2007 Alamo Bowl

August 2023 May 2026 2007 Valero Alamo Bowl 2007 Penn State Nittany Lions Pennsylvania State University Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M University 8–4 Big Ten 7–5 Big 12 Joe Paterno Gary Darnell (interim) 0 17 7 0 14 0 3 0 December 29 Alamodome San Antonio, Texas Offense: Rodney KinlawDefense: Sean Leehttp://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/big12/stories/MYSA123007_ABbreakdown.en.660f3e3f.html MySA.com: Big 12 Mysanantonio.com 2008-10-27 https://web.archive.org/web/20080131231001/http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/big12/stories/MYSA123007_ABbreakdown.en.660f3e3f.html January 31, 2008 dead Penn State by 5½http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=750671 Rivals.com Bowl Viewer's Guide Fox, David 2007-12-17 2007-12-13 Rivals.com https://web.archive.org/web/20071215170107/http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=750671 15 December 2007 dead R. G. Detillier (C-USA) Aggie Band and Blue Band 66,166https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/sports/ncaafootball/30alamo.html?ref=sports Paterno Has Last Laugh Against Texas A&M - New York Times Nytimes.com Thayer Evans December 30, 2007 2008-10-27 ESPN List of announcers of major college bowl games Chris Fowler, Doug Flutie, Craig James, and Erin Andrews 2.7 The 2007 Valero Alamo Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 29, 2007, in the 65,000-seat Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, and nationally televised by ESPN. The game was one of the 2007–08 NCAA football bowl games that concluded the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the 15th Alamo Bowl and the first Alamo Bowl sponsored by the Valero Energy Corporation. The game featured the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Texas A&M Aggies, who were both unranked in the national polls. The two teams had met once in the Alamo Bowl in 1999, when Penn State shutout Texas A&M 24–0. The Aggies were coached by interim head coach Gary Darnell, who had taken over after Dennis Franchione resigned, and the Nittany Lions were coached by Hall of Famer Joe Paterno, who marked the 2007 Alamo Bowl as the 500th game of his head coaching career. Leading into the game This was the Aggies' 30th bowl appearance, and their third in the Alamo Bowl. In their first Alamo Bowl game in 1995, the 19th-ranked Aggies defeated the 14th-ranked Michigan Wolverines 22–20. In their second appearance in 1999, 13th-ranked Penn State defeated the 18th-ranked Aggies 24–0. Both the 1995 and 1999 games are two of the five in Alamo Bowl history that attracted sellout crowds, with the 1999 game having the second largest crowd.http://www.alamobowl.com/pdf/mg06_1-of-3.pdf 2006Alamo Bowl Media Guide 1–22 The San Antonio Bowl Association 2007-12-02 https://web.archive.org/web/20071031084227/http://www.alamobowl.com/pdf/mg06_1-of-3.pdf 2007-10-31 One day after Texas A&M head coach Dennis Franchione resigned after the Aggies' last regular season matchup against the Texas Longhorns on November 23, 2007, A&M athletic director Bill Byrne announced defensive coordinator Gary Darnell would coach the Aggies' bowl game as the interim head coach.http://www.aggieathletics.com/pressRelease.php?SID=&PRID=13659 https://archive.today/20070813183209/http://www.aggieathletics.com/pressRelease.php?SID=&PRID=13659 dead 2007-08-13 Darnell Named Interim Head Football Coach Texas A&M Athletics 2007-11-24 2007-11-24 Two days later, Byrne hired Houston Texans offensive coordinator and former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Sherman.http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stories/112607aat.html https://web.archive.org/web/20071206072520/http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stories/112607aat.html dead December 6, 2007 Texas A&M hires Sherman to replace Franchione Duncan, Chris 2007-11-26 2017-09-05 CSTV Associated Press Texas A&M officially accepted the invitation to play in the Alamo Bowl on December 2, 2007, against the Penn State Nittany Lions,http://www.aggieathletics.com/pressRelease.php?SID=&PRID=13686 Texas A&M Accepts Valero Alamo Bowl Bid Texas A&M Athletics 2007-12-02 2007-12-02 