21.Arkansas vs. Penn State
Outback Bowl
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa)
12 PM ET, ESPN/ESPN App
Opt-Outs: WR Treylon Burks (ARK), DE Tre Williams (ARK), WR Jahan Dotson (PSU), LT Rasheed Walker (PSU), DE Arnold Ebiketie (PSU), DT Derrick Tangelo (PSU), LB Ellis Brooks (PSU), LB Brandon Smith (PSU), S Jaquan Brisker
Arkansas (8-4, 4-4 SEC) and Penn State (7-5, 4-5 Big Ten) will square off on New Year’s Day at noon local time in the Tampa area. It will be the hogs first bowl appearance since 2016 while Penn State last made a bowl in 2019. Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson (25 TD, 3 INT) has developed as one of the best QBs in the SEC. Arkansas will be without its top two players in receiver Treylon Burks (11 TDs) who opted out and safety Jalen Catalon who has been out with a season ending injury since October. Jefferson will have to find other receivers including Warren Thompson, De’Vion Warren, Tyson Morris, and Ketron Jackson. Penn State redshirt senior QB Sean Clifford (20 TD, 6 INT) has been good but will be without his top pass catcher as well in Jahan Dotson (12 TDs). The Penn State running game, led by Keyvone Lee (495 yards, 2 TD), will need to get going without Dotson. In opt outs, Penn State loses a ton of its defensive production in defensive lineman Arnold Ebiketie (9.5 sacks, 52 pressures) and Derrick Tangelo (5.5 TFL, 2 sacks), safety Jaquon Brisker (38 tackles, 2 interceptions), and linebackers Ellis Brooks (team leading 100 tackles), Brandon Smith (second on team with 81 tackles). Outside of safety replacement Jaylen Brisker, there will be a big difference between the product on the field for the Penn State defense. Penn State loses a ton of its defensive production in defensive lineman Arnold Ebiketie (9.5 sacks, 52 pressures) and Derrick Tangelo (5.5 TFL, 2 sacks), safety Jaquon Brisker (38 tackles, 2 interceptions), and linebackers Ellis Brooks (team leading 100 tackles), Brandon Smith (second on team with 81 tackles). Outside of safety replacement Jaylen Brisker, there will be a big difference between the product on the field for the Penn State defense. Using their four talented running backs (Trelon Smith, Domonique Johnson, and Rocket Sanders) and dual threat KJ Jefferson, the Hogs offense will have to take advantage of the inexperienced Penn State defense. One last note we will look at is the common opponent between the Nittany Lions and Razorbacks. Arkansas lost to Auburn at home 38-23 while Penn State beat Auburn in Happy Valley, 28-20. That loss ended a three game losing streak for the Razorbacks and most questionable loss of the season while Penn State continued its successful play early in the year.
With Penn State’s inexperienced defense, the hogs need to establish the running game, like I said. If they do, they should win the game. Projected Score: Arkansas 27, Penn State 20
