Bowl Notes: Penn State vs. Clemson – Penn State

BRONX, NY – Penn State is scheduled to face Clemson in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday, December 27 at Yankee Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon on ABC.

HISTORY OF THE SERIES: Penn State meets Clemson for the second time in program history, having met in the 1988 Citrus Bowl. The Tigers won 35-10 in that bowl game. Penn State’s Matt Knizner threw for 148 yards and a touchdown, connecting on a 39-yard pass to Mike Alexander. Leroy Thompson and Gary Brown combined for 106 rushing yards.

DYNAMIC DUO: Kaytron Allen, a first-team All-Big Ten selection, continued his strong 2025 campaign with 226 rushing yards and a touchdown at Rutgers, posting the 12th most rushing yards in a game in program history and the most since Larry Johnson’s 279 against Michigan State in 2002. Allen had runs of 55, 43 and 50 yards while becoming the 23rd player in Big Ten history in reaching the 4,000 career rushing yard mark. Allen now ranks 18th among Big Ten laurels with 4,180 career rushing yards, while being third all-time at Penn State in rushing touchdowns (39) and total touchdowns (43). Nicholas Singleton became Penn State’s career leader in rushing touchdowns (45), total touchdowns (55) and all-purpose yards (5,586), edging out Saquon Barkley in all three categories. Singleton is tied for 7th in Big Ten history in total touchdowns, 10th in rushing touchdowns and 12th in all-purpose yards.

CAMPBELL AND DENNIS-SUTTON HIGHLIGHT BIG TEN DEFENSIVE HONORS: Junior LB Amare Campbell and senior DE Dani Dennis-Sutton earned third-team All-Big Ten selections. Campbell leads the Nittany Lions with 96 tackles this season, including 9.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He is the only player in the Big Ten with 90+ tackles and 9.5+ tackles for loss this season. He had a 61-yard fumble return for a touchdown to go ahead at Rutgers. Dennis-Sutton recorded 38 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and three blocked punts this season. He is tied for fifth all-time at PSU with seven forced fumbles and eighth with 21.5 sacks, while being tied for the PSU season blocked punt record.

OPPOSITESITION: Clemson is 7-5 this season, including a 4-4 mark in ACC play. The Tigers finished the regular season with a 28-14 victory over South Carolina. Cade Klubnik threw for 268 yards, including 101 yards to TJ Moore, and scored on a 3-yard run. On the ground, Adam Randall gained 102 yards and scored a 10-yard touchdown. Clemson held South Carolina to 41 rushing yards and forced four outs.

IN NUMBERS

4,180 – With 4,180 career rushing yards, Kaytron Allen became 23rd All-Big Ten player to reach 4,000 career rushing yards.

69.4 – At 69.4 percent, Ethan Grunkemeyer has the best single-season completion percentage at Penn State (min. 100 attempts).

45/55 – Nicholas Singleton surpassed Saquon Barkley for career rushing touchdowns and total touchdown records at PSU.

13+ – Kaytron Allen (15 years old) and Nicholas Singleton (13 years old) are the first Big Ten teammates with 13+ rushing touchdowns in one season since 2012 (Ohio State).

PENN STATE EARNS 57TH LATE-SEASON APPEARANCE

• Penn State is making its 57th postseason appearance, including bowl and CFP appearances, tied for eighth all-time.
• Penn State’s 33 postseason victories (bowl and CFP) are fourth nationally and lead all Big Ten schools.
• The Nittany Lions’ 60.7 winning percentage in playoff games (bowl and CFP, 33-21-2 record) ranks 8th nationally among teams with at least 20 bowl appearances.
• Penn State has played in 16 different bowl games and played in each of the six New Year’s Eve bowls.
• Penn State made its first postseason appearance in 1923 when it traveled cross-country to face USC in the Rose Bowl Game to close the 1922 season.

PENN STATE IN PINSTRIPE BOWL

• Penn State has played one previous game in the Pinstripe Bowl, earning a 31-30 overtime victory in a thrilling game against Boston College in 2014.
• Trailing 21-14 early in the fourth quarter, the Nittany Lions tied the game with 6:48 remaining on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Christian Hackenberg to DaeSean Hamilton.
• Boston College regained the lead with 2:10 left on a 20-yard field goal. However, the Nittany Lions responded when Sam Ficken kicked a 45-yard field goal with 20 seconds left.
• In overtime, the Eagles scored a touchdown on their possession on a 21-yard pass from Tyler Murphy to David Dudeck, but missed the extra point attempt.
• On their possession, the Nittany Lions found the end zone on a 10-yard strike from Hackenberg to Kyle Carter before Ficken hit the game-winning extra point.
• The Nittany Lions gained 453 total yards, including Hackenberg’s 371 passing yards on 34-of-50 attempts.
• Chris Godwin caught seven passes for 140 yards, including a 72-yard score. Eugene Lewis added seven catches for 82 yards and Hamilton had seven catches for 51 yards.
• Penn State defensive line coach Deion Barnesdefensive graduate assistant Jordan Lucas and Director of Performance Science Andrew Nelson all played in the 2014 Pinstripe Bowl.

HISTORY OF BOL/CFP VS. ACC

• Penn State is 5-3-2 in 10 previous bowl/CFP games against current ACC teams, including a game against Clemson (L, Citrus Bowl 1988).
• The Nittany Lions earned a 38-10 victory over SMU in the first round of the 2025 College Football Playoff to move to 1-0-1 in playoff games against the Mustangs. The teams also met in the 1948 Cotton Bowl (T, 13-13).
• Penn State has met Florida State in three bowl games, the 1962 Gator Bowl (T, 17-17), the 1990 Blockbuster Bowl (L, 17-24), and the 2006 Orange Bowl (W, 26-23, 3 OT).
• The Nittany Lions played in one bowl each against Boston College (W, 2014 Pinstripe Bowl), Georgia Tech (W, 1961 Gator Bowl), Miami (W, 1987 Fiesta Bowl), and Stanford (L, 1993 Blockbuster Bowl).

PENN STATE VS. CLEMSON

• Penn State and Clemson are set to face off for the second time in program history.
• The Tigers earned a 35-10 victory over the Nittany Lions in the 1988 Citrus Bowl.
• Clemson ran for 285 yards and quarterback Danny Williams threw for 214 in this game.
• The Nittany Lions, playing without leader Blair Thomas, sidelined by injury, totaled 305 yards.
• Freshman running backs Leroy Thompson and Gary Brown combined for 106 yards.
• Matt Knizner threw for 148 yards, including a 39-yard strike to Mike Alexander.
• Linebacker Trey Bauer was PSU’s defensive MVP with six tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack.

AMONG THE BEST PROGRAMS SINCE 2016

• Penn State and Clemson have been among the most accomplished teams in college football since 2016.
• The Nittany Lions own 93 wins since 2016, ranking ninth among FBS teams, while Clemson has 112 wins, ranking fourth.
• Penn State has a winning percentage of .721, ranking 10th in the FBS, while Clemson has a winning percentage of .818, good for fourth place.
• In home games, Penn State has a 56-13 record and a .817 winning percentage, good for 11th among Power 4 schools, while Clemson has a 59-9 record and a .868 winning percentage, ranking sixth.
• Penn State has played in eight New Year’s Six/CFP games since 2016 with a 5-3 record and Clemson has played in 10 with a 5-5 mark.