https://web.archive.org/web/20071214151721/http://www.aggieathletics.com/pressRelease.php?SID=&PRID=13686 December 14, 2007 dead who accepted their invitation two days earlier on November 30.https://www.philly.com/philly/hp/sports/20071201_Penn_State_picked_to_play_in_Alamo_Bowl.html Penn State picked to play in Alamo Bowl Philadelphia Daily News 2007-12-12 2007-12-01 This was the Nittany Lions' 40th bowl appearance, and their second in the Alamo Bowl.http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigten/penn_state/bowl_history.php Penn State Bowl History College Football Data Warehouse 2007-12-12 https://web.archive.org/web/20071109231136/http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/bigten/penn_state/bowl_history.php 9 November 2007 dead The 2007 Nittany Lions, who finished 8–4 in their regular season, are led by 42nd-year head coach Joe Paterno, a 2007 College Football Hall of Fame inductee. With a 22–10–1 bowl game record, Paterno is the all-time winningest leader in bowl victories and appearances. He also holds the record for the most undefeated FBS seasons than any other coach in college football history. The 2007 Alamo Bowl marked Paterno's 34th bowl game appearance and 500th game as Penn State head coach. Prior to the game, among 119 Division I-A teams, the Aggies' rushing offense ranked 13th, and their overall offense ranked 54th. Their total defense ranked 83rd, with a rushing defense ranked 57th and a passing defense ranked 104th.http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/2007/Internet/ranking_summary/2007000000697.HTML Texas A&M ( 7 - 5 - 0 ) Thru: 12/08/07 NCAA 2007-12-12 2007-12-08 On the other hand, the Nittany Lions have an overall offense ranked 56th, with a 44th-ranked scoring offense. Their overall defense ranked 9th in the nation, with a 6th-ranked rushing defense and an 8th-ranked scoring defense. The defense also ranks 2nd in sacks forced.http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/2007/Internet/ranking_summary/2007000000539.HTML Penn St. ( 8 - 4 - 0 ) Thru: 12/08/07 NCAA 2007-12-12 2007-12-08 During the week of the game, Las Vegas casinos predicted Penn State to win by 5.5 points.http://www.vegas.com/gaming/sportsline_ncaaf.html Gambling - NCAA football Vegas.com Vegas.com, LLC 2007-12-23 2007-12-23 https://web.archive.org/web/20071223085358/http://www.vegas.com/gaming/sportsline_ncaaf.html 23 December 2007 live A Sunday News sports writer of the Lancaster Newspapers predicted Penn State to win 23–13.http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/214147 https://archive.today/20120711123616/http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/214147 dead 2012-07-11 Lions seek fond farewell Lancaster Newspapers 2007-12-23 2007-12-23 Gross, Mike College Football News predicted a 34–20 victory for Penn State,http://cfn.scout.com/2/711267.html 2007 Alamo Bowl - Penn State vs. Texas A&M Scout.com 2007-12-23 2007-12-20 https://web.archive.org/web/20071225131141/http://cfn.scout.com/2/711267.html 2007-12-25 dead while WhatIfSports.com simulated the game 1,001 times and predicted Penn State to win 29–17.http://www.whatifsports.com/beyondtheboxscore/default.asp?article=20071207 Whatifsports.com Bowl Predictions Whatifsports.com 2007-12-23 2007-12-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20080420184356/http://www.whatifsports.com/beyondtheboxscore/default.asp?article=20071207 2008-04-20 dead On December 27, 2007, two nights before the game, a Texas A&M yell leader made a controversial joke about Joe Paterno at a joint pep rally on the River Walk. The yell leader screamed "Joe Paterno's on his death bed! And someone needs to find him a casket!" on a microphone to an audience consisting of both Penn State and Texas A&M fans. Penn State fans became stunned at his remark and subsequently booed him. A&M officials apologized to Penn State officials and sent the yell leader home.http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/colleges/texasam/stories/122807dnspoamside.5bf3b706.html Texas A&M red-faced over Yell Leader's comments Dallas Morning News 2007-12-28 2007-12-28 Davis, Brian https://web.archive.org/web/20071231143934/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/colleges/texasam/stories/122807dnspoamside.5bf3b706.html December 31, 2007 deadZwerneman, Brent 2007-12-28 Aggies Mailbag: A&M's Paterno 'deathbed' crack unwarranted http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA122807.aggies-mailbag.en.5b9a519f.