James Franklin, Sam Pittman meet at ceremonial Outback Bowl kickoff
James Franklin has probably lost count of his miles logged this week.
On the road recruiting to lock down Penn State’s Class of 2022 ahead of the early signing period next Wednesday, the Nittany Lions’ head coach took a detour Thursday evening.
Taking part in the Outback Bowl’s ceremonial “contract signing” kickoff party, Franklin shook hands, took pictures, and met with his program’s upcoming opponent on January 1.
Admittedly “fired up” for the opportunity to clash with No. 23-ranked Arkansas at Raymond James Stadium, Franklin and Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman previewed the coming days and weeks of preparation for the two teams.
“We’re at a point right now, I’ve been on the road since this bowl was announced, so we haven’t had the opportunity… to watch them on tape yet,” Franklin said. “So we’re doing that process right now and we’ve got practice on Saturday.”
Previewing the matchup
Pittman, meanwhile, offered his assessment both of Penn State and his program coming off its 8-4 regular season.
Expecting to see all of the “physicality” and “tradition” attached to the Penn State name, the Arkansas coach in his second season with the Razorbacks drew a contrast with the Nittany Lions.
“They’ve been to a lot of these bowls consecutively. We have not,” he said. “It’s been a little bit of a five-year break from us getting to go to bowls. We could have (gone) to Texas last year but COVID cost us that bowl.
“They just have a historical program with a very, very fine head coach. That’s going to be a problem. They’re big on both sides of the ball upfront and that’s where a lot of games are won or lost.”
Reaching a bowl game for the seventh time in his eight-year tenure with the Nittany Lions, having opted out of the 2020 postseason, Franklin acknowledged the beauty of returning to a “normal” bowl environment at the event.
And, having participated in three New Year’s Six bowls previously, plus the Citrus Bowl after the 2018 season, Franklin added that the program’s history playing in notable New Year’s Day bowls would prepare it for this latest opportunity. (Despite the record, Penn State has played on New Year’s Day, due to the calendar and scheduling, only once for the Citrus Bowl during Franklin’s tenure.)
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Crediting the venue and opponent as “special,” James Franklin set high expectations for Penn State fans.
“I think that’s one of the reasons why we’re here,” he said. “Penn State’s got a reputation to travel well. We have a large number of fans and alumni in the state of Florida as well. So I think it’ll be a great environment and the place will be rocking on January 1.”
Similarly excited, Pittman said his Razorbacks have been looking forward to the Outback Bowl since the Sunday announcement.
In a season that started unranked, but climbing as high as No. 8 before falling at No. 2 Georgia on Oct. 2, the Razorbacks are eager to put a stamp on their 2021 campaign with a win over Penn State.
“We didn’t do what we thought we could do. We thought we could win the last five, but we lost to Alabama by seven there,” Pittman said. “But that run of Mississippi State, LSU, Missouri was a big run for us to allow us to get invited to the Outback Bowl.”
The Outback Bowl is set to kick at noon and will be broadcast on ESPN2 on Jan. 1, 2022.
