Penn State jump-started its football program in 1887. Just 25 years later, Memphis followed suit and established theirs. Despite sharing a place in the game for over a century, the Nittany Lions and Tigers have never clawed at each other on the gridiron, but that will change Saturday. The campuses are separated by 900 miles, but that separation has seemingly decreased in the month of December as the programs have studied each other’s every move — awaiting the 84th edition of the anticipated Goodyear Cotton Bowl.
“This is the biggest game in Memphis football history, in my opinion,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said.