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080118185207/http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA122807.aggies-mailbag.en.5b9a519f.html January 18, 2008 2007-12-28 San Antonio Express-News [online-only?] Paterno responded by saying: "I think everybody has to take things with a grain of salt. ... Some young guy went up there, trying to be funny. Maybe he's accurate, I don't know."https://www.espn.com/college-football/bowls07/news/story?id=3170814 Texas A&M red-faced over 'casket' comment at pep rally ESPN Associated Press 2007-12-28 2007-12-28 https://web.archive.org/web/20071231052951/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls07/news/story?id=3170814 31 December 2007 live Paterno also expressed his indifference toward the comments, adding "Sticks and stones will break your bones but names will never hurt you."http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07363/845304-143.stm Penn State Notebook: Paterno not too rankled by remarks Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2007-12-28 2007-12-28 Musselman, Ron https://web.archive.org/web/20071230110056/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07363/845304-143.stm 30 December 2007 dead Game summary Though the game attracted the largest audience in both stadium and bowl history,http://www.alamobowl.com/media/pressrelease.php?uid=163 2007 Valero Alamo Bowl Attendance Largest in Alamodome History The San Antonio Bowl Association, Inc. 2008-01-04 2007-12-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20080113031459/http://alamobowl.com/media/pressrelease.php?uid=163 January 13, 2008 dead it only averaged a 2.7 television rating, the lowest for the bowl since the first game in 1993 and a 55 percent drop from the 2006 Alamo Bowl's record-breaking rating of 6.0. The last regular season matchup between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants — which was broadcast around the same time as the 2007 Alamo Bowl — explains this anomaly, as the NFL game was broadcast on two television networks and attracted a total of 34.5 million viewers, the most for a regular season NFL game in more than 12 years.Griffin Tim January 3–4, 2008 (Big 12 Football): Ratings for Alamo Bowl drop 55 percent http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/big12/stories/MYSA010408.alamoratings.en.23c4866.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080118051355/http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/big12/stories/MYSA010408.alamoratings.en.23c4866.html January 18, 2008 2008-01-04 San Antonio Express-News Sports 3D 11DF9C5F71C4E7E0 expressnews. First quarter Penn State won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. The Aggies dominated the first quarter. After a quick three and out in their first possession, they scored a touchdown on their second possession. Penn State converted on fourth-and-short to keep their drive temporarily alive, but they were forced to attempt a field goal, which went wide right. Penn State muffed a kick-return to give the Aggies possession inside the Penn State 20-yard line. A&M lined up in an unbalanced look and scored another touchdown on a run up the middle. Both touchdowns were scored by Mike Goodson, equaling his total for the rest of the 2007 season. A&M gained 96 yards of total offense in the first quarter compared to 89 for Penn State.Harris Terrance December 30, 2007 Penn State tops A&M; in Alamo Bowl / A&M crumbles after strong start - Aggies unable to protect 14-0 lead in Alamo Bowl loss to Penn State http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/college/texasam/5410927.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080112214716/http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/college/texasam/5410927.html January 12, 2008 December 31, 2007 Houston Chronicle Sports 1 11DE1264F23C4A60 houstonchronicle.Zwerneman Brent December 30, 2007 (Alamo Bowl): PATERNO POWERED – (Nittany Lions stop Aggies) http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/football/stories/MYSA123007.01C.AlamoBowlLead.en.2ff528d.