Sept. 25, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Riding a two-game winning streak, Penn State will continue its string of five consecutive home games on Saturday when the Lions face San Diego State.
The Nittany Lions (2-1, 1-0) and Aztecs (1-2, 0-0) will meet for the first time on the gridiron when the two squads line up for a 3:30 p.m. kick inside Beaver Stadium. The game will air live on BTN.
Penn State notched its second win in as many weeks with a dominant 28-3 triumph against Rutgers in the Big Ten opener. Offense, defense and special teams all played paramount roles in the conference-opening victory.
"I'm actually really pleased with how we're playing as a team right now," said head coach James Franklin. "I thought that game on Saturday was probably the most complete football game we've played since we've been here. I thought we played great team football at this point where we're at as a program."
A 330-yard rushing night highlighted Penn State's Big Ten opener. True freshman Saquon Barkley (195 yards) and junior Akeel Lynch (120 yards) combined for three touchdowns against the Scarlet Knights. Penn State enters this week having rushed for 200 or more yards in back-to-back games for the first time since 2009.
On defense, Penn State limited Rutgers to just 43 yards on the ground and held the Scarlet Knights out of the end zone. For the season, the Nittany Lions have allowed just seven points in the first half of games. The three points scored by Rutgers marked the lowest total by a Big Ten opponent since 2011.
Penn State's special teams play was also superb in the primetime tilt against Rutgers. The Lions forced the Knights into an averaging starting spot of their own 18-yard line. Punter Chris Gulla had five kicks downed inside the 20, and the Nittany Lions again dazzled in the return game with Nick Scott tallying a kickoff return of more than 30 yards for the second-straight week.
San Diego State (1-2) enters the week looking to snap a two-game skid following an overtime setback to South Alabama at home. The Aztecs opened the season with a 37-3 victory over San Diego before dropping a 35-7 decision at California. San Diego State has averaged 23.7 points per game during the first three weeks.
The Aztecs will become the 155th different opponent Penn State has played in its 129-year history on the gridiron. The Nittany Lions have played just four games against the current members of the Mountain West Conference. The most recent meeting against a Mountain West foe came in 1977 when the Lions played Utah State.
The Second Annual Unrivaled Band Jam will take place on Saturday. High school bands will participate in the pre-game performance with the Penn State Blue Band. More than 1,000 total band members are anticipated to perform. The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at noon, and the event begins at 1:15 p.m. inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
"The band does an awesome job for us in the stadium," Franklin said. "Tuesday nights they practice on our turf, and I love it. They're out there jamming on Tuesday nights in the stadium. What they do, obviously, the environment that they bring is really, really special. So we're indebted to the commitment that our band makes to our program and the University as a whole."
Welcome to the gameday preview for week four - Penn State vs. San Diego State.
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