1979 Liberty Bowl

The 1979 Liberty Bowl, part of the 1979 bowl game season, took place on December 22, 1979, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The competing teams were the Tulane Green Wave and the Penn State Nittany Lions, each competing as a football independent. Penn State was victorious by a final score of 9–6.

Penn State
The 1979 Penn State squad finished the regular season with a record of 7–4 and losses against, Nebraska, Miami and Pittsburgh. The appearance marked the third for Penn State in the Liberty Bowl, and the school's 18th overall bowl game.

Tulane
The 1979 Tulane squad finished the regular season with a record of 9–2 and losses against and West Virginia. The appearance marked the second for Tulane in the Liberty Bowl, and the school's sixth overall bowl game.