Sept. 2, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 130th season of Penn State Football has finally arrived and the Nittany Lions are set to welcome Kent State to Beaver Stadium Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on BTN.
Opening the season at home for the first time since 2012, the Nittany Lions and the Golden Flashes meet for the first time since 2013. In that 2013 outing, Penn State shut out Kent State 34-0 at home in Beaver Stadium on Sept. 21 for its fourth consecutive victory in the series.
"The focus has been on this week and doing everything we possibly can to get ready for it," head coach James Franklin said. "I know the assistant coaches and the players are really excited about the opportunity to go out and show our fans and the alumni what we're about."
The Nittany Lions enter the 2016 season with 16 returning starters, with three on special teams, five on defense and eight on offense, including an offensive line that is the 17th most experienced unit in the country and second-most experienced in the Big Ten.
Leading the offense this year is sophomore Trace McSorley, who steps into the starting role at quarterback for the first time against Kent State. With a newly implemented offense under the direction of offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead, McSorley's options including seemingly endless potential.
Freshman All-American Saquon Barkley returns to lead running back unit that's packed with potential. Barkley led the offense with 1,076 rushing yards in 11 games to set a Penn State freshman record. Despite missing a few games last year, Barkley totaled five 100-yard rushing performances, en route to becoming the 43rd Nittany Lion in program history to break 1,000 yards rushing.
The Nittany Lions also return a stacked group at wide receiver, led by All-Big Ten second team selection Chris Godwin and All-Big Ten honorable mention DaeSean Hamilton. Godwin caught at least four passes in 11 of 13 games last year and became just the third Nittany Lion in program history to total 1,000 receiving yards in a season.
Surpassing the 1,000-yard mark in each of their positions, Barkley and Godwin are just the third other duo in program history to achieve the feat.
Fourth-year head coach Paul Haynes will lead the Golden Flashes in their season opener, taking on Penn State for the second time during his tenure at Kent State. The Golden Flashes return nearly all of their starters from last year, including eight from a defense that ranked 27th in total defense last year.
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