Penn State Football: 3 takeaways from Cotton Bowl win over Memphis

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 28: Garrett Taylor #17 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates with Jaquan Brisker #7 after a touchdown pass interception against the Memphis Tigers during the second half of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on December 28, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

1. Memphis kicker Riley Patterson sets bowl record

Last year, Riley Patterson ended the season dejected as he missed a field goal that would have tied the Birmingham Bowl against Wake Forest. The Tigers lost the game 37-34, leaving a sense of unfinished business in 2019 both for Memphis and for the placekicker.

While Memphis did not ultimately manage to knock off Penn State at the Cotton Bowl, Patterson did more than enough to keep his team in contention. Breaking the NCAA record for most field goals in a bowl game, Patterson went 6-of-6 on his field goal attempts.

None of those attempts were especially short. Patterson set the Cotton Bowl record with a 51-yarder, and his other kicks went through the uprights from 48 yards, 37 yards, 44 yards, 41 yards, and 42 yards.

Patterson was the most reliable scorer for Memphis on Saturday, accounting for 21 of the team’s 39 points against Penn State.

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Winding up his season 23-of-25 on field-goal attempts, including 8-of-8 between 40 and 49 yards and 5-of-6 from 50-plus yards out, Patterson put his name on the map at the Cotton Bowl heading into his senior year. Patterson gives Memphis a senior kicker who could be in the running for the Lou Groza Award in 2020.

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