2010 Capital One Bowl
Penn State (10-2) vs. LSU (9-3)
Orlando, FL, Jan. 1, 1 pm, ABC
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Capital One Bowl
Team Pages and 2009 Season
LSU | Penn State
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2009 CFN
Capital One Bowl Preview
- 2008 CFN Capital One
Bowl Preview
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2007 CFN Capital One Bowl Preview |
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National Rankings
|
|
L |
|
P |
|
108th |
Total Offense |
36th |
|
28th |
Total Defense |
8th |
|
74th |
Scoring Offense |
41st |
|
12th |
Scoring Defense |
4th |
|
85th |
Rushing Offense |
38th |
|
44th |
Run Defense |
10th |
|
99th |
Passing Offense |
40th |
|
29th |
Passing Defense |
19th |
|
21st |
Turnover Margin |
46th |
|
Position Ratings
relative to each
other |
|
L |
5 highest
1 lowest |
P |
|
3.5 |
Quarterbacks |
4.5 |
|
2.5 |
RBs |
4.5 |
|
4.5 |
Receivers |
3.5 |
|
2.5 |
O Line |
4 |
|
4 |
D Line |
5 |
|
4 |
Linebackers |
5 |
|
4.5 |
Secondary |
4 |
|
4.5 |
Spec
Teams |
1.5 |
|
4.5 |
Coaching |
5 |
|
|
Capital One Bowl History |
| 2009 |
Georgia 24, Michigan State 12
|
| 2008 |
Michigan 41, Florida 35
|
| 2007 |
Penn State 20, Tennessee 10 |
| 2006 |
Wisconsin 24, Auburn 10 |
| 2005 |
Iowa 30, LSU 25 |
| 2004 |
Georgia 34, Purdue 27 (OT) |
| 2003 |
Auburn 13, Penn State 9 |
| 2002 |
Tennessee 45, Michigan 17 |
| 2001 |
Michigan 31, Auburn 28 |
| 2000 |
Michigan St 37, Florida 34 |
| 1999 |
Michigan 45, Arkansas 31 |
| 1998 |
Florida 21, Penn State 6 |
| 1997 |
Tennessee 48, Northwestern 28 |
| 1996 |
Tennessee 20, Ohio State 14 |
| 1995 |
Alabama 24, Ohio State 17 |
| 1994 |
Penn St 31, Tennessee 13 |
| 1993 |
Georgia 21, Ohio State 14 |
| 1992 |
California 37, Clemson 13 |
| 1991 |
Georgia Tech 45, Nebraska 21 |
| 1990 |
Illinois 31, Virginia 21 |
| 1989 |
Clemson 13, Oklahoma 6 |
| 1988 |
Clemson 35, Penn State 10 |
| 1987 |
Auburn 16, USC 7 |
| 1985 |
Ohio State 10, BYU 7 |
| 1984 |
Florida State 17, Georgia 17 |
| 1983 |
Tennessee 30, Maryland 23 |
| 1982 |
Auburn 33, Boston College 26 |
| 1981 |
Missouri 19, So Mississippi 17 |
| 1980 |
Florida 35, Maryland 20 |
| 1979 |
LSU 34, Wake Forest 10 |
| 1978 |
NC State 30, Pittsburgh 17 |
| 1977 |
Florida St 40, Texas Tech 17 |
| 1976 |
Oklahoma State 49, BYU 21 |
| 1975 |
Miami-Ohio 20, So Carolina 7 |
| 1974 |
Miami-Ohio 21, Georgia 10 |
| 1973 |
Miami-Ohio 16, Florida 7 |
| 1972 |
Tampa 21, Kent State 18 |
| 1971 |
Toledo 28, Richmond 3 |
| 1970 |
Toledo 40, William & Mary 12 |
| 1969 |
Toledo 56, Davidson 33 |
| 1968 |
Richmond 49, Ohio 42 |
| 1967 |
UT Martin 25, West Chester 8 |
| 1966 |
Morgan St 14, West Chester 6 |
| 1965 |
East Carolina 31, Maine 0 |
| 1964 |
East Carolina 14, Massachusetts 13 |
| 1963 |
Western Kentucky 27, Coast Guard 0 |
| 1962 |
Houston 49, Miami-Ohio 21 |
| 1961 |
Lamar 21, Middle Tenn. St 14 |
| 1960 |
Middle Tenn. St 21, Presbyterian
12 |
| 1958 (Dec.) |
East Texas State 26, Missouri Valley 7 |
| 1958 (Jan.) |
East Texas State 10, Southern
Mississippi 9 |
| 1957 |
West Texas A&M 20, Southern Mississippi
13 |
| 1956 |
Juniata 6, Missouri Valley 6 |
| 1955 |
Nebraska-Omaha 7, Eastern Kentucky 6 |
| 1954 |
Arkansas State 7, East Texas State 7 |
| 1953 |
East Texas State 33, Tennessee Tech 0 |
| 1952 |
Stetson 35, Arkansas State 20 |
| 1951 |
Morris Harvey 35, Emory & Henry 14 |
| 1950 |
Saint Vincent 7, Emory & Henry 6 |
| 1949 |
Murray State 21, Sul Ross 21 |
| 1948 |
Catawba 7, Marshall 0 |
| 1947 |
Catawba 31, Maryville (Tenn.) 0 |
dddd
