Nov. 20, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Following a bye week, Penn State returns home to Beaver Stadium for a Senior Day and Penn State White Out clash against No. 12 Michigan on Saturday.
The Nittany Lions (7-3, 4-2) are slated to battle the Wolverines (8-2, 5-1) in a 12 p.m. (ABC) kick in the penultimate game of the season. Having won seven of its last nine games, Penn State enters the final home game of 2015 with a 6-0 mark in Beaver Stadium.
"We're undefeated at home. We feed off of our fans," said head coach James Franklin. "It's a huge advantage for our defense, playing at home in front of our crowd. And excited about the opportunity to walk into that stadium and be able to play one last time in Beaver Stadium with these seniors and work really hard to send them out the right way."
Always a fan favorite, Beaver Stadium will play host to a complete stadium Penn State White Out on Saturday afternoon. A tradition stretching back to a student section white out in 2004, the Penn State White Outs have created an unrivaled atmosphere inside the 107,000-seat home of Penn State football.
Fans are encouraged to arrive earlier than normal on Saturday morning due to increased security screening measures in place at the gates. All Beaver Stadium gates will open at 10 a.m.
Led by Penn State's season sack record holder, Carl Nassib, the Nittany Lion defense enters the final two weeks of the season as the nation's leader in sacks. Penn State has averaged 4.2 sacks per game throughout 2015. Additionally, the Lions are No. 2 in the nation in tackles for loss at 9.3 per game. Nassib leads the country individually in sacks with 15.5.
Led by first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh, Michigan (8-2, 4-1 Big Ten) heads into the week having won its last three contests. The Wolverines topped Indiana in dramatic fashion on Saturday afternoon in Bloomington. Michigan quarterback Jake Rudock connected with wide receiver Jehu Chesson on a fourth-down touchdown in the final seconds of regulation to send the game into overtime. Michigan outlasted the Hoosiers in double OT by a score of 48-41. Michigan's two losses on the season came at No. 18 Utah (24-17) and in a dramatic finish against No. 9 Michigan State (27-23).
The Nittany Lions and Wolverines rank among the Big Ten's best defenses. Michigan is ranked No. 1 in total defense (268.7 ypg) and the Nittany Lions are ranked No. 4 (311.2 ypg). In scoring defense, Michigan is No. 3 in the Big Ten (14.8 ppg) and Penn State is No. 5 (17.7 ppg).
In a series that dates back to 1993, Penn State and Michigan will meet for the 19th time on Saturday. The Nittany Lions are 7-11 all-time against the Wolverines and 4-5 in games held at Beaver Stadium. Penn State has won the last three against Michigan in Beaver Stadium, including the thrilling 43-40 four-overtime win in 2013.
Penn State will close out its regular season next week with a trip to East Lansing. The Nittany Lions will battle Michigan State in Spartan Stadium during a 3:30 p.m. kick. From there, Penn State will await its bowl destination with the announcement coming on Dec. 6.
Welcome to the gameday preview for week 11 - Penn State vs. Michigan.