VibeX

University Park, PA (WJAC) — As the Penn State football team prepares for the upcoming Peach Bowl game, 6 News spoke with a well-known figure who has had a front row seat at many of Penn State's bowl games.

For decades, nearly every year, Penn State has played in a bowl game and more often than not, that game has been played on or around New Year’s Day.

All the history and yet the opportunity to make more history. If the Nittany Lions win the Peach Bowl, they would be the only team to win each of the so-called New Year’s Six bowls.

“When you have an entity that’s been in existence for 137 years, 137 seasons, and you have a chance at a first. That’s interesting.”

The News Year’s Six bowls, and really all bowl games, provide benefits. Fans get an extra game, and the players get extra practice.

“There are fourteen extra practices, when it’s all said and done, and that’s important because it’s the young players that benefit from this. This is the opportunity for them to get out there and run Penn State's system on both sides of the ball.”

Plus, the extra revenue bowl games raise.

“The bowl games do a great job giving back to charity. The Peach Bowl, for example, since 2016, they’ve given thirty-two million dollars to charity.”

For Steve Jones, Penn State football’s primary play-by-play announcer, each game is a special memory, and he says that he is looking forward to the Peach Bowl matchup.

“This is a golden opportunity to not only cap this season, but it’s a golden opportunity to also set the tone for next season. There’s something about doing that with a bowl victory that is so important.”

Over the years, the Nittany Lions have played well in the six major bowls, with a 17 win, 7 loss and one tie record.

ncG1vNJzZmivmpawtcKNnKamZ6OlvLPA0minnqaeYsC1rdOeZppll6S5pbHNZqapqJ%2Bnwba6yK2wZqiVo7tuv9Oaq55lk52utLXNoGShoaOpvLPFjKKlZq2gmLyutc2gZKmdkZi1bq7OsKNmmaNis6q%2B0q1krZ2Ronq1u4ywoKdlkaG5brrYb2Sbp6eheqitzJ6q