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Everything is in place for this to be the premier non-BCS bowl.
Penn State is a BCS-caliber team, LSU would’ve been in the BCS if there wasn’t the ridiculous rule in place that only two teams from one conference could get in, and usually, this is one of the better bowl games of the season with seven of the last ten games decided by seven points or fewer. It also helps that these two are among the best bowl teams of the last decade.
Penn State lost last year’s Rose Bowl to USC (no shame there), but won five of its previous six bowls and nine of the previous 11, while LSU has been terrific winning four in a row, five of the last six (with the one loss on a miraculous last play by Iowa in the 2005 Capital One), and ten of the last 12. Always making things more interesting is the Big Ten’s constant search for respect, and this game has been a big help with wins in four of the last five Capital Ones and eight of the last 11. But beyond all the numbers and all the stats, this will be a game of discovery for each program.
Penn State was supposed to be good with a veteran team returning and a schedule that went beyond favorable into the ridiculous. The non-conference schedule was embarrassing, playing Akron, Syracuse, Temple, and Eastern Illinois all at home, there was no Wisconsin on the slate, and the two decent teams on the Big Ten schedule, Ohio State and Iowa, both had to come to Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions clunked in both test games, losing to the Buckeyes and the Hawkeyes by a combined score of 45 to 17, meaning the best win of the season was a 34-13 pasting of Northwestern. You’re right, zzzzzzz.
LSU’s claim to greatness, or to at least be considered among the very good, was not sucking against the big boys. The best win of the year was a 31-10 pasting of Auburn, and there was the controversial victory at Georgia and an overtime win over Arkansas, but mostly, the Tigers’ best positive moments came in a battle at Alabama, a 24-15 loss, and by keeping a concussed Tim Tebow and Florida in check in a 13-3 loss. But, unfortunately, the defining moment was a brain-cramp, screwing up the final seconds in a loss at Ole Miss.
This was a good LSU team with a great record. The lines were nowhere near up to the normally high standards for a national title-caliber program there was little production from the passing game, less from the running attack, and the points were hard to come by. But the special teams were terrific, there weren’t the mind-numbing mistakes that last year’s team was all too happy to make, and the defense turned out to be better than parts. But after going 8-5 last year and now being two years removed from winning the national title, a loss to Penn State would likely mean that 2010 has to be a double-digit winning season to show that the program hasn’t slipped under Les Miles’ watch.
While neither team quite lived up to expectations as far as quality of play, it’s a major reach to say that either underachieved. If anything, LSU outkicked its coverage a bit considering how poor the offensive line was and with the late-season injury to RB Charles Scott. But as far as bragging rights go and expectations going forward, this is an important game for each program. Penn State will be in a bit of a transitional phase next year with the loss of QB Daryll Clark and several key veterans, while this might be just the beginning for a relatively young LSU team the good recruiting classes of the last few years about to kick in.
