What does Penn State’s bowl history look like since 2000?
Penn State has been to 51 bowl games in its program history, with the first coming with a trip to the 1923 Rose Bowl. It has become an expectation that Penn State will end a football season with an appearance in a bowl game. Of course, since the turn of the century, there have been a few years that went against the grain for one reason or the other.
Since 2000, Penn State has appeared in 15 bowl games, including three trips to New Years Six bowl games under current head coach James Franklin (with a fourth coming up in the 2023 Rose Bowl). Penn State is 7-8 in bowl games since 2000, including a 3-4 mark under Franklin entering the 2022 season.
Here is a look back on Penn State’s bowl history since 2000.
More Bowl Game History from the College Wire Network:
Alabama / Aub / Fla / LSU / Tenn. / UGA // Mich. / Mich St. / Ohio St. / Wisc. // Okla. / Texas // ND // USC
2002: Capital One Bowl vs. Auburn
Photo: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Network
Date: Jan. 1, 2003
Score: Auburn 13, Penn State 9
Penn State running back and Heisman Trophy finalist Larry Johnson was limited to just 72 rushing yards. Auburn’s Ronnie Brown scored the game-winning touchdown on a 17-yard run in the final minutes of the game.
2005: Orange Bowl vs. Florida State
Photo by: Doug Benc/Getty Images
Date: Jan. 3, 2006
Score: Penn State 26, Florida State 23
Penn State’s memorable 2005 season concluded with a triple-overtime thriller against ACC champion Florida State in the Orange Bowl. It was the eighth and final meeting between coaching icons Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden.
2006: Outback Bowl vs. Tennessee
Photo: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports Copyright (c) 2006 Jason Bridge
Date: Jan. 1, 2007
Score: Penn State 20, Tennessee 10
Penn State’s defense shutout the No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers after halftime and scored the game’s final 10 points in the fourth quarter. Tony Davis returned a Tennessee fumble 88-yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to give Penn State the lead.
2007: Alamo Bowl vs. Texas A&M
Photo: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Dec. 29, 2007
Score: Penn State 24, Texas A&M 17
The 2007 Alamo Bowl was the 5600th game coached by Joe Paterno. Texas A&M jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter before Penn State took a 17-14 lead into halftime. Penn State’s defense snuffed out an option on fourth and inches at the Penn State one-yard line in the fourth quarter to hold on to a 24-17 lead.
2008: Rose Bowl vs. USC
Photo: Jody Gomez-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Jan. 1, 2009
Score: USC 38, Penn State 24
Penn State claimed the Big Ten’s spot in the Rose Bowl by virtue of a head-to-head tiebreaker with Ohio State. The Nittany Lions ran into a dominant USC program, led by quarterback Mark Sanchez and his five touchdowns. USC scored 24 straight points in the second quarter, proving to be too much to handle for Daryll Clark and the Nittany Lions despite a valiant effort in the fourth quarter.
2009: Capital One Bowl vs. LSU
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Date: Jan. 1, 2010
Score: Penn State 19, LSU 17
On some of the worst playing turf in college football history, Daryll Clark and Penn State battled their way to a gritty 19-17 victory over LSU. It was the 24th bowl victory for Joe Paterno and the first bowl loss suffered by former LSU head coach Les Miles.
2010: Outback Bowl vs. Florida
Date: Jan. 1, 2011
Score: Florida 37, Penn State 24
Florida improved to 3-0 all-time against Penn State as former Florida head coach Urban Meyer entered a brief retirement with a victory against Joe Paterno.
2011: Ticket City Bowl vs. Houston
Photo: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Jan. 2, 2012
Score: Houston 30, Penn State 14
The 2011 season was mired by the fallout of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, draining Penn State of its energy down the final stretch of the season. Houston’s Case Keenum passed for 532 yards and three touchdowns as the Cougars jumped all over the Nittany Lions.
2014: Pinstripe Bowl vs. Boston College
Photo: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Dec. 27, 2014
Score: Penn State 31, Boston College 30
Following a decision earlier in the season by the NCAA to lift Penn State’s bowl ban, James Franklin scored his first bowl victory after Penn State outlasted Boston College in overtime of the Pinstripe Bowl.
2015: TaxSlayer Bowl vs. Georgia
Photo: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Jan. 2, 2016
Score: Georgia 24, Penn State 17
Penn State may have come up shy in the TaxSlayer Bowl against Georgia, but this was the changing of the guard for Penn State at the quarterback position. After Christian Hackenberg left the game with an injury, Trace McSorley stepped in to provide a second-half spark for the offense.
2016: Rose Bowl vs. USC
Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Jan. 2, 2017
Score: USC 52, Penn State 49
Penn State was unable to hold on to a lead against the USC Trojans in a record-setting Rose Bowl to close out the 2016 season. McSorley, Saquon Barkley and the rest of Penn State’s offense scored a Rose Bowl record of 28 points in the third quarter (most points scored by one team in Rose Bowl history). But USC’s Sam Darnold accounted for a Rose Bowl record 473 total yards on his way to MVP honors in the win for the Pac-12 champions. The 101 combined points was a Rose Bowl record, but it stood for just one year (Oklahoma and Georgia scored 102 combined points in the following season in a College Football Playoff semifinal game).
2017: Fiesta Bowl vs. Washington
Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Dec. 30, 2017
Score: Penn State 35, Washington 28
Penn State faced Washington for the first time since the 1983 Aloha Bowl. Penn State wasted little time gaining control of the game with a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Saquon Barkley scored two touchdowns in the first half;f, including a 92-yard run in the second quarter to put Penn State up 28-7.
2018: Citrus Bowl vs. Kentucky
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Date: Jan. 1, 2019
Score: Kentucky 27, Penn State 24
Penn State was unable to match the energy of an inspired Kentucky program having one of its most successful seasons in decades. Penn State trailed 27-7 going into the fourth quarter before making a comeback bid in the fourth quarter.
2019: Cotton Bowl vs. Memphis
(Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports)
Date: Dec. 28, 2019
Score: Penn State 53, Memphis 39
Making their third trip to a New Years Six bowl game under James Franklin, Penn State’s offense overpowered American Athletic Conference champion Memphis in the highest-scoring Cotton Bowl in Cotton Bowl history. Micah Parsons earned defensive MVP honors while running back Journey Brown was named the game’s offensive MVP following his 202 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
2021: Outback Bowl vs. Arkansas
Jan 1, 2022; Tampa, FL, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Parker Washington (3) is pushed out of bounds during the first half against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the 2022 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Date: Jan. 1, 2022
Score: Arkansas 24, Penn State 10
Penn State was playing from behind for much of the game against an Arkansas team that was having a storied season for itself. With a number of opt-outs at key positions, especially on defense, the Nittany Lions couldn’t slow down the Razorbacks and quarterback K.J. Jefferson and the offense couldn’t do much to help the cause as Penn State started the year with a disappointing performance in the Outback Bowl.
