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Penn State faces Arkansas in 2021 Outback Bowl, per report

The Nittany Lions and Razorbacks will meet at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa for the 2021 Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 20 Rutgers at Penn State
Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford rolls out during the college football game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on November 20, 2021 at Beaver Stadium in University Park,PA.
Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Penn State Nittany Lions and Arkansas Razorbacks will face off in the 2021 Outback Bowl, per Brett McMurphy. The game will take place at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Kickoff is currently scheduled for 12 p.m. ET on New Year’s Day. The game will air on ESPN and will be available via live stream at WatchESPN.

A year after starting off the season 0-5, the Nittany Lions began 2021 with a 5-0 record before fading down the stretch. Penn State lost three games in a row in October as quarterback Sean Clifford battled through an injury. Still, the Nittany Lions lost two of their last three games with a healthier roster, so it certainly wasn’t a positive season even with the hot start. Thanks to a busy coaching carousel, James Franklin received a new contract to stick around in Happy Valley.

Sam Pittman is building a strong program, as the Razorbacks started out 4-0 with double-digit wins over the Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies. Arkansas followed that up with three straight losses before winning four of their final five games with the lone loss coming to the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Razorbacks average 9.1 yards per pass attempt as K.J. Jefferson had a fantastic regular season. He completed 66.9% of his passes for 2,578 yards with 21 touchdowns and three interceptions in addition to doing some damage in the running game with 554 yards and five touchdowns.