| PENN STATE vs. RUTGERS | |
| Saturday, Sept. 19 - 8 p.m. ET | |
| Beaver Stadium | University Park, Pa. | |
| Game Day Information: | |
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| Game Notes: Penn State | Rutgers |
| Statistics: Penn State | Rutgers |
| INSIDE THE NUMBERS | ||
| PSU | RU | |
| 18.5 | Scoring* | 48.5 |
| 12.0 | 1st Downs* | 26.0 |
| 138.5 | Rushing* | 244.5 |
| 115.5 | Passing* | 226.0 |
| 254.0 | Total Offense* | 470.5 |
| 1/0 | Fumbles/Lost | 3/3 |
| 13/104 | Penalties/Yards | 20/160 |
| 12/38.8 | Punts/Avg. | 4/48.8 |
| 29% | 3rd Down % | 53% |
| 25% | 4th Down % | 75% |
| 8 | Sacks | 5 |
| 1 | Interceptions | 1 |
| 5/6 | Red Zone | 8/8 |
| 26:39 | Time of Possession | 32:07 |
* - Per Game Statistics
Sept. 14, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Following its third straight win to open the home slate, the Nittany Lions begin their 23rd season of Big Ten play by welcoming Rutgers to Beaver Stadium for a primetime battle in front of a Penn State "Stripe Out" crowd. It is also the inaugural game of the Big Ten's 120th season.
The game is the 26th meeting between the two schools with the Lions holding a 23-2 edge in the series. The teams first met in 1918 and are now both members of the Big Ten East Division. It will be Rutgers' first visit to Happy Valley since 1994.
Penn State traveled to Piscataway last season for its first Big Ten game of the season in what was also Rutgers' inaugural Big Ten game. Then-senior Bill Belton scored on a 5-yard run up the middle with 1:13 left to play to give the Nittany Lions a 13-10 victory. Penn State had trailed 10-0 at halftime but rallied in the second half. The defense pulled in five interceptions to keep the Scarlet Knights in check, while quarterback Christian Hackenberg completed 25-of-44 passes, including three-of-four on the game-winning drive, to total 309 yards in the air.
Penn State enters the game coming off its first victory of the season, a 27-14 win over Buffalo. Penn State was able to make big plays in all three phases of the game to key scoring drives, while a pair of true freshmen scored touchdowns. UB pulled within three in the third quarter, but three consecutive scoring drives for the Nittany Lions resulted in a game-clinching 17 points. Defensive end Carl Nassib continued his tremendous start to the season with 3.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception.
One of those true freshmen, Saquon Barkley, was recognized as the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the week. Barkley helped the Lions pull away by reeling off 101 of his 115 rushing yards in the fourth quarter.
The game will be nationally televised on BTN.
RUTGERS HEAD COACH KYLE FLOOD
Kyle Flood is in his fourth season as the head coach at Rutgers and 11th overall with the Scarlet Knights. In the 145-year history of Rutgers football, Flood holds the distinction of being the only coach to lead the program to three bowl appearances in his first three seasons at the helm.
Flood entered 2015 with a 23-16 record, having the most wins of any RU head coach after three seasons. He guided Rutgers to eight wins in 2014 - the program's first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference.
Flood's first year as head coach in 2012 resulted in Rutgers' first BIG EAST Championship, and accordingly he was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year.
He first arrived at Rutgers in 2005 as the team's offensive line coach, and he started serving as the assistant head coach in 2008.
SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
Rutgers opened the season with a 63-13 victory over Norfolk State, but fell to 1-1 with a 37-34 loss to Washington State in its last outing. This will be the first road game of the season for the Knights.
The ground game plays a significant role on both sides of the ball for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers averages 244.5 rushing yards per game on offense to rank fourth in the Big Ten and 26th in the country, while only yielding 39.0 ground yards per game on defense to lead the Big Ten and rank fourth nationally. The Scarlet Knights also lead the Big Ten in scoring with 48.5 points per game.
