Penn State vs. Texas 1996 GAME STORY (Fiesta Bowl)

Two national powers dueled it out in the Arizona desert to bring in the New Year in 1997. The Nittany Lions struck super early with cornerback Mart Tate picking off Texas quarterback on the second play of the game. Curtis Enis would turn that opportunity into a 7-point lead with his first TD of the game. For the rest of the first half, the Longhorns dominated but couldn't get much more than field goals, in the way of scoring. At the half, the teams were all knotted up at 15. Then the Lions took over, as they rediscovered the power of their ground game. Between Curtis Enis, Chris Ebery, the fullbacks and Chafie Fields, Penn State ran for almost 300 yards in the second half alone. (3rd quarter rushing yards: PSU; 156, TX; -9) They wore down the Longhorns and took advantage of the short fields that the special teams and defense gave the Nittany Lion offense. After giving up some yardage early on, the Penn State defense played admirably, forcing turnovers and holding Texas to field goals rather than touchdowns. And in addition, they shut down two running backs like Ricky Williams and Priest Holmes for the most part. The best running back playing in this game though was Penn State's own, Curtis Enis, who garnered player-of-the-game honors with his three touchdowns.

Penn State's Top Performers:

Curtis Enis: 16 carries, 96 yards, 2 TD .. 2 receptions, 15 yards, TD .. 2-pt
Mart Tate: Interception, forced fumble, 2 passes defended

Penn State closed out it's strong 1996 campaign with an 11-2 record which landed a national ranking of 7th, in the final AP Poll. Texas ended it's year with an 8-5 record to finish 23rd in the national rankings. The Longhorns were the top team in the Big 12 South in 1996 as well.

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