- OPENING KICK: No. 12/11 Penn State opens its 27th Big Ten season with a Friday night game at Maryland. The game is set to kick at 8 p.m. on FS1.
- FRIDAY NIGHT: Penn State is opening conference play on the road on a Friday night for a second consecutive year after earning a 63-24 win at Illinois last season.
- BIG TEN OPENER: Penn State is 13-13 in conference openers since joining the Big Ten in 1993, while Maryland is 4-1 since joining the Big Ten in 2014. Penn State has won its last two and is opening conference play on the road for the ninth time in the last 10 years
- SHOOTOUT...or NOT: Maryland (71.0) and Penn State (62.0) ranked first and second, respectively in scoring offense after the first two weeks of the season, but both were held to 17 points in Week 3 by Pennsylvania teams. Penn State defeated Pittsburgh, 17-10, while Maryland lost to Temple, 20-17. Both are strong on defense as the Terps are allowing just 13.3 points per game to Penn State's 10.0 points per game. Penn State has not allowed more than 13 points this season.
- BEHIND ENEMY LINES: Looking to post its fifth consecutive 40-plus sack season, Penn State is averaging 3.67 sacks per game, led by defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, who has 3.5 this season to rank in a tie for eighth in FBS. The Nittany Lions have also totaled double-digit tackles for loss in each of their first three games. The 10.3 TFL average ranks fourth in FBS.
- THE OPPOSITION: Maryland cracked the Top 25 after a signature win over nationally-ranked Syracuse, 63-20, but was upset at Temple, 20-17, in its last outing. The Terrapins rank fifth in the FBS with 53.0 points per game, and are particularly strong running the ball with an average of 277.3 yards per game. Sophomore Anthony McFarland has paced the rushing attack with 225 yards and five touchdowns on 46 carries.
HEAD COACH MICHAEL LOCKSLEY
- Michael Locksley is in his first year as Maryland's head coach, leading the Terrapins to a 2-1 record to open the 2019 season.
- Locksley arrived at Maryland following a three-year stint at Alabama. He served as the Crimson Tide's offensive coordinator in 2018 after being co-offensive coordinator during Alabama's 2017 National Championship season.
- This is Lockley's third stint at Maryland. He served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2012-15. Locksley was the Terrapins' running backs coach and recruiting coordinator from 1997-2002. Locksley was Maryland's interim head coach for the final six games of the 2015 season.
- His other Big Ten coaching experience came at Illinois where he served as offensive coordinator while coaching the tight ends in 2005 and quarterbacks from 2006-08.
- Locksley is a head coach for the second time in his career. He was the head coach at New Mexico from 2009-11.
SCOUTING THE TERRAPINS
- In 2018, Maryland finished the season with a 5-7 record including a 5-3 mark in Big Ten play.
- Maryland earned a 79-0 win over Howard in its season opener and followed that with a 63-20 victory over Syracuse. The Terrapins fell 20-17 at Temple on September 14 before a bye week.
- The Terrapins have enjoyed a strong start on the offensive side of the ball, ranking fifth in the FBS with 53.0 points per game under the direction of Locksley and new offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery.
- Maryland leads the Big Ten in rushing offense, averaging 277.3 yards per game. Sophomore Anthony McFarland has paced the rushing attack with 225 yards and five touchdowns on 46 carries.
- The Terrapins are off to a similar start on the defensive side, ranking 17th in the nation allowing 13.3 points per game. Maryland has been stout against the run game, giving up just 73.7 yards per contest.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
- Penn State is playing its 26th Friday, regular-season game all-time.
- Penn State owns a 15-9-1 overall record in Friday regular-season games, with a 7-4-0 record on the road.
- Penn State is playing a regular-season game on a Friday for the second season in a row. Last year, Penn State defeated Illinois on the road, 63-24, which was also the Nittany Lions' Big Ten season opener.
- Before the 2018 Friday game at Illinois, Penn State last played a regular season game on a Friday on Nov. 26, 1982. No. 2 Penn State defeated No. 5 Pittsburgh, 19-10, that day. That game secured the Nittany Lions' Sugar Bowl berth, where they went on to defeat No. 1 Georgia for the program's first National Championship.
- The Maryland game marks Penn State's seventh Friday night regular-season game. Penn State's very first night game was played on Friday, Oct. 31, 1941 at the Polo Grounds against NYU. The Lions are 5-1 in Friday night games, with all six taking place on the road or at neutral sites.
- Penn State is playing a Big Ten game on a Friday for the second time (Illinois, 2018).
PENN STATE IN 27th BIG TEN SEASON
- After 106 years as an independent in football, Penn State began play in the Big Ten Conference in 1993 and is playing its 27th season in the conference.
- The Nittany Lions were outright Big Ten Champions in 1994 and 2016 and shared titles with Ohio State in 2005 and 2008.
- Penn State beat Oregon to win the 1995 Rose Bowl and played USC in the 2009 and 2017 Rose Bowls.
