The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Houston Cougars are set to meet in the 2012 TicketCity Bowl. The Cougars are coming off a disappointing loss in the Conference USA title game to Southern Miss, which also ruined their chance at a perfect season. "It was in our grasp," said quarterback Case Keenum, "and we let it slip away." The Cougars will bring their top ranked offense against one of the better defenses in the NCAA. Houston averages over 50 points a game and 599 yards of total offense per game. The Cougars will also be looking to send head coach Kevin Sumlin out on a victory, as he gets set to take the head coaching position at Texas A&M and will not be coaching the team in the Bowl game.
Penn State on the other hand is just trying to get the 2011 season over with so they can put behind them a scandal ridden year. In the wake of Jerry Sandusky and a plethora of other problems which ultimately led to the firing of legendary head coach Joe Paterno, the Lions will bring a struggling offense and an excellent defense to try and knock off the Cougars. The Nittany Lions average just 19.8 points per game, which won't be enough to keep up with the Cougars, even with a defense that only gives up 15.7 points per game on average.
Game date, time: 12:00 p.m. ET, Saturday, January 2nd
Location: Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX
TV channel: ESPNU/ESPN3
Odds: Houston favored by 7 points
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