The NFL scouts will be going over film of this game over and over again, these are two mega-power programs playing in a better matchup than three of the BCS games (take a guess as to which ones), and it’s as good a non-conference game as you could come up with. It’s LSU vs. Penn State. There’s a reason it just sounds good.
Players to Watch: LSU has been a factory for top-shelf, all-star defensive linemen over the last several seasons, but the best tackle in this game, and possibly the best player in the game, is senior Jared Odrick , the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year according to the coaches. An athletic space-eater inside, he’s the anchor for a tremendous defensive front seven and is great at collapsing the pocket and providing pressure. The team’s sack leader with six on the year and ten tackles for loss, he needs to be a regular in the backfield against a porous LSU offensive front that lets the quarterback get hit way too often.
Odrick might be the key to the Penn State defense, but linebackers Navorro Bowman and Sean Lee are the stars. Bowman was banged up for most of the season, but he regained his form late and became his old, disruptive self. The active junior roared in key late games highlighted by a 12-tackle, one sack, two tackle-for-loss, one-interception for a 73-yard touchdown effort against Indiana. Lee had a few setbacks this year after missing all of 2008 with a knee injury, but he, like Bowman, got healthy at the right time and was fantastic down the stretch coming up with 12 tackles, ten solo, in the win over Northwestern and followed it up by a 14-tackle day against Ohio State. With no LSU running game to worry about, these two will be in charge of getting into the backfield and getting to QB Jordan Jefferson , while also acting like safeties against the short-to-midrange passing game.
LSU got the season it needed out of Jefferson, and he needs to be the offense against the aggressive Penn State D. The sophomore got his feet wet late last year and turned out to be a calming influence for an offense that suffered turnover after turnover, and this year, he has been just enough of a playmaker to keep the offense moving. He’s not a bomber and he’s not a precision passer, but he spread out his six interceptions over the course of the season and he doesn’t take too many crazy chances. Against the Nittany Lions, he’ll have to use his mobility to make Lee and Bowman worry about the possibility of taking off, and then he’ll have to take advantage of the one-on-one matchups against a good, but not elite secondary. It’s not a stretch to say that he’ll have to outplay Clark for LSU to win.
Penn State will win if ... the run defense plays like the Penn State run defense, and the LSU offensive line plays like it has all season long. The Tigers are 1-3 in games when they rush for under 100 yards, with the lone win coming against Mississippi State after rushing for 30 yards on 30 carries. The biggest problem has been sacks and tackles for loss, as the O line has had way too many problems allowing the good SEC defensive lines get into the backfield to stuff plays and drives. LSU gained133 yards against Alabama but lost 38. The ground game came up with 90 yards against Ole Miss, but netted 50. On the year, LSU has lost 375 yards, while Penn State is sixth in the nation in tackles for loss and eight in sacks. However, the Nittany Lions failed to get a sack against Ohio State (the only time all year without one) and lost to Iowa and Ohio State on the two worst games of the year for the run defense allowing 188 yards against the Hawkeyes and 245 yards to Ohio State. No one else gained more than 156. Basically, if Jordan Jefferson doesn’t have a huge game, and if the Nittany Lions can win the turnover battle, they’ll win.