Wide receiver and returner Janarion Grant leads the Big Ten and ranks second in the country in all-purpose yards per game, averaging 236.5. He became the first player in Rutgers history to return both a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in the same game last week, and his 337 all-purpose yards also set a school record.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Chris Laviano, who made his first career start in last week's game, has completed 27-of-33 pass attempts for 342 yards and four touchdowns. A favorite target for Laviano is Grant, who has six catches for 71 yards on the year, while Matt Flanagan has five catches for 52 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, Josh Hicks has totaled 209 yards on 34 carries with two touchdowns.
Linebacker Steve Longa leads the defense with 18 tackles, of which a Big Ten leading 15 have been solo stops. The total also ranks 10th nationally.
FIVE IN A ROW AT HOME
The Nittany Lions are playing the second of five consecutive home games, as they are in the midst of their first five-game homestand since 1922 and the third in program history. A 27-14 win over Buffalo (Sept. 12) opened the home slate, and Rutgers (Sept. 19), San Diego State (Sept. 26), Army West Point (Oct. 3) and Indiana (Oct. 10) are next.
Penn State last played five consecutive home games in 1922, going 5-0 with wins over St. Bonaventure (54-0), William & Mary (27-7), Gettysburg (20-0), Lebanon Valley (32-6) and Middlebury (33-0).
The Nittany Lions also hosted five-straight home contests in 1920. Penn State also was perfect in those games with wins over Muhlenberg (27-7), Gettysburg (13-0), Dartmouth (14-7), NC State (41-0) and Lebanon Valley (109-7). The 109 points scored against Lebanon Valley still stand as the program's game scoring record.
While Beaver Stadium has never seen five consecutive home games, it has hosted four in a row five times, doing so in 1977, 1982, 1986, 2002 and 2009.
B1G OPENERS OVER THE YEARS
Here are some facts and figures about the Nittany Lions' 22 B1G opening games:
• Penn State owns a 10-12 in Big Ten opening contests. Fourteen of the Nittany Lions' 22 B1G openers have come on the road (7-7).
• Their win at Rutgers last season was the earliest Big Ten opener for Penn State since it opened the 1993 and 1994 seasons with Big Ten games. They hosted Minnesota on Sept. 4, 1993 (W, 38-20) and won at Minnesota on Sept. 3, 1994 (W, 56-3).
• Penn State has played Wisconsin more than any other team to open Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions and Badgers have met four times to open B1G play.
• The Nittany Lions have also played Illinois (3), Indiana (3), Iowa (3), Michigan (1), Minnesota (3), Northwestern (1), Ohio State (3) and Rutgers (2) in Big Ten openers.
NITTANY LIONS FROM NEW JERSEY
A total of 18 Nittany Lions are from New Jersey, including nine in the last two recruiting classes.
Here are the Nittany Lions from the Garden State:
CB Kyle Alston - Robbinsville/Robbinsville
LB Brandon Bell - Mays Landing/Oakcrest
WR Saeed Blacknall - Manalapan/Manalapan
LB Manny Bowen - Barnegat/Barnegat
LB Jason Cabinda - Flemington/Hunterdon Central
WR Irvin Charles - Sicklerville/Paul VI
TE/H Mike Gesicki - Manahawkin/Southern Regional
G/C Steven Gonzalez - Union City/Union City
K/P Chris Gulla - toms River/Toms River North
DT Austin Johnson - Galloway/St. Augustine Prep
WR Juwan Johnson - Glassboro/Glassboro
C/G Wendy Laurent - Hamilton/The Hun School
G/C Brendan Mahon - Randolph/Randolph
C/G Angelo Mangiro - Roxbury/Roxbury
CB John Reid - Mount Laurel/St. Joseph's Prep
DE Garrett Sickels - Red Bank/Red Bank Regional
S Anthony Smith - Dover/Pope John XIII
DT Antoine White - Millville/Millville
PSU-RUTGERS CONNECTIONS
• PSU freshmen guard/center Ryan Bates and linebacker Jake Cooper and Rutgers junior tight end Nick Arcidiacono and redshirt junior running back Desmon Peoples played together at Archbishop Wood High School.
