The 2011 Outback Bowl, a
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
bowl game, matched the
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...
of the
Southeastern Conference (SEC) against the
Penn State Nittany Lions of the
Big Ten. The 25th edition of the
Outback Bowl, it was played at
Raymond James Stadium in
Tampa, Florida. The game kicked off at 1 p.m.
EST on January 1, 2011, and was telecast on
ABC. The Florida Gators won with a final score of 37–24.
Teams
Florida
The Gators also entered the bowl with an identical 7–5 record to their opponents. This was set to be head coach
Urban Meyer's final game at Florida as he retired for health reasons. The offense especially sputtered toward season's end, turning the ball over six times and averaging 251.0 yards in Florida's last two games against FBS opponents, losses to
South Carolina and
Florida State by a combined 67–21. Florida was without starters cornerback
Janoris Jenkins (right shoulder), right tackle
Maurice Hurt (right knee), defensive tackles Lawrence Marsh (right hip) and Terron Sanders (right shoulder) who had surgeries.
Penn State
The Nittany Lions entered the contest with a 7–5 record in coach
Joe Paterno's 45th year at the helm. Paterno looked to add to his record 24 postseason victories. Penn State, finished ninth in the Big Ten in points per game (24.6). Freshman
Rob Bolden threw five touchdowns in seven games before being replaced by sophomore
Matt McGloin, who tossed 13 TDs the rest of the way. The Nittany Lions had played in three previous Outback Bowls having won all of them. They attempted to be the first team in bowl history with 4 Outback Bowl victories.
Game Notes
This was the third time that the two squads have met in school history. Florida currently leads the matchup 3–0. Both prior meetings were also in bowl games, the 1962
Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, operated by Gator Bowl Sports. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised natio ...
and the 1998
Citrus Bowl
The Citrus Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group that also organizes the Cheez-It Bowl and Florida Classic.
The gam ...
. The game drew a national television rating of 7.1, the fourth highest among all 2010/2011 Bowl Games.
Game summary
Scoring summary
First Quarter
* 9:08 PSU TD Matt McGloin passed to
Derek Moye
Derek Robert Moye (born August 12, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. After playing college football for Penn State, he was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2012.
Early years
Moye attended Rochester Ar ...
to the left for 5-yard gain (Collin Wagner made PAT) 7–0 PSU
Second Quarter
* 13:00 FLA TD Omarius Hines rushed to the left for 16-yard gain (
Chas Henry
Chas Henry (born January 6, 1989) is a former American football punter. Henry played college football for the University of Florida, earned consensus All-American honors, and was recognized as the best college punter as a senior. He was sig ...
made PAT) 7–7 tied
* 6:58 FLA TD Florida blocked punt attempt by
Anthony Fera
Anthony Fera (born June 18, 1991) is an American football placekicker and punter who is currently a free agent.
Playing career
Hailing from Cypress, Texas, Fera attended St. Pius X High School. Fera later attended Penn State, redshirting i ...
. Lerentee McCray returned for 27 yards (Chas Henry made PAT) 14–7 FLA
* 4:15 PSU TD Michael Zordich rushed up the middle for 1-yard gain (Collin Wagner made PAT) 14–14 tied
* 0:49 PSU FG Collin Wagner kicked a 20-yard field goal 17–14 PSU
Third Quarter
* 9:13 FLA FG Chas Henry kicked a 30-yard field goal 17–17 tied
* 4:50 PSU TD Matthew McGloin rushed to the right for 2-yard gain (Collin Wagner made PAT) 24–17 PSU
* 2:50 FLA FG Chas Henry kicked a 47-yard field goal 24–20 PSU
Fourth Quarter
* 13:10 FLA TD Mike Gillislee rushed to the left for 1-yard gain (Chas Henry made PAT) 27–24 FLA
* 7:36 FLA FG Chas Henry kicked a 20-yard field goal 30–24 FLA
* 1:11 FLA TD
Ahmad Black intercepted Matthew McGloin for 80 yards (Chas Henry made PAT) 37–24 FLA
Statistics
Florida
*QB Jordan Reed, 8/13, 60 yds, 24 rush, 68 yds
*QB
John Brantley, 6/13, 41 yds, 1 Int
*RB Mike Gillislee, 4 rush, 10 yds, 1 TD
*WR
Chris Rainey
Christopher Rainey (born March 2, 1988) is an American professional football running back and kick returner who is a free agent. He played college football for the University of Florida, and was a member of Florida's BCS National Championshi ...
, 6 rush, 66 yds, 3 rec, 18 yds
*WR Omarius Hines, 2 rush, 31 yds, 1 TD, 2 rec, 27 yds
*S Ahmad Black, 2 Int, 129 yds, 1 TD
Penn State
*QB Matthew McGloin, 17/41, 211 yds, 2 TD (1 passing, 1 rushing), 5 Int
*RB
Evan Royster, 20 rush, 98 yds, 4 rec, 51 yds
*FB Michael Zordich, 3 rush, 5 yds, 1 TD
*WR Derek Moye, 5 rec, 79 yds, 1 TD
References
{{College bowl games on ABC
ReliaQuest Bowl
Outback Bowl
Outback Bowl
21st century in Tampa, Florida
Florida Gators football bowl games
Penn State Nittany Lions football bowl games
January 2011 sports events in the United States