B1G OPENERS OVER THE YEARS
- Penn State owns a 13-13 record in Big Ten opening contests.
- Penn State is opening the Big Ten season on the road for the 18th time in its 27 seasons in the league. The Nittany Lions are 9-8 on the road in openers.
- Penn State is opening the Big Ten season on the road for a third-straight year, the ninth time in the last 10 years and 13th time in the last 16 years.
- Penn State is opening against Maryland for the first time in program history.
- The Nittany Lions have also played Illinois (4), Iowa (4), Wisconsin (4), Indiana (3), Minnesota (3), Ohio State (3), Michigan (2), Rutgers (2) and Northwestern (1) in Big Ten openers.
PENN STATE VS. THE BIG TEN
- Penn State has won 22 out of its last 27 games against Big Ten opponents.
- Penn State won 13 consecutive games against Big Ten opponents from 2016-17, breaking its record of 12 from 1993-94.
- Penn State owns a 214-104-3 mark against Big Ten Conference teams since the Nittany Lions first opposed Ohio State in 1912.
- The Nittany Lions began play as a member of the Big Ten Conference in 1993 and have a 133-78 mark.
- Penn State played 109 games vs. the current Big Ten alignment when either or both Penn State itself (prior to 1993) or the opponent (Nebraska prior to 2011; Maryland and Rutgers prior to 2014) was not yet a member of the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions went 80-26-3 in those games.
NITTANY LIONS FROM MARYLAND
- LB Cam Brown - Burtonsville/Bullis School
- CB Tariq Castro-Fields - Upper Marlboro/Riverdale Baptist School
- K Rafael Checa - Chevy Chase/St. John's College H.S.
- DT Dvon Ellies – Burtonsville/McDonogh School
- WR Daniel George - Fort Washington/Oxon Hill
- DT PJ Mustipher - Owings Mills/McDonogh School
- CB Makai Self- Upper Marlboro/IMG Academy (Fla.)
- DE Shane Simmons - Laurel/DeMatha Catholic
- WR Cam Sullivan-Brown - Bowie/Saint Vincent Pallotti
- OL Rasheed Walker - Waldorf/North Point
- OL Anthony Whigan - Lexington Park/Great Mills
PENN STATE-MARYLAND CONNECTIONS
- Penn State junior DE Shane Simmons played with Maryland freshmen DB Nick Cross, QB Eric Najarian, and LB Kobi Thomas, redshirt freshmen OL Austin Fontaine and OL Evan Gregory, sophomores RB Anthony McFarland Jr. and OL Marcus Minor, junior RB Lorenzo Harrison III and seniors OL Terrance Davis, DB Tino Ellis, DL Oluwaseun Oluwatimi, WR Chris Jones at WR DJ Turner at DeMatha Catholic in Maryland.
- Maryland running backs coach Elijah Brooks was Simmons' high school head coach.
- Penn State sophomore WR Cam Sullivan-Brown played with Maryland juniors OL Tyler Hamilton and TE Zack Roski at Saint Vincent Palotti in Maryland.
- Penn State sophomore DT PJ Mustipher, redshirt freshman OL Will Knutsson and freshman DT Dvon Ellies along with Maryland graduate DB Kareem Montgomery, seniors LB Wyatt Cook, OL Ellis McKennie and K Mike Shinsky and redshirt freshman WR DeJuan Ellis all attended The McDonogh School in Maryland.
- Penn State sophomore WR KJ Hamler, and freshmen CB Makai Self and RB Noah Cain along with Maryland graduate LB Shaq Smith and TE Tyler Mabry all attended IMG Academy (Fla.).
COACHING STAFF CONNECTIONS
- Penn State head coach James Franklin spent eight seasons on staff at Maryland. He was the Terrapins' asst. head coach/offensive coordinator (2008-10) and recruiting coordinator/wide receivers coach (2000-04).
- Franklin and Maryland head coach Michael Locksley coached together on Maryland's staff from 2000-02. Franklin was the wide receivers coach and Locksley was the running backs coach.
- Franklin and Maryland defensive line coach Delbert Cowsette were on the Terps coaching staff together from 2008-09.
- Penn State co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Tim Banks served on the Maryland defensive coaching staff from 2003-06.
- Penn State tight ends coach Tyler Bowen served as Maryland's offensive line coach in 2017, as a graduate assistant from 2011-12, a student assistant in 2010 and played for the Terps for three seasons until injuries ended his career.
- Penn State wide receivers coach Gerad Parker worked with Maryland co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Joker Phillips at Kentucky in 2007. Parker was a graduate assistant while Phillips was the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach.
- Assistant AD of performance enhancement Dwight Galt is a graduate of Maryland and spent 22 years with the Maryland strength & conditioning staff. His sons, Dwight IV and Tommy, both played at Maryland and are former members of the Nittany Lions' staff.