• PSU redshirt freshman Chasz Wright (2013) and Rutgers freshman defensive back Austin Blessuan (2014) both attended Milford Academy for one season.
• PSU freshman cornerback John Reid and Rutgers freshman quarterback Jack Clements played together at St. Joseph's Prep.
• PSU junior defensive tackle Austin Johnson and Rutgers redshirt senior kicker Chris Gough played together at St. Augustine Prep.
• PSU freshman wide receiver Juwan Johnson and Rutgers freshman defensive back Ronnie James played together at Glassboro High School.
COACHING STAFF CONNECTIONS
• Penn State Director of Performance Enhancement Dwight Galt was the assistant strength and conditioning coach at Maryland while Rutgers defensive line coach Jim Panagos was a student-athlete for the Terps. Panagos also coached one season at Maryland in 1993.
• Special teams recruiting assistant for quality control Sam Williams came from Rutgers, where he was an offensive line assistant in 2014 and special teams assistant in 2013.
LIONS UNDER THE LIGHTS
After playing three Big Ten games at night in 2014, Penn State is slated to play at least two this season.
• Penn State and Ohio State played their sixth primetime clash since 2005 last season and were in primetime for the third consecutive year. The streak will be extended this season as the Lions are scheduled to play at Ohio State at 8 p.m. on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.
• For the season year in a row, Penn State will play Rutgers under the lights. The Lions will host the Scarlet Knights in an 8 p.m. contest that will also be televised on BTN.
• On Oct. 12, 2012 the Nittany Lions claimed the longest game in Big Ten history when they edged Michigan under the lights, 43-40, in front of a sellout Beaver Stadium crowd of 107,844 on Homecoming.
• This year marks the eighth time since 2000 that Penn State will play multiple night games in the same season (Rutgers, at Ohio State).
• Penn State has played at least one regular season night game in 15 consecutive seasons. • Penn State has a 41-28 on-field record in night games, going 9-10 at home, 20-11 on the road, 1-1 at regular season neutral sites and 11-6 in bowl games, including last season's Pinstripe Bowl.
• The Lions' night games over the past 15 seasons include: Boston College (Pinstripe Bowl), Ohio State, Michigan and Rutgers (2014); Ohio State, Michigan and UCF (2013); Iowa and Ohio State (2012); Northwestern (2011); Alabama, Iowa and Michigan (2010); Iowa (2009); Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio State (2008); Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas A&M (2007), Michigan (2006), Illinois, Ohio State and Florida State (2005), Minnesota and Boston College (2004), Nebraska (2002 and `03), Miami (Fla.) (2001) and Indiana (2000).
MILLEN ON BTN BROADCAST TEAM
Former Penn State and NFL standout Matt Millen will be calling Saturday's meeting between the Nittany Lions and Scarlet Knights.
Millen earned first-team All-America honors as a junior in 1978, helping the unbeaten and No. 1 ranked Nittany Lions earn a berth vs. Alabama in the dramatic 1979 Sugar Bowl for the national title. Millen was a team co-captain in 1979, but missed most of his senior year with an injury. He also helped Penn State earn the first of two consecutive 11-1 records in 1977, capped by a win in the Fiesta Bowl.
The Oakland Raiders selected Millen the second round of the 1980 NFL Draft to begin a 12-year career that would see him earn four Super Bowl rings. Millen played for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders (1980-88), San Francisco 49ers (1989-90) and Washington Redskins (1991). He was a Pro Bowl selection in 1988.
Millen began his broadcasting career in 1992, working NFL games for CBS and then FOX. The Lehigh Valley native left broadcasting in 2001 and was team president of the Detroit Lions for the next eight years. Millen returned to broadcast booth as a college football and NFL analyst with ESPN and the NFL Network in 2009. He joined Fox Sports and BTN in 2015.
WINS LEADERS
In its 129th season of varsity football, Penn State has amassed 850, becoming just the eighth program nationally to reach the milestone. The Nittany Lions are one of just 10 programs with 800 wins and currently hold an official all-time mark of 850-377-42.
