Oct. 22, 2010
Click Here for a Video Scouting Report with Justin Brown - Minnesota Defense
Click Here for a Video Scouting Report with Devon Still - Minnesota Offense
University Park, Pa.; - Following its only bye week of the season, Penn State visits Minnesota on Saturday to begin the second half of the year. The game, which is scheduled for an 11 a.m. CT/12 p.m. ET kickoff, will air on ESPNU, the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com
The Nittany Lions will be playing in Minneapolis for the first time since 2006 and will be making their first ever appearance in TCF Bank Stadium, which opened in 2009. Joe Paterno will coach in his 65th different stadium since becoming Penn State's head coach in 1966. The winner earns the Governors' Victory Bell.
The Nittany Lions and the Golden Gophers are meeting for the 12th time with Penn State winning the last three times to lead the series, 7-4. A year ago, Penn State claimed a 20-0 victory in Beaver Stadium. The two squads will be in different Big Ten divisions starting in 2011 and are not scheduled to meet the next two years.
Penn State is 31-16 in games after an open date under Paterno, winning 13 of its last 18 since 1994. The Nittany Lions are 15-9 in away games after an open date under the Hall of Fame coach.
The last time out, Illinois possessed the ball for 38:12 and shut out Penn State in the second half to spoil the Nittany Lions' Homecoming with a 33-13 victory on Oct. 9. The loss was just Penn State's fifth in its last 41 home games. Penn State came into the game with four injured defensive players and five more left the game and did not return due to injury. Starting free safety Nick Sukay was lost for the rest of the season.
Penn State is 12-2 in its next game after a loss since the start of the 2005 season. The Nittany Lions are 13-2 after a loss if the 2009 season opening win over Akron is included.
The Nittany Lions enter the Minnesota game healthier than at the end of the Illinois game. Linebackers Bani Gbadyu, Gerald Hodges and Michael Mauti should be available to play. Hodges has been out since injuring his leg on the first play of the Sept. 11 game at then-No. 1 Alabama. Defensive linemen Jordan Hill and Pete Massaro, who also left the Illinois game, also should be available to play vs. the Golden Gophers.
Senior tailback Evan Royster passed Blair Thomas for third place on the Penn State career rushing yardage list vs. Illinois. He has 3,306 yards and stands 93 yards shy of breaking Curt Warner's school record of 3,398 yards. Royster needs just 15 yards to pass Tony Hunt for second place.
Minnesota will be playing its first game under interim head coach Jeff Horton. Last Saturday, the Golden Gophers lost at Purdue, 28-17. Minnesota rallied to score two fourth quarter touchdowns but it was not enough to overcome a 21-point second half deficit. The Gophers passed for 214 yards, but three turnovers and 230 Purdue rushing yards were big factors in the outcome.
Senior quarterback Adam Weber, the first ever three-time team captain in program history, keys the Minnesota offense. Already holding program records in career pass completions, attempts and yards prior to the start of the season, Weber needs 100 yards to become the fifth player in Big Ten history to pass for more than 10,000 yards in his career. Da'Jon McKnight leads the team in receptions (28), receiving yards (439) and touchdowns (6). Running backs Duane Bennett (92-458-2) and DeLeon Eskridge (90-350-2) have split time carrying the load in the ground game.
Junior linebacker Gary Tinsley has emerged as Minnesota's top playmaker on defense. He leads the team in solo (31), assisted (25) and total tackles (56) and has recorded 6.5 tackles of a loss, one interception, one pass break-up, two passes defended, and one forced fumble.
Following the Minnesota game, Penn State returns to Happy Valley next Saturday for an 8 p.m. primetime clash with Michigan in front of a sellout Beaver Stadium crowd. The game will air on ESPN, the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com. The Nittany Lions have won the last meetings with the Wolverines. Michigan is 5-2 overall (1-2 Big Ten) and is idle this week.