December 6, 1998

The University of Kentucky football team will play one of the nation’s most storied programs as the Wildcats take on Penn State on Fri. Jan. 1 in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on New Year’s Day in the new Raymond James Stadium (cap. 66,321) and the game will be telecast nationally on ESPN.

“We’re excited to go to a New Year’s Day bowl,” Wildcats Coach Hal Mumme said. “Our kids have worn ‘1-1-99’ T-shirts since spring practice and this is a culmination of our dream. It’s a great honor to play a program such as Penn State and a great coach like Coach Joe Paterno.

“We’re very happy to be going to Tampa, I would say ecstatic,” Mumme continued. “To play in a New Year’s Day Bowl is a time-honored tradition in college football. To be able to do it in our second year is a great tribute to our seniors.”

Kentucky returns to the bowl scene for the first time since 1993, when the Wildcats played in the Peach Bowl. This will be Kentucky’s first appearance in the Outback Bowl and UK’s first game on New Year’s Day since Jan. 1, 1952, when the Wildcats defeated Texas Christian in the Cotton Bowl.

Kentucky posted a 7-4 record during the 1998 season, including 4-4 mark (fourth place) in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division. Penn State, ranked No. 22 in the Associated Press poll, is 8-3 on the season, including a 5-3 slate and fifth-place finish in the Big Ten.