PENN STATE VS. THE BIG TEN
Penn State owns a 188-94-3 mark against Big Ten Conference teams since the Nittany Lions first opposed Ohio State in 1912.
The Nittany Lions began play as a member of the Big Ten Conference in 1993 and have a 109-67 mark.
Prior to joining the conference, Penn State played 107 games vs. the current Big Ten alignment and was 79-25-3 in those games.
Maryland and Rutgers joined the Big Ten on July 1, 2014.
GODWIN LEADS RECEIVING CORPS
Sophomore wide receiver Chris Godwin caught five passes for 81 yards at Temple and five more for 75 yards against Buffalo. He now has at least one catch in 14 of 15 career games and three career games with five-or-more grabs, joining his seven-catch night vs. Boston College in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Averaging five catches and 78 yards per game, Godwin ranks in the Top 10 in the Big Ten.
PENN STATE IN 23rd BIG TEN SEASON
After 106 years as an independent in football, Penn State began play in the Big Ten Conference in 1993 and is playing its 23rd season in the conference. The Nittany Lions were Big Ten Champions in 1994, beating Oregon to win the 1995 Rose Bowl, and played USC in the 2009 Rose Bowl.
The Nittany Lions begin Big Ten play against division foe Rutgers for the second straight season, and finish the regular season once again against Michigan State, this time traveling East Lansing for the Nov. 28 game. Penn State will also play divisional opponents Indiana (Oct. 10) and Michigan (Nov. 21) and non-divisional opponent Illinois (Oct. 31) at home.
The road schedule features divisional opponents Ohio State (Oct. 17) and Maryland (Oct. 24), while Penn State also travels to face non-division opponent Northwestern (Nov. 7).
This is the final season of the Big Ten playing an eight-game schedule. The conference will move to a nine-game slate starting in 2016.
TRUE FRESHMEN FIND TRUE SUCCESS VS. BULLS
Two of Penn State's three touchdowns against Buffalo were scored by true freshmen playing in just their second games. It was the first time since 2005 that a pair of true freshmen were able to find the end zone in the same game. Freshman running back Saquon Barkley had the Nittany Lions' final touchdown against UB, while wide receiver Brandon Polk had the first. Polk had demonstrated on the very first play of the season at Temple that he was a threat in the running game, and continued to be so against Buffalo, running for a 22-yard score for the Nittany Lions' first touchdown of the game. Polk has gained 95 yards on five carries (19.0 avg.) in the first two games. On the other side of the ball, true freshman linebacker Jake Cooper, who was supposed to redshirt this season until injuries in the season opener pressed him into action, made a season-high three stops, including a sack.
BARKLEY NAMED BIG TEN CO-FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Penn State freshman running back Saquon Barkley was selected as the Sept. 14 Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week after a 115-yard performance against Buffalo. Barkley shared the honor with Michigan State running back LJ Scott. Barkley is the first PSU true freshman to rush for more than 100 yards in a game since Silas Redd had 131 yards on 11 carries and scored one touchdown against Northwestern in 2010. Barkley helped swing the momentum in Penn State's favor on their first possession of the fourth quarter, as he broke off back-to-back runs totaling 50 yards. Barkley provided a spark off of the bench in the second half for the Nittany Lions, averaging 9.6 yards per carry in the win over the Bulls. He reeled off 101 of his 115 yards on eight fourth-quarter carries. He later found the end zone for the Lions final score and his first collegiate touchdown.
BARKLEY ACHIEVES RARE FEATS
• Running back Saquon Barkley is just the seventh PSU true freshman to rush for over 100 yards in a game, joining, Matt Suhey (1976), Curt Warner (1979), D.J. Dozier (1983), Eric McCoo (1998), Austin Scott (2003) and Silas Redd (2010).
• He is also the first PSU player to rush for 100 yards in a quarter since Tony Hunt vs. Akron in 2004. Larry Johnson rushed for more than 100 in a quarter four times in 2002.
• Barkley is only the third player since 2000 to rush for 100 in a quarter, and it's only happened six times since 2000.
