Sept. 18, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Penn State begin its 23rd season in the Big Ten on Saturday when it faces off against Rutgers in a primetime battle inside Beaver Stadium.
The Nittany Lions (1-1, 0-0) and Scarlet Knights (1-1, 0-0) will contest the inaugural game of the Big Ten's 120th season when the two teams collide for an 8 p.m. kick on BTN.
The first Penn State Stripe Out in Beaver Stadium will take place when the Nittany Lions face take the field on Saturday. Fans are encouraged to visit PennStateStripeOut.com to confirm whether they should wear blue or white for the game. Penn State students are asked to wear white for the game against Rutgers.
"We are really, really excited about the stripe out," said head coach James Franklin. "The white out here has been embraced here for a long time, been a cool thing. We take a lot of pride in our colors, blue and white. What a better way to show that than stripe the stadium out, show that. This could be another tradition at Penn State that people get really excited bout and have fun with. It's going to look great on TV on the Big Ten TV network. We're excited. Should be a packed house, a great environment."
The Nittany Lions enter the game following a 27-14 victory over Buffalo in the home opener. Behind big plays in all three phases of the game, the Lions powered past the Bulls for their 47th home-opening victory in 56 tries in Beaver Stadium.
Senior defensive end Carl Nassib continued his tremendous start to the 2015 season with a dominant performance for the Nittany Lion defense. Nassib tallied three sacks, forced two fumbles and hauled in an interception. Collectively, the Nittany Lions made six sacks in the victory.
Offensively, true freshman Saquon Barkley became the first Nittany Lion true freshman to tally 100 rushing yards in a game in five seasons. Barkley finished with 115 yards and a touchdown. Fellow true freshman Brandon Polk also scored, marking the first time a pair of true freshman scored in a game since Derrick Williams and Justin King accomplished the feat in 2005. The Nittany Lions finished the day with 200 rushing yards.
Rutgers enters the game following a narrow 37-34 setback to Washington State last week. The Scarlet Knights have averaged 48.5 points and 470.5 yards of total offense during the first two games of the season.
In a series that dates back to 1918, Penn State and Rutgers have played 25 times prior to this week's matchup. The Nittany Lions own a 23-2 mark in the series and a 13-2 record in home games against the Scarlet Knights. Saturday will mark the second meeting as members of the Big Ten. Penn State scored a 13-10 victory at Rutgers last season.
The Big Ten season is here. Welcome to the gameday preview for the first Penn State Stripe Out ââ'¬" Penn State vs. Rutgers.
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