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080123221818/http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/football/stories/MYSA123007.01C.AlamoBowlLead.en.2ff528d.html 2008-01-23 2008-10-27 San Antonio Express-News Sports 1C 11DE51E44A321F68 expressnews. Second quarter The Nittany Lions roared back in the second quarter. Their second quarter resurgence was not new as the Lions outscored their opponents 131–21 in the second quarter alone.Riggs Randy December 30, 2007 ALAMO BOWL: NOTEBOOK : Second time's a charm Austin American-Statesman Sports C10 11DE1E2BB0D0C3E0 statesman. Newspapers.com 357422702, 357426763, 357426812. With just over eleven minutes left in the half, Penn State faced fourth-and-three at the Texas A&M 30-yard line. Anthony Morelli threw a pass to Deon Butler for a touchdown. The play was reviewed for more than six minutes and allowed to stand as called on the field. An Aggie fumble led to a second Penn State touchdown which tied the score at 14–14. On that score, Daryll Clark dove towards the end zone and lost possession of the ball, but the on-field official ruled that he still had the ball when he crossed the plane of the goal line. The play was not reviewed. Penn State drove inside the A&M 10-yard line but settled for a Kevin Kelly field goal with 19 seconds remaining in the half. The half-time score was 17–14 Penn State. The Nittany Lions outgained the Aggies 155 yards to 32 in the second quarter. Third quarter In the third quarter, A&M made a field goal and Penn State answered with a touchdown, extending their lead to 24–17. Fourth quarter In the fourth quarter, with Penn State still leading 24–17, the Aggies were facing fourth-and-inches close to the Penn State one-yard line. Instead of giving the ball to Jorvorskie Lane, who is typically very effective in short-yardage situations, the Aggie coaching staff elected to run an option play to the right side.http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/colleges/texasam/stories/123007dnspoalamodate.2d0b925.html Lane not on field in key situation | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | SportsDay: Colleges: Texas A&M Dallasnews.com 2008-10-27 https://web.archive.org/web/20081026123959/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/colleges/texasam/stories/123007dnspoalamodate.2d0b925.html October 26, 2008 dead The Penn State defense was ready for it and quarterback Stephen McGee went down for a loss. Lane was visibly upset that he was not used on the play; he walked away from his teammates and was seen on the sidelines with tears running down his face.http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/colleges/topstories/stories/123007dnspoalamo.65bb2e5a.html Aggies come up short in Alamo Bowl, 24-17 WFAA-TV 2007-12-30 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090801232308/http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/colleges/topstories/stories/123007dnspoalamo.65bb2e5a.html August 1, 2009 Oliver Richard December 30, 2007 Penn State defense salvages vindication San Antonio Express-News Sports 13C 11DE51E44C8CC0D8 expressnews. Penn State took over on downs but the Aggies forced a punt. A&M got the ball back near their 40-yard line with less than three minutes to play in the game. The drive led the Aggies to punt on fourth-and-twenty with 2:09 remaining. The ball went into the end zone for a touchback so Penn State took over on their 20-yard line. Penn State ran out the clock to preserve the win at 24–17. PSU TAMU collapsed 1 04:22 TAMU 70 4:29 RushTD Mike Goodson 1 good Richie Bean 0 7 1 04:10 TAMU 16 0:06 RushTD Mike Goodson 16 good Matt Szymanski 0 14 2 11:06 PSU 65 2:53 RecTD Deon Butler 30 Anthony Morelli good Kevin Kelly 7 14 2 09:02 PSU 11 0:05 RushTD Daryll Clark 11 good Kevin Kelly 14 14 2 00:19 PSU 78 3:48 FG 25 Kevin Kelly 17 14 3 03:57 TAMU 78 8:45 FG 38 Matt Szymanski 17 17 3 00:19 PSU 84 3:31 RushTD Evan Royster 38 good Kevin Kelly 24 17 24 17 References 30em Alamo Bowl Category:Alamo Bowl Category:Penn State Nittany Lions football bowl games Category:Texas A&M Aggies football bowl games