AVOIDING TURNOVERS AND SACKS
Minimizing turnovers and sacks are extremely important to the success of an offense, and the Nittany Lions were able to avoid both against Buffalo. Penn State had zero turnovers for the first time since having none against Massachusetts last season, and did not allow a sack for the first time since the win at Wisconsin in 2013. The 2013 Wisconsin game was also the last time Penn State posted zeroes in both categories.
STOPS BEHIND THE LINE
• Through the first two games of the season, Penn State ranks in a tie for second in the nation with 11.0 tackles for loss per game, and in a five-way tie for eighth nationally with 4.0 sacks per game. The 22 stops behind the line have resulted in a loss of 99 yards for the opposition.
• Penn State's 15 tackles for loss against Temple were the second-most in the country during the opening week, trailing only Colorado State, which racked up 16 against FCS-level Savannah State. Eleven different Nittany Lions were credited with at least an assist, led by Carl Nassib, Brandon Bell and Anthony Zettel with 2.5 TFL each, while Trevor Williams had 2.0.
• Nassib was again a force in the backfield against Buffalo, racking up three of Penn State's six sacks on the day. Austin Johnson added 1.5 sacks and totaled 2.5 TFL against the Bulls.
NASSIB BREAKING THROUGH
Senior defensive end Carl Nassib has rewarded the Nittany Lions for putting him in the starting lineup, as the former walk-on is enjoying a breakout season by breaking through opposing offensive lines.
• Through the first two games, Nassib ranks in a three-way tie for second nationally averaging 2.0 sacks per game. He also ranks in a tie for fifth nationally with 2.8 TFL per game.
• Nassib made a career-high 10 tackles in the season opener at Temple. His previous high was four stops on October 5, 2013 at Indiana. Nassib also recorded his second career solo sack, good for a 12-yard loss in the second quarter, and his 2.5 tackles for loss were a career-best.
• Nassib made even bigger plays the following week against Buffalo, recording three sacks, including back-to-back sack-fumbles to end any UB comeback hopes. He also hauled in an interception deep in UB territory after senior defensive tackle Anthony Zettel tipped a pass from the quarterback.
SPECIAL TEAMS ARE SPECIAL
Penn State saw success in all three phases of the game in its win over Buffalo, including a pair of big returns on special teams. The game had an electrifying start as redshirt freshman Nick Scott returned the opening kickoff 58 yards to the Buffalo 42. It was the longest kickoff return for Penn State since Chaz Powell had a 92-yard return against Purdue in 2011. Classmate DeAndre Thompkins returned a punt 58 yards, on which he was barely tripped up by UB punter Tyler Grassman on a diving play, preventing him from reaching the end zone. It was the longest punt return by a Nittany Lion since Derrick Williams' 63-yard punt return for a TD at Wisconsin in 2008. Thompkins' return was also the longest non-scoring punt return since Mike Archie had a 62-yard return at Michigan State in 1993. The last time that Penn State had both a punt return and kick return of at least 58 yards in the same game was against Notre Dame in 2007. In that game, Derrick Williams had a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown and A.J. Wallace had a 68-yard kickoff return.
CAREER HIGHS
Additional Nittany Lions enjoyed career days against Buffalo:
• On offense, sophomore TE Mike Gesicki had a career-high three catches. Previously, he had two catches twice, last against Michigan State in 2014.
• On defense, defensive tackle Austin Johnson had a career-best nine tackles. His previous high was seven last year vs. Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl. He also recorded 2.5 tackles for loss vs. the Bulls, with 1.5 sacks.
• Defensive end Evan Schwan recorded a career-high four tackles. He previously had two tackles in a game on four occasions, most recently last week at Temple.
• In his first career start, redshirt freshman linebacker Troy Reeder had seven tackles, a season-high.
• Sophomore safety Troy Apke had a career-high three tackles, while sophomore corner Christian Campbell tied a career high with three tackles.
HOLDING ON TO THE ROCK
Penn State is one of 36 FBS teams yet to have lost a fumble so far this season.