Penn State, WVU set for Jan. 2 bowl games

Georgia and Penn State are headed to the TaxSlayer Bowl for their first meeting since the 1983 Sugar Bowl, when Curt Warner and the Nittany Lions beat Herschel Walker and the Bulldogs to win the national title. Thje game will be played Jan. 2 (noon kickoff) in Jacksonville, Fla.
“We are excited to be heading to the TaxSlayer Bowl,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said. “We are looking forward to this opportunity to keep our family together for another month and spend more time with this fantastic group of seniors. Jacksonville is a great destination for our fans.”
The Nittany Lions (7-5) have lost three in a row. The Bulldogs (9-3) have won four straight, but will be without fired coach Mark Richt. Richt accepted the Miami job earlier this week, returning to his alma mater after 15 years at Georgia.
This will be Penn State’s fifth appearance in the TaxSlayer Bowl, formerly known as the Gator Bowl, with the last time being in 1976 when the Nittany Lions lost to Notre Dame, 20-9.
Penn State is tied for third nationally with 28 bowl victories and is No. 2 in bowl winning percentage with a 28-15-2 postseason record (64.4) among schools with at least 20 postseason appearances.
West Virginia to face Arizona State: Arizona State won’t travel for its bowl game.
The Sun Devils will have about a 10-mile trip to play West Virginia in the Cactus Bowl at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Jan. 2. Kickoff is 10:15 p.m.
The Cactus Bowl is usually played at Arizona State’s Sun Devil Stadium, but was moved this because of renovations.
“We are thrilled to welcome West Virginia and Arizona State and their extensive fan bases to our game and to Phoenix,” bow executive director Mike Nealy said.
West Virginia finished the season 7-5 overall and 4-5 in the Big 12. The Mountaineers’ offense was led by junior running back Wendell Smallwood, who rushed for 1,447 yards and nine touchdowns. West Virginia is making its second appearance in a Cactus Bowl and first since 1998, when the Mountaineers lost to Missouri in what was then called the Insight.com Bowl.
Arizona State, coached by former West Virginia assistant and Pitt head coach Todd Graham, finished the season 6-6 overall and 4-5 in the Pac-12. The Sun Devils’ offense was led by the sophomore rushing duo of Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage, who combined for 1,677 yards and 11 touchdowns. Arizona State is making its second appearance in a Cactus Bowl.