LSU will win if ... the game comes down to Darryl Clark. The Penn State quarterback earned Offensive Player of the Year honors by some (even though Wisconsin RB John Clay was the league’s best offensive player), and he has had an excellent career. But he has yet to come though in a big game, and he isn’t the type of player who’ll come up with a big fourth quarter to pull off a win against a nasty defense. In 2008 he got dinged up against Ohio State and then-backup Pat Devlin led the way to the key win. Against Iowa, Clark threw the bad late interception that led to the game-winning Hawkeye field goal. Against USC in the Rose Bowl, he threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns but he also threw two picks and most of his production came in the second half when the outcome had been all but decided. This year, Clark 22 touchdown passes and six interceptions in the ten wins, but against Iowa he completed 12-of-32 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown with three picks, and completed 12-of-18 passes for 125 yards and no touchdowns with an interception in the loss to Ohio State. Those were the only two games all year that he didn’t connect on half his passes. However …
What will happen: The game won’t come down to Clark. It’s not going to be a pretty game. Both offensive lines underachieved this year and will get destroyed by the opposing defensive fronts. Penn State has more talent in the ground game, thanks to possible top 50 draft pick,
Evan Royster, but he’s not going to have a lot of room to move as LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis will dare Clark to try to beat the strong Tiger corners. However, LSU’s offense won’t go anywhere for long stretches, either. The difference will be the field position and the special teams. Penn State has an abysmal return game, while LSU has Trindon Holliday and the nation’s No. 1 ranked punt return game averaging 18.64 yards per try. LSU will get up on a big special teams play and a home run from one of its NFL receivers, Clark will try to bring the team back, and he won’t be able to do it.
CFN Prediction: LSU 20 … Penn State 17 ... Line: Penn State -2.5
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Best Nittany Lion Bowl Moment:
In one of the most memorable bowl games of all-time, Penn State shocked Miami in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl to earn its second national championship in four years. With a record-breaking 70 million viewers watching, the Lions intercepted Heisman winner Vinny Testaverde five times, the last one by Pete Giftopoulos at the Penn State one-yard line to seal an unexpected and heart-stopping 14-10 win.
Best Tiger Bowl Moment: Look no further than the 2004 Sugar Bowl, a more-dominant-than-the-score-indicated 21-14 win over Oklahoma, which gave LSU a share of its first national championship in 45 years. The Tigers harassed Heisman winner Jason White from the opening drive, getting just enough of an offensive spark from freshman RB Justin Vincent to pull off the mild upset in the Superdome.
Penn State Bowl History
(26-13-2)
|
2009 |
Rose |
USC 38, Penn State 14
|
|
2007 |
Alamo |
Penn State 24, Texas A&M
17 |
|
2007 |
Outback |
Penn State 20, Tennessee
10 |
|
2006 |
Orange |
Penn State 26, Florida
State 23 (3 OT) |
|
2002 |
Capital One |
