Outback Bowl bold predictions, Penn State Football and Arkansas score pick

Just a few days remain until the Outback Bowl, the final game of the 2021 Penn State Football season, and it is never easy to predict how a bowl game might play out.

Offensively, Penn State Football is going to have to move the ball and score points through the air as they have all season, so expect Sean Clifford to put the ball up a lot and also for their new number one wide receiver to put up a lot of yards.

On defense, Curtis Jacobs is going to be asked to do a lot against an Arkansas team who will probably be very run-heavy and will have a lot of success in doing so.

Here are some Penn State Football predictions for what might happen during the Outback Bowl on New Year’s Day, as well as a prediction of the final score.

Offensive Predictions

Prediction #1: Sean Clifford attempts 40+ passes

Clifford attempted over 40 passes two times this season, and was on pace to do so a third time against Iowa before leaving with injury. With a one-dimensional offense that is going to have to move the ball primarily through the air, it will probably take a lot of pass attempts from Clifford for this offense to score enough points.

Additionally, with Jahan Dotson opting out as a big-play threat that can pick up a lot of yards on one play, Clifford will probably be forced to throw shorter passes most of the game, obviously meaning it would take more attempts to get down the field.

To move the ball and score points, Clifford is going to have to put the ball in the air a lot, potentially 40 or more times.

Prediction #2: Parker Washington reaches at least 100 receiving yards

As the number two receiver, Parker Washington eclipsed 100 yards twice in the regular season. Now that he will be the go-to guy for Sean Clifford, he has a great opportunity to reach 100 yards once again in the Outback Bowl.

Not only can Washington make contested catches, but he is tremendous as a ball carrier, allowing him to pick up a lot of yards after the catch.

He needs to get a lot of targets for the Nittany Lions to have a chance, and for that reason, there is a good chance that Parker Washington reaches 100 receiving yards against Arkansas.

Prediction #3: Penn State Football’s running backs combine for 100+ yards

For most teams in the country, and even for Penn State Football in most seasons, having just your number one running back reach 100 rushing yards in a single game is not that tough of a task. Well as you know, this season is very different.

The Nittany Lions’ running back position has only combined for over 100 yards in just four games this season (Ball St, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan), and not once as a single back reached 100 yards.

Keyvone Lee showed some good flashes down the stretch, and while they won’t consistently pick 4 or 5 yard runs, they may be able to break off a few longer runs when the timing is right.

Combine that with having some time to (hopefully) make some improvements to the run blocking, as well as get Noah Cain back to 100%, and going against an Arkansas team that allows 156 rushing yards per game, I am boldly predicting that they can combine for just over 100 yards, mainly by breaking off a few longer runs throughout the course of the game.