May 31, 2017
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Four more game times for the 2017 Penn State Football season were announced today. Penn State's home game against Pitt will kick on Sept. 9 at 3:30 p.m. on ABC, while the Homecoming game against Rutgers will kick at noon on Nov. 11. Penn State also learned kick times for a pair of road games with a noon kick at Northwestern on Oct. 7 and a 3:30 p.m. kick on FOX at Ohio State on Oct. 28.
Television arrangements for Northwestern and Rutgers will be announced at a later date. This will be Penn State's first regular season appearance on FOX and second overall (2016 Big Ten Championship Game).
Previously announced, Penn State Football's season opener against Akron September 2 will kick at noon and air on ABC. In addition to the television arrangements, the games will also air on the Penn State Sports Network and GoPSUsports.com.
The Nittany Lions face Pitt for the second game of the four-game Keystone Classic presented by Peoples Natural Gas. Penn State is 50-43-4 all-time against the Panthers, including a 17-6 mark in home games. Last season, the Panthers posted a 42-39 win at Heinz Field despite running back Saquon Barkley posting 147 all-purpose yards with five touchdowns.
Penn State visits Northwestern for the Wildcats' Homecoming game. The Nittany Lions are 13-5 all-time against NU with a 6-3 mark in games played in Evanston. The last time the teams squared off, the Wildcats notched a 23-21 win in 2015. Saquon Barkley rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns, while Carl Nassib broke the Penn State season sacks record with his 15.5th of the season.
The Penn State-Ohio State clash annually is one of the nation's most highly anticipated contests. The teams have met every year since Penn State began Big Ten competition in 1993. The last time the teams met, the Nittany Lions claimed a thrilling 24-21 over the second-ranked Buckeyes when Marcus Allen blocked a field goal attempt and Grant Haley scooped it up and returned it 60 yards for the game-winning touchdown.
Penn State is 25-2 all-time against Rutgers, including a 39-0 win in Piscataway in 2016. This is the third time that Penn State will meet Rutgers in a Homecoming game. The Nittany Lions defeated the Scarlet Knights in 1987 (35-21) and 1991 (37-17) in Homecoming contests. Penn State owns a 70-22-5 record all-time on Homecoming, including wins in 10 of its last 12 games.
Every Penn State football game has been televised the past 12 seasons and 289 of the last 291 contests overall have been on TV.
The Nittany Lions return 45 lettermen and 18 starters from last year's Big Ten Championship squad, led by All-American running back Saquon Barkley and All-Big Ten honorees Trace McSorley, Mike Gesicki, Jason Cabinda, Marcus Allen, Grant Haley and Tyler Davis.
The Nittany Lions' home schedule features a trio of non-conference games, including Pitt's first visit to Beaver Stadium since 1999. The Nittany Lions open the season against Akron (Sept. 2) and face Pitt (Sept. 9) and Georgia State (Sept. 16) to close out a three-game homestand to start the year. In Big Ten play, Penn State welcomes Indiana (Sept. 30), Michigan (Oct. 21), Rutgers (Nov. 11 - Homecoming) and Nebraska (Nov. 18) to Happy Valley.
More than 7,000 new season tickets have been sold for the 2017 campaign. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2017 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 10 a.m-6 p.m.