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Penn State hopes for less bowl drama vs. Tennessee

Jan 1, 2007 - 2:55 PM No. 17 Tennessee (9-3) at Penn St (8-4) January 1 Outback Bowl 11:00 am EST

TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- Penn State coach Joe Paterno hopes the Nittany Lions will not need three overtimes to win their bowl game this season.

Paterno's squad faces No. 17 Tennessee in the Outback Bowl on Monday.

Last season, the Nittany Lions won the Big Ten Conference and faced Florida State in the Orange Bowl. In a wild contest that included several missed kicks, Penn State posted a 26-23 win over the Seminoles, who are coached by the only man with more wins than Paterno, Bobby Bowden.

Led by senior quarterback Michael Robinson, last season's Penn State team went 11-1, but junior Anthony Morelli struggled at times in 2006 as the Nittany Lions absorbed four losses in 12 regular-season games.

Penn State, which went 5-3 to finish fourth in the Big Ten, won four of its final five games.

Paced by junior signal-caller Erik Ainge and star wideout Robert Meachem, Tennessee (9-3) went 5-3 in the rugged Southeastern Conference, placing second in the East Division.

The series is tied at two victories apiece. Tennessee won meetings in 1971 and 1972, but Penn State countered with triumphs in the 1992 Fiesta Bowl and the 1994 Florida Citrus Bowl.

Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer is 7-6 in bowl games, tied with Johnny Majors (7-4) for the most postseason wins in school history.