UNIVERSITY PARK. Pa., April 7, 2014 - Penn State's Oct. 11 Big Ten road game at Michigan has been set for prime time and is the Nittany Lions' second announced kick time for the 2014 season.
Coach James Franklin's Nittany Lions will visit Ann Arbor for a 7:00 p.m. ET clash that will air on ESPN or ESPN2, the Penn State Sports Network and GoPSUsports.com. The Big Ten East Division contest will be Michigan's first Big Ten home night game and the third overall in Michigan Stadium history.
The Nittany Lions and Wolverines will be meeting for the 18th time overall and the second consecutive year in prime time. Penn State has won the last four meetings on the field against Michigan. The teams will be meeting in Michigan Stadium for the first time since 2009. The two traditional powers are Big Ten East Division rivals starting this season and will play annually.
Last October, Penn State rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final six minutes to force overtime, defeating No. 18 Michigan, 43-43, in four overtimes in one of the most thrilling games in Nittany Lion history. Quarterback Christian Hackenberg, the 2013 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, directed Penn State on an 80-yard drive in four plays with no timeouts in the final minute of regulation to tie the game at 34-34. Bill Belton's two-yard run in the fourth overtime ended the longest game in Big Ten Conference history.
The Michigan game is the Nittany Lions' second announced kick times for the upcoming season. Penn State's Aug. 30 season opener vs. UCF in the Croke Park Classic will kick at 1:30 p.m. in Dublin; 8:30 a.m. ET. Penn State will be playing its first international game in its 128-year history.
Penn State will be playing at least one regular season night game for the 15th consecutive season. A determination on which network will nationally televise the Penn State-Michigan clash may not be made until six days before the contest. Additional Nittany Lion kick times will be announced later this spring.
Every Penn State football game has been televised the past 10 seasons and 240 of the last 242 contests overall have been on TV. All Nittany Lion football and basketball games air on the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com.
The Nittany Lions will culminate spring practice at the Blue-White Game presented by AAA on Saturday, April 12. Beaver Stadium parking lots will open at 8 a.m., the autograph session with the players will begin at 10:45 a.m. and the game will kick at 1:30 p.m. There is no admission or parking fee for the Blue-White Game.
Franklin and nine other head coaches will be participating in the 17-stop Penn State Coaches Caravan, starting May 1 at the Pegula Ice Arena on the University Park campus and ending May 22 in Erie. Franklin is scheduled to appear at all 17 events. For all the Coaches Caravan event dates and locations, go to alumni.psu.edu/events/coachescaravan.
Penn State returns 41 letterwinners and 15 starters (7 offense, 7 defense, 1 specialist) and will host Rose Bowl Champion Michigan State (Nov. 29), Ohio State (Oct. 25), Northwestern (Sept. 27-Homecoming) and Maryland (Nov. 1) during its 2014 Big Ten home schedule. The Nittany Lions will play a trio of 2013 Top 10 teams this fall.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.GoPSUsports.com or call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Penn State Football is on Twitter (@PennStateFball) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/PSUFball).