University Park,Pa. — Penn State students wishing to follow the Nittany Lions to Orlando for their Capital One Bowl showdown with LSU will now be able to purchase a pair of tickets this Saturday, Dec. 12. Originally, students were permitted to purchase one ticket, but the athletic department increased that number to two for Saturday's sale.
"Now that the majority of our Nittany Lion Club members have placed their orders, we're in the fortunate position of allowing the students to buy a ticket for a friend or relative that they can travel to Orlando with," explained Greg Myford, Associate Athletic Director. "We've heard that LSU's students are going to come strong, and we want to make sure our students have every opportunity to do the same."
Full-time Penn State students can purchase Capital One Bowl tickets on Saturday at Gate B of the Bryce Jordan Center. The sale will begin at 7 a.m. and be completed by 11 a.m. or when no tickets remain. Students may now purchase two (2) tickets with their valid Penn State student ID. The tickets are $80 each and will be issued at the time of purchase. Cash or credit cards will be accepted, but Lion Cash can not be used for this sale.
Student Nittany Lion Club members can also purchase Capital One Bowl tickets on Saturday at Gate A of the Bryce Jordan Center. The sale for Student NLC members will begin at 6:30 a.m. and a valid Penn State student ID will be required. All Student NLC members will be verified before gaining early purchase benefit. All student ticket sales will occur at the Bryce Jordan Center with no online student ticket sales for the bowl game. Students who wish to sit together at the Capital One Bowl should plan to purchase their tickets together on Saturday. No tents or overnight camping will be permitted leading up to Saturday's sale. Students may begin to stand in line beginning at 6 a.m. on Saturday.
No. 11/9 Penn State (10-2) and No. 13 LSU (9-3) are meeting for just the second time, with the previous contest resulting in a 16-9 win by Penn State in the 1974 Orange Bowl to cap Coach Joe Paterno's and Penn State's first 12-0 season. The 64th Capital One Bowl will kick on New Year's Day at 1 p.m. ET from Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium and air on ABC, Sports USA Radio and the Penn State Sports Network.
The Penn State-LSU clash will bring together two of the nation's most successful football programs and two of college football's most enthusiastic, passionate and loyal fan bases. The Nittany Lions averaged more than 107,000 fans this season in Beaver Stadium, the nation's largest facility. The Penn State student section of 21,000-plus has been named Best in the Nation by ESPN's College Gameday and ESPN The Magazine during the past five seasons. The Nittany Lions have won 33 of their last 37 games in Happy Valley.
LSU averaged more than 92,000 fans this season in Tiger Stadium, the nation's seventh-largest facility. "Death Valley" also is widely recognized as one of the nation's most of the difficult places for opposing teams. The Tigers are 30-6 at home in Les Miles' five years as head coach.
The Nittany Lions are playing in their fifth different bowl game in the past five years, with four New Year's games (2006 FedEx Orange, 2007 Outback, 2009 Rose and 2010 Capital One). Penn State is 50-13 (79.3) since the start of the 2005 season, the nation's No. 8 winning percentage over that span.
The Nittany Lions will be making their 36th post-season trip under Paterno, who is the all-time leader in bowl wins (23-11-1) and appearances. Paterno, one of just three active coaches to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, will be taking a team to a 24th New Year's Bowl game, having compiled a 16-7 mark. The Nittany Lions are No. 3 in the nation with 26 post-season victories, No. 8 with 41 bowl appearances and third nationally in bowl winning percentage (65.8, 26-13-2) among schools with at least 10 bowl victories.
The Nittany Lions are 8-5 in bowl games vs. Southeastern Conference teams, winning six of the last eight meetings. The last meeting resulted in a 20-10 Penn State victory over Tennessee in the 2007 Outback Bowl. Penn State is 7-4 vs. SEC opponents in post-season contests under Paterno.