Penn State-Arkansas game day: Outback Bowl kick time, TV info, latest spread, stat leaders, more

Tampa, Fla. — Penn State and Arkansas meet in the Outback Bowl today.

The waiting is over, as the Nittany Lions and Razorbacks are set to battle for the first time in program history.

Missing players have been the story of this week. Head coach James Franklin’s team is down at least six starters. Sam Pittman’s Razorbacks, meanwhile, are missing two of their biggest stars.

Below, you will find everything you need to know so that you are ready for kickoff.

Penn State-Arkansas start time and TV info

Kickoff is officially set for 12:05 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium. It is home to the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, of course.

ESPN2 will televise the contest. Dave Flemming and Rod Gilmore have the call from the booth. Stormy Buonantony is the sideline reporter.

The Penn State Sports Network will have the radio stream with Steve Jones, Jack Ham, and Brian Tripp. It can be found on affiliates across Pennsylvania, at GoPSUsports.com, and on Sirius/XM/Internet channels 83/372/962.

What’s the spead?

Per VegasInsider, Arkansas is a 1.5-point favorite as of late Friday night. That’s a flip-flop from when Penn State was a 1.5-point favorite for the game in early December.

As for the over/under, the current consensus total is 48.

Tale of the coaching tape

James Franklin is James Franklin is 67-33 at Penn State and 91-48 during his time as a head coach. He lost to Arkansas 31-28 while at Vanderbilt back in 2011.

Sam Pittman is 11-11 over two seasons at Arkansas. He has never been a head coach opposite Penn State.

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Penn State stat leaders

Note: Only players who are expected to play are included.

Passing: Sean Clifford has completed 247 of 396 passes (62.37%) for 2,912 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions.

Rushing: Keyvone Lee has 495 yards on 104 carries through 12 games and two touchdowns.

Receiving: Parker Washington has 57 catches for 722 yards and four touchdowns. He leads all active receivers in all three categories.

Defense: Middle linebacker Ellis Brooks is first with 100 tackles. Linebacker Curtis Jacobs has two sacks. End Jesse Luketa has 7.5 tackles for loss. Safety Ji’Ayir Brown leads with four interceptions.

Special teams: Jordan Stout is 16 for 23 on field goal tries, has boomed 56 of 62 kickoffs for touchbacks, and averages 46.55 yards per punt, nearly half of which have landed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

Arkansas stat leaders

Note: Only players who are expected to play are included.

Passing: Quarterback KJ Jefferson has completed 184 of 275 passes (66.9 percent) for 2,578 yards. He has a 21-to-3 touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio.

Rushing: Running back Trelon Smith has carried 117 times for 592 yards. He leads in that category, but Dominique Johnson has a team-high seven rushing touchdowns.

Receiving: Tyson Morris has 21 catches for 305 yards and two touchdowns.

Defense: Linebacker Bumper Pool has a team-high 120 tackles, and position mate Hayden Henry has 10.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, respectively. Corner Montaric Brown has five interceptions.

Special teams: Reid Bauer averages 43.2 yards per punt. Cam Little is 19 of 23 on field goal tries.

Penn State-Arkansas staff picks

Nate Bauer: Arkansas 27, Penn State 24

Greg Pickel: Arkansas 34, Penn State 24

David Eckert: Arkansas 30, Penn State 21

Matt Herb: Arkansas 31, Penn State 21

Ryan Snyder: Arkansas 28, Penn State 21

Today’s other games of note

We’ll be keeping an eye on these games throughout the day (all times eastern):

Oklahoma vs. Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl: 1 p.m.

Iowa vs. Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl: 1 p.m.

Utah vs. Ohio State in the Rose Bowl: 5 p.m.

Baylor vs. Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl: 8:45 p.m.