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Penn State and Memphis set first-half scoring record with impressive start to Cotton Bowl
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Penn State and Memphis had a shootout in the first half, setting a new Cotton Bowl scoring record in the process!
To open the game, Memphis scored on its first three possession of the game. Fortunately, the Nittany Lions limited the Tigers to two field goals or the game could be much closer at halftime.
RELATED: Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth destroys Memphis DB with vicious hit
For James Franklin’s squad, it took them a bit to get woken up, but once they did, the Nittany Lions scored 21 unanswered points. In the first half, Penn State finished with 35 points. Combined with Memphis’ 23, that puts the first half total at 58 points.
That blows past the previous first-half record of 45 points for the Cotton Bowl:
This is the 84th Cotton Bowl Classic.
Through 83 games, 45 combined points were the most scored before halftime.
Penn State and Memphis just combined for 58 points…
— Tyler Donohue (@TDsTake) December 28, 2019
RELATED: Penn State Journey Brown embarrassed the entire Memphis defense on unbelievable 32-yard TD run
The second half will be interesting with both teams experiencing swings in momentum. The positive for Penn State is that the Nittany Lions have not really done anything creative offensively. In the first half, Penn State rushed for 209 yards with three different players scoring a rushing touchdown.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.