Auburn 13, Penn State 9 |
|
1999 |
Alamo |
Penn State 24, Texas A&M
0 |
|
1998 |
Outback |
Penn State 26, Kentucky
14 |
|
1997 |
Citrus |
Florida 21, Penn State 6 |
|
1996 |
Fiesta |
Penn State 38, Texas 15 |
|
1995 |
Outback |
Penn State 43, Auburn 14 |
|
1994 |
Rose |
Penn State 38, Oregon 20 |
|
1993 |
Citrus |
Penn State 31, Tennessee
13 |
|
1992 |
Blockbuster |
Stanford 24, Penn State
3 |
|
1991 |
Fiesta |
Penn State 42, Tennessee
17 |
|
1990 |
Blockbuster |
Florida State 24, Penn
State 17 |
|
1989 |
Holiday |
Penn State 50, BYU 39 |
|
1987 |
Citrus |
Clemson 35, Penn State
10 |
|
1986 |
Fiesta |
Penn State 14, Miami
(Fla.) 10 |
|
1985 |
Orange |
Oklahoma 25, Penn State
10 |
|
1983 |
Aloha |
Penn State 13,
Washington 10 |
|
1982 |
Sugar |
Penn State 27, Georgia
23 |
|
1981 |
Fiesta |
Penn State 26, USC 10 |
|
1980 |
Fiesta |
Penn State 31, Ohio
State 19 |
|
1979 |
Liberty |
Penn State 9, Tulane 6 |
|
1978 |
Sugar |
Alabama 14, Penn State 7 |
|
1977 |
Fiesta |
Penn State 42, Arizona
State 30 |
|
1976 |
Gator |
Notre Dame 20, Penn
State 9 |
|
1975 |
Sugar |
Alabama 13, Penn State 6 |
|
1974 |
Cotton |
Penn State 41, Baylor 20 |
|
1973 |
Orange |
Penn State 16, LSU 9 |
|
1972 |
Sugar |
Oklahoma 14, Penn State |
|
1971 |
Cotton |
Penn State 30, Texas 6 |
|
1969 |
Orange |
Penn State 10, Missouri
3 |
|
1968 |
Orange |
Penn State 15, Kansas 14 |
|
1967 |
Gator |
Penn State 17, Florida
State 17 |
|
1962 |
Gator |
Florida 17, Penn State 7 |
|
1961 |
Gator |
Penn State 30, Georgia
Tech 15 |
|
1960 |
Liberty |
Penn State 14, Oregon 12 |
|
1959 |
Liberty |
Penn State 7, Alabama 0 |
|
1947 |
Cotton |
Penn State 13, SMU 13 |
|
1922 |
Rose |
USC 14, Penn State 3 |
|
LSU Bowl
History (21-18-1)
|
2009 |
Chick-fil-A |
LSU 38, Georgia Tech 3 |
|
2008 |
BCS Champ |
LSU 36, Ohio State 24 |
|
2007 |
Sugar |
LSU 41, Notre Dame 14 |
|
2005 |
Peach |
LSU 40, Miami 3 |
|
2004 |
Capital One |
Iowa 30, LSU 25 |
|
2003 |
Sugar |
LSU 21, Oklahoma 14 |
|
2002 |
Cotton |
Texas 35, LSU 20 |
|
2001 |
Sugar |
LSU 47, Illinois 34 |
|
2000 |
Peach |
LSU 28, Georgia Tech 14 |
|
1997 |
Independence |
LSU 27, Notre Dame 9 |
|
1996 |
Peach |
LSU 10, Clemson 7 |
|
1995 |
Independence |
LSU 45, Michigan State
26 |
|
1988 |
Hall of Fame |
Syracuse 23, LSU 10 |
|
1987 |
Gator |
LSU 30, South Carolina
13 |
|
1986 |
Sugar |
Nebraska 30, LSU 15 |
|
1985 |
Liberty |
Baylor 21, LSU 7 |
|
1984 |
Sugar |
Nebraska 28, LSU 10 |
|
1982 |
Orange |
Nebraska 21, LSU 20 |
|
1979 |
Tangerine |
LSU 34, Wake Forest 10 |
|
1978 |
Liberty |
Missouri 20, LSU 15 |
|
1977 |
Sun |
Stanford 24, LSU 14 |
|
1973 |
Orange |
Penn State 16, LSU 9 |
|
1972 |
Astro-Bluebonnet |
Tennessee 24, LSU 17 |
|
1971 |
Sun |
LSU 33, Iowa State 15 |
|
1970 |
Orange |
Nebraska 17, LSU 12 |
|
1968 |
Peach |
LSU 31, Florida State 27 |
|
1967 |
Sugar |
LSU 20, Wyoming 13 |
|
1965 |
Cotton |
LSU 14, Arkansas 7 |
|
1964 |
Sugar |
LSU 13, Syracuse 10 |
|
1963 |
Astro-Bluebonnet |
Baylor 14, LSU 7 |
|
1962 |
Cotton |
LSU 13, Texas 0 |
|
1961 |
Orange |
LSU 25, Colorado 7 |
|
1959 |
Sugar |
Mississippi 21, LSU 0 |
|
1958 |
Sugar |
LSU 7, Clemson 0 |
|
1949 |
Sugar |
Oklahoma 35, LSU 0 |
|
1946 |
Cotton |
LSU 0, Arkansas 0 |
|
1943 |
Orange |
LSU 19, Texas A&M 14 |
|
1937 |
Sugar |
Santa Clara 6, LSU 0 |
|
1936 |
Sugar |
Santa Clara 21, LSU 14 |
|
1935 |
Sugar |
TCU 3, LSU 2 |
|