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By Neil Rudel
nrudel@altoonamirror.com
TAMPA -- The Outback Bowl represents a matchup in contrasts on several fronts.
Arkansas is in the second year of a rebuild under Sam Pittman, who made his mark with offensive line tutelage at multiple stops. The No. 22 Razorbacks broke a 20-game losing streak in the Southeastern Conference last year and rose to the Top 10 this season before finishing 8-4.
A trip to the Outback marks a reward for that progress, and Pittman said: "We lobbied for it. We wanted to come here. We wanted to play on New Year's Day. It's a big deal for us, for our program."
Penn State, meanwhile, is in a two-year skid of 11-10 after going to three New Year's 6 bowls in four seasons (2016-19).
And despite losing five of their last seven games this year, the losses havenÌt stopped as six Nittany Lion seniors are skipping this game (noon, ESPN2) to concentrate on the NFL Draft.
Among them is star receiver Jahan Dotson. Arkansas' top wideout, Treylon Burks, is also sitting out this game, but the rest of the Hogs' lineup is intact.
"It's going to take a lot of people to replace one Burks," Pittman said. "The great thing about that is we knew before we ever started bowl practice that he was not going to play in the bowl, so that's allowed us these four weeks to prepare."
While Penn State struggled with its running game all year, averaging just 107 yards per game and finishing 13th in the Big Ten and No. 113 in the country (out of 130), the Hogs (217 per game) finished No. 2 in the SEC and No. 13 in the country.
"I think it's obvious that they want to run the ball, obviously having a head coach who has an offensive line background," James Franklin said. "Those guys usually pride themselves with that. I think his personality and identity shows up on the offensive side of the ball."
Running back Treion Smith led Arkansas with 592 yards on the ground while quarterback K.J. Jefferson III, a three-year starter, added 554.
"We're expecting them to run that 245-pound quarterback a bunch," Franklin said. "We got to be prepared for that."
The Hogs had four backs rush for 498 yards or more. Penn State's top rusher was Keyvone Lee with 495.
"We're always looking to inject more juice in the running game," Lion offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said.
Penn State's offensive line remains a work in progress. Offensive tackle Rasheed Walker is out with an injury and will be replaced by freshman Olu Fashanu, a 6-foot-6, 313-pounder.
"He's got all of the strength in the world, and he's athletic enough to be productive for us," Yurcich said. "I think it's important that he play well. He has to get confident and he has to trust himself. I think that's a big key, and get into the flow of the game."
As Yurcich and offensive line coach Phil Trautwein sought answers, Juice Scruggs got time at center and true freshman Landon Tengwall was an option at tackle.
Quarterback Sean Clifford said Thursday his body has healed from the injuries suffered during the season, including the game-changer at Iowa when Clifford was decked in the second half and felt the effects for several games thereafter.
"Playing in the Big Ten, you're going to take hits," Clifford said. "You've got a month off, and the rest is huge."
Yurcich didn't need to be reminded that the defensive absences of safety Jaquan Brisker, linemen Arnold Ebiketie and Derrick Tangelo and linebackers Ellis Brooks and Brandon Smith -- plus coordinator Brent Pry, who left to become Virginia Tech's head coach -- mean the team will need more from the offense.
"Some things go without saying," he said. "I think we understand. Adversity is an opportunity and this is a great challenge for us."