Sept. 20, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.; Sept. 20, 2007 -- Penn State begins its 15th season of Big Ten competition on Saturday, visiting Michigan. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. in Michigan Stadium as the No. 10 Nittany Lions play their first road game of the season.
The clash will be an ABC national telecast at 3:30 p.m. ET, with Ohio and Chicago receiving the game on ESPN. The contest also will air on the Penn State Sports Network and GoPSUsports.com, the official website of Penn State Athletics.
The Nittany Lions (3-0) defeated Buffalo, 45-24, last week, while the Wolverines (1-2) crushed Notre Dame, 38-0.
The contest will pit two of the nation's top five winningest active coaches. Joe Paterno and Lloyd Carr are tied for fourth among active coaches in winning percentage (10 years or more). Paterno is in his 42nd season as head coach at Penn State and has compiled a 366-122-3 (75.0) record. Carr has a 114-38 (75.0) mark in his 13th season as head coach at Michigan.
The Nittany Lions and Wolverines rank among the nation's most tradition-laden and successful programs. Penn State and Michigan are among the top 10 in all-time victories and winning percentage and are two of only 11 Division I-A programs with at least 700 all-time wins.
Penn State is tied for sixth (with Alabama) in victories with 783 and 10th in winning percentage at 68.8, having compiled a 783-343-42 record in their 121st season. The Wolverines are first in victories with 861 and in winning percentage at 74.4, earning an 861-284-36 mark.
In post-season games, Penn State is eighth in appearances (39), third in wins (25) and is first in winning percentage (66.7) among schools with at least 10 bowl victories. Michigan is tied for ninth in appearances (38) and is tied for 13th in bowl wins (18).
Penn State has permitted just 53 yards rushing on 92 attempts (0.6) in its first three games but will receive a stiff test from the Michigan rushing attack. The Nittany Lions lead the nation in rushing defense at 17.7 ypg, having allowed minus -3 (FIU), 0 (ND) and 56 (Buffalo) yards in the first three games. Oregon State is No. 2 in rushing defense at 27.7 ypg.
Penn State is tied for first in the nation with 17 sacks (minus-122), along with Indiana.
The Wolverines shredded Notre Dame for 289 yards on the ground, averaging 4.7 yards on their 61 attempts. Michigan is averaging 226.3 yards per game, good for 24th in the nation, led by senior tailback Mike Hart. He leads the Big Ten and is third nationally in rushing with a 167.3 average. He has has rushed for 502 yards on 83 attempts (6.0) with five touchdowns.
Penn State boasts one of the nation's most balanced offenses, a unit that is largely responsible for the Lions averaging 45.0 points per game, tied for 15th in the nation. The Nittany Lions are averaging 197.0 yards on the ground and 215.3 yards through the air for a total of 412.3 ypg. Penn State is averaging 5.5 yards per play.
Senior quarterback Anthony Morelli threw a career-high four touchdown passes last week. For the season, he is 55 of 87 (63.2) for 628 yards, with eight touchdowns and one interception. His pass efficiency rating of 151.9 is good for fourth in the Big Ten.
Senior tailback Rodney Kinlaw ran for a career-high 129 yards against Buffalo for his first 100-yard game. Kinlaw carried the ball a career-best 23 times and scored on a six-yard run in the fourth quarter. He also made one catch for 18 yards.