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Penn State arrives in Phoenix for its CFP quarterfinal at the Fiesta Bowl following travel delay

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•12/28/24•

GregPickel

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Penn State Nittany Lion mascot. (Credit: Steve Manuel | Blue White Illustrated)

PHOENIX — Penn State has officially arrived for the Fiesta Bowl. The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions were to touch down here during the first half of the 6 p.m. MT/8 p.m. ET hour on Saturday. Instead, a delayed departure from Harrisburg International Airport meant the team didn’t leave the east coast until 5:05 p.m. ET rather than leaving at 3 p.m. ET as planned. It eventually made it to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport at around 7:45 p.m. MT/9:45 p.m. ET, which is about 60 minutes later than expected. So, some time was made up in the air, at least. Hours earlier, three-seed Boise State had the opposite experience. It got into town about 40 minutes early at approximately 3 p.m. MT/6 p.m. ET. Both teams have a busy few days ahead before kickoff.


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The Penn State plan is set

Now that Penn State is here, it will continue to prepare for the Fiesta Bowl. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN Tuesday, Dec. 31. The Lions were on the practice field in State College earlier today for taking to the air. They will practice again tomorrow afternoon after holding a media day session earlier in the morning at the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn. After all that, the players will have fulfilled their media obligations. Head coach James Franklin will meet with the media during a joint news conference with Boise State’s Spencer Danielson on Monday. Then, the talking time is over until after the game concludes.

“It’s not like we’re going to be – as you guys know, this isn’t like the normal bowl games anymore,” Franklin said this week. “This is the playoffs, and the (quarterfinal) round of playoffs. We’re still obviously under the bowl  umbrella and very appreciative of the Fiesta Bowl. But this is not like when we would come there and  do different activities. We are there to play a game.

“I know the Fiesta Bowl is going to do some phenomenal things and treat us in a first-class manner,  because that’s just how they operate and that’s what they do. But for us, this is about coming out there  and getting our team ready to play a really good Boise team, and represent the Big Ten and represent  Penn State University and our alumni and our lettermen and our entire community the right way.”

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