Nov. 2, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State will look to earn an important Big Ten win and move up in the conference standings when the Nittany Lions host Purdue for Senior Day. Kickoff is 12:00 p.m. on Saturday in a sold out Beaver Stadium.
ESPN will televise the game to a national audience. The contest also will air on the Penn State Sports Network and GoPSUsports.com, the official website of Penn State Athletics.
Seventeen Nittany Lion seniors will be making their final appearance in Beaver Stadium and will be introduced in a pre-game ceremony.
Penn State (6-3, 3-3) and Purdue (7-2, 3-2) are meeting for the 13th time. The Nittany Lions lead the series, 8-3-1, including an 8-2 mark since the Lions began Big Ten play in 1993. The Nittany Lions won 12-0 last year at Ross-Ade Stadium, the first time the Boilermakers were shut under Coach Joe Tiller.
Penn State will be playing its earliest home finale in 50 years on Saturday. The last time the Nittany Lions concluded the home season this early was on Nov. 2, 1957, when Penn State defeated West Virginia, 27-6, in front of 28,712 at Beaver Field. Joe Paterno was in his eighth season as an assistant coach.
The most recent early home finish for the Nittany Lions came on Nov. 5, 2005 against Wisconsin.
The Nittany Lion defense is again among the nation's best, ranking in the top 15 nationally in four of the primary categories and will be facing on of the nation's top passing attacks on Saturday. The Nittany Lions are tied for No. 2 nationally with 36 sacks. Penn State is No. 12 in rushing defense (93.1 ypg), No. 12 in total defense (298.8 ypg) and No. 14 in scoring defense (17.4 ppg). Penn State is No. 37 in pass efficiency defense (115.9 rating).
The Nittany Lions are No. 2 in the Big Ten in three categories and are tied for the lead in sacks.
Purdue is averaging 431.2 yards per contest, 285.2 through the air and 146.0 on the ground. The Boilermakers are second in the Big Ten in passing yardage and third in total offense. The Boilers have started quickly and finished strong, owning a 110-47 scoring advantage in the first quarter and 108-62 in the final stanza.
Quarterback Curtis Painter is 237 of 377 (62.9) for 2,420 yards, with 24 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He is averaging 268.9 ypg, second-highest in the Big Ten and No. 18 in the nation. He also is third in the conference in passing efficiency (134.6 ) and fourth in total offense (265.3 ypg). Wide receiver Dorien Bryant leads the Big Ten with 64 receptions for 755 yards (11.5) and has eight touchdowns. Wideout Greg Orton is tied for the eighth in the league with 44 catches for 432 yards (9.8) and two scores. Senior tight end Dustin Keller has 43 receptions for 554 yards (12.9) and six touchdowns and junior WR Selwyn Lymon has 29 grabs for 267 yards (9.2) and two scores.
Purdue is tied for the second in the conference in turnover margin (plus-seven), having forced 24 turnovers this season.
Senior All-America linebacker Dan Connor (Wallingford) made a career-high 18 tackles against Ohio State and is on the brink of becoming Penn State's career tackles leader. Connor enters the Purdue game with 368 career stops, just five away from breaking the mark of 372 set by All-America LB Paul Posluszny from 2003-06.
A 2006 first team All-American and finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, Connor's 18 stops vs. the Buckeyes were the most by a Nittany Lion since Posluszny had 22 hits at Northwestern in 2005. Connor's previous high was 16 tackles vs. Northwestern in 2004.
A semifinalist for the Butkus and Rotary Lombardi awards and a candidate for the Bednarik and Lott awards, Connor leads Penn State and is third in the Big Ten with 94 tackles (48 solo) for a 10.4 per game average. He is second on the team and seventh in the Big Ten with 11.0 TFL for minus-49 yards. Connor is second on the team with 5.0 sacks (minus-43). He also has a fumble recovery and five pass break-ups.
The 17 seniors that will be introduced have helped the Nittany Lions win the 2005 Big Ten Championship, the 2006 FedEx Orange Bowl and the 2007 Outback Bowl, with the possibility of a third January bowl game this season. Among the 17 seniors are five players who were starters against Ohio State: LB Dan Connor, WT Terrell Golden, TB Rodney Kinlaw, QB Anthony Morelli and G John Shaw.
The seniors are: LB Dan Connor (Wallingford); Saf Jason Ganter (State College); WR Terrell Golden (Norfolk, Va.); FB Matt Hahn (Dix Hills, N.Y.); PK-P Joe Hughes (Downingtown); TB Rodney Kinlaw (Goose Creek, S.C.); TE Jordan Lyons (Atlanta, Ga.); KS-LB Chris Mauriello (Lansdale); QB Anthony Morelli (Pittsburgh); G Ross Muir (Noblesville, Ind.); CB Brendan Perretta (Altoona); RB Nick Pinchek (Coplay); DE Chris Rogers (Wexford); G John Shaw (Spring Grove); QB Kevin Suhey (State College); T Joe Toriello (Lansdowne) and C Patrick Weber (Arnold).
Three senior managers and a video assistant also will be introduced, Nate Campolono, Pat Foley, Shane Kellihar and Ryan Shinton.
Following the Purdue game, Penn State will conclude the regular season with a pair of road games. The Nittany Lions visit Temple on Nov. 10 for a 12:00 p.m. contest at Lincoln Financial Field. ESPNU will televise. Penn State visits Michigan State Nov. 17 in the battle for the Land Grant Trophy. Kick time and television for the battle with the Spartans are to be announced.