Tampa Bay Football History Network

1996 Outback Bowl

For the tenth anniversary, the game changed its name from the Hall of Fame Bowl to the Outback Bowl. The Tampa based Outback Steakhouse signed a six year deal to become the title sponsor. This was also the first year of the agreement to bring the third place teams from the Big Ten and Southeastern Conferences to Tampa.

The Penn State Nittany Lions were ranked number fifteen and the Auburn Tigers were number sixteen, when the teams brought 8-3 records to the game. Penn State was coached by Joe Paterno and Auburn's head coach was Terry Bowden. It was a rainy, muddy day with an announced attendance of 65,313.

Stephen Davis ran for 119 yards for Auburn and Steve Pitts rushed for 118 yards for Penn State. It was close for a while, but PSU exploded for numerous bowl records. Nittany Lions quarterback Wally Richardson (13 of 24 for 214 yards with an INT) threw a record four touchdown passes and the team generated a record 491 yards in total offense. Penn State scored four TDs on their four third quarter possessions and set a record for most points in a quarter at 27. Free safety Kim Herring had a record two interceptions of Auburn quarterback Patrick Nix, who only completed five passes on the day. The Tigers also fumbled a record five times. The Nittany Lions scored a record number of points in a 43-14 victory. Penn State receiver Bobby Engram, who had four receptions for 133 yards and two touchdowns, was named the Most Valuable Player. Joe Paterno won an NCAA record seventeenth bowl game.

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