Penn State headed to Alamo Bowl

By John McMullen
The Phanatic Magazine

Penn State University has accepted an invitation to the 2007 Alamo Bowl.

The Nittany Lions will face a Big 12 Conference opponent -- likely Texas A&M or Texas Tech -- to be announced on Sunday evening.

The Alamo Bowl will be Joe Paterno's 500th game as head coach of the Nittany Lions and Penn State's second appearance in the San Antonio, Texas based-bowl.

The Nittany Lions whitewashed Texas A&M, 24-0, in the 1999 Alamo Bowl.

"We're delighted to have the opportunity to return to the Alamo Bowl," said Penn State athletic director Tim Curley. "Everyone from Penn State had a wonderful experience during our previous trip to San Antonio. The hospitality extended to our team and fans was outstanding. This will provide a chance for some of our alumni in the Southwest to see our team play in person. The Alamo Bowl has been a great partner with the Big Ten and all the Conference schools and we're excited about returning to San Antonio."

The Nittany Lions will be making their 34th post-season trip under Paterno, who is the all-time leader in bowl wins (22-10-1) and appearances.

"We are looking forward to playing in the Alamo Bowl and meeting a very good team from the Big 12 Conference," said Paterno. "This team has worked hard all season and has been a great group to work with. I'm happy for the squad that their efforts will be rewarded with an opportunity to go to San Antonio, where we had a great experience the last time, and be involved in a good, tough game."