- Penn State assistant athletics director, chief of staff of football administration Kevin Threlkel served as a football operations intern at Maryland in 2009 and program management specialist in 2010.
COMING OFF A BYE
- Penn State is coming off its first of two bye weeks this season (Sept. 21 & Nov. 2).
- The last time Penn State had two bye weeks in a season was during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. The Nittany Lions went 0-4 following those bye weeks, coming up short against Indiana (Oct. 5) and Ohio State (Oct. 26) in 2013 and Michigan (Oct. 11) and Ohio State (Oct. 25) in 2014.
- Penn State has a 17-15 record after a bye week since starting Big Ten competition in 1993.
- Michigan State snapped a two-game, post-bye week winning streak for Penn State with a 21-17 win last season that included a thrilling win over No. 2 Ohio State in 2016 and a Penn State White Out rout of Michigan in 2017.
LIONS UNDER THE LIGHTS
- The 2019 season marks the 19th straight with at least one regular-season night game on the schedule and the 11th since 2000 with multiple night games in the same season.
- The Maryland game is Penn State's second night game of the season after previously defeating Buffalo, 45-13 (Sept. 7) under the lights.
- Game times for the final seven games of the regular season have not been announced.
- Penn State's only losses in its last 12 night games are both to Ohio State.
- Penn State is 52-31 at night all-time. The figure breaks down to 15-10 at home, 25-14 on the road and 12-7 in neutral site games. Penn State is 1-1 at regular season neutral sites, 11-6 in bowl games and 1-0 in conference championship games.
- On Oct. 12, 2013, the Lions claimed the longest game in Big Ten history when they edged Michigan under the lights, 43-40, in four overtimes in front of a sellout Beaver Stadium crowd of 107,844 on Homecoming.
COACH TO CURE MD
- In conjunction with the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), college football coaches nationwide, including Penn State's, will wear patches on the sidelines for Coach To Cure MD presented by Werner Ladder
- Coach to Cure MD is an initiative of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), the largest, most comprehensive nonprofit organization in the U.S. focused entirely on Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
- Now in its twelfth year, Coach To Cure MD, annually involves over 10,000 football coaches at over 500 college and high school programs, making it the largest national game day charity event in football.
- To donate $25 to Coach To Cure MD, text the word "CURE" to 501501. You can also visit COACHTOCUREMD.ORG to make a donation.
COMPLEMENTARY FOOTBALL
- The Nittany Lions have played complementary football over the last three-plus years (2016-19) and it shows in the national landscape.
- Over the last three-plus years the Penn State offense is:
- Tied for eighth in FBS in points per possession (2.32).
- Third in FBS in points per play (1.72).
- Seventh in FBS in scoring offense (39.85).
- Ninth in FBS in scoring percentage (43.06).
- 11th in FBS in touchdown percentage (34.34).
- 9th in FBS in turnover percentage (12.46).
- Over the last three-plus years the Penn State defense is:
- Sixth in FBS in three-and-out percentage (28.04).
- 10th in FBS in yards per play (4.73).
- Tied for fourth in FBS in points per play (0.25).
- Seventh in FBS in points per possession (1.27).
- 10th in FBS in second half points allowed (9.33).
- Seventh in FBS in scoring percentage (24.87).
- 12th in FBS in touchdown percentage (17.46).
- Fifth in FBS in punt percentage (47.44).
- Ninth in FBS in scoring defense (18.11).
- 12th in FBS in percent of drives not crossing the 50-yard line (59.07).
- Sixth in FBS in percent of non-scoring drives (75.68).
- 10th in FBS in percent of drives of 25 yards or less (57.71).
CONTROLLING THE GAME
- The Nittany Lions have held a lead for 72.5 percent of their plays over the last three years (2017-19) to rank third in FBS, behind only Alabama and Clemson.
- Over a four-year span (2016-19), Penn State has held the lead for 63.3 percent of the plays, which is 10th among FBS schools.
- By comparison, from 2013-15, Penn State led for 42.8 percent (2760 of 6453) of its plays, to rank 69th in FBS.
WINNING WAYS
- Penn State is 34-9 over the past four seasons (2016-19), which is tied for the seventh-best record in FBS.
- Dating back to 2015, Penn State has won 27 of its last 30 home games.
- Penn State's 47 wins over the last six years (2014-19) rank tied for 13th in FBS and third in the Big Ten (Ohio State, 66; Wisconsin, 56).
- Penn State's 90 wins over the last 11 years (2009-19) rank tied for 16th in FBS and fourth in the Big Ten (Ohio State, 119; Wisconsin, 105; Michigan State, 94).
- Penn State's 130 wins over the last 15 years rank tied for 13th in FBS and third in the Big Ten (Ohio State, 162; Wisconsin, 143).
- In 2018, Penn State clinched its 14th consecutive winning season. Only four other FBS teams have had a winning season each of the last 14 years (Oklahoma, Boise State, LSU, Wisconