in favor of spending a total of 1.1 billion dollars on building a new arena for the Orlando Magic, building a performing arts center and upgrading the Citrus Bowl.
Former Names:
-Tangerine Bowl (1947-1982)
-Florida Citrus Bowl (1983-1993)
-Ourhouse.com Florida Citrus Bowl (2000)
-Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl (2001-2002)
