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Capital One Bowl pits Penn State against LSU

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01/01/2010 - Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 11th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions are set to tangle with the 13th-ranked LSU Tigers in the Capital One Bowl from Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando.

The Nittany Lions were beaten by USC in last year's Rose Bowl. They had BCS aspirations entering this season, but those hopes were squashed when Ohio State handed the Nittany Lions their second loss of the season in early- November. Penn State has not beaten a ranked opponent all year, and the players have pointed to that as one of the motivating factors in this matchup.

"Well, there's a lot being said about us not being able to win the big game or something like that," Penn State senior quarterback Darryll Clark said at media day. "We've asked for a big game and we've asked for a worthy opponent, a really good opponent and we found one in LSU."

Clark won't find anyone to argue that point as LSU has won its last four bowl games, including the BCS National Championship two seasons ago. The Tigers are returning to the Capital One Bowl for the first time since a last-second loss to Iowa in 2005. However, this year's squad has stumbled through its past four games, with two losses and a pair of narrow victories over Louisiana Tech and Arkansas. Still, the Tigers finished second in the SEC's Western Division and have been ranked in the Top-25 all season, even as high as No. 4 at one point.

"I know our players wanted to play in the best bowl, against a quality opponent in the greatest bowl destination and Orlando was the pick," LSU head coach Les Miles said upon learning of his opponent. "Anytime the Big Ten and the SEC get together it is an exciting game."

LSU and Penn State have faced each other only one other time, with that meeting in the 1974 Orange Bowl going to the Nittany Lions in a 16-9 final.

Behind running backs Evan Royster and Stephfon Green, Penn State has no problem playing a smashmouth-style of football. Royster rushed for 1,128 yards this season and averaged 5.9 yards per carry, while the speedster Green provides an effective change of pace when called upon. Then again, having eclipsed 500 total yards on four occasions this season, the Nittany Lions can also hold their own in a shootout. Clark has been Penn State's unquestioned offensive leader over the past two seasons. He enters this matchup as the Big Ten leader in passing efficiency and has thrown a school-record 23 touchdown passes on the year. One of the reasons Clark has felt so comfortable in the pocket is because of left tackle Dennis Landolt. Before the season, Landolt switched from right tackle to left in order to protect Clark's blind side, and the transition was seamless, as Landolt was named a First Team All-Big Ten selection. Landolt and the rest of the offensive line is tied for second in the conference in fewest sacks allowed.

Once again, the Nittany Lions boast one of the nation's elite defensive units, as they rank fourth in the country in scoring defense (11.83 ppg) and eighth in total defense (277.08 ypg). Senior defensive tackle Jared Odrick is a three-time All-American and an absolute force in the trenches. Despite facing constant double teams, Odrick made enough of an impact to garner 2009 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors after notching six sacks, 10 tackles for loss and a blocked field goal. All-American linebacker Navarro Bowman helped the Nittany Lions finish strong and was the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Week for each of the final two weeks. Despite missing nearly three full games to injury early in the season, Bowman still managed to lead the team with 15.5 TFLs, and his per-game average (1.55) ranks second nationally. He is flanked by fellow standout linebacker Sean Lee, who recorded 80 tackles (10.5 TFL) and seven pass break-ups during the regular season.

LSU enters the game with the nation's 108th-ranked offense, averaging a mere 309.7 ypg. But don't be fooled, this unit has a propensity for making plays when needed. Senior wideout Brandon LaFell is a solid red-zone target for sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson. LaFell caught 10 touchdown passes on the season and finished with 705 yards on 52 receptions. His 24 career touchdown grabs are two shy of Dwayne Bowe's school record. Jefferson has had a promising first season as the full-time starter under center. He is completing 62.1 percent of his passes and has thrown 16 touchdowns with only six interceptions. The passing game features mostly short and intermediate routes, as Jefferson averages only 178.5 passing yards per game. All-SEC First Teamer Ciron Black is a road-grader on the offensive line, although the Tigers rank 11th in the SEC in rushing offense (129.6 ypg).

Defensively, LSU is a lot like Penn State. The Tigers rank 12th in the nation in scoring defense (16.0 ppg) despite playing the likes of Georgia, Florida and Auburn. All-SEC cornerback Patrick Peterson had 15 passes defended this season, which ranked third in the league. Recognized as one of the nation's elite cover guys, Peterson often makes opposing quarterbacks think twice before throwing his way. He is complemented in the secondary by junior safety Chad Jones, a Second Team All-SEC pick who registered 66 tackles, three interceptions and long punt return touchdown against Mississippi State. Junior linebacker Kelvin Sheppard leads the team with 103 tackles, which ranks fourth in the SEC. Senior linebacker Perry Riley is next in line with 92 tackles.

Under Les Miles, LSU has gone 4-0 in bowl games and will be making its fifth straight bowl appearance, two of those being BCS bowls. Meanwhile, Penn State is playing in its fourth New Year's bowl game in the last five years. Obviously, these two programs have been among the nation's elite over the latter part of the decade, and now they'll finally get to square off against one another. One of the many storylines here will be how well the Nittany Lions respond to a long layoff, as they haven't played since November 21st.

"That's the problem you have when you go to a bowl game nowadays when you're a Big Ten team," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said at media day. "Everybody else has played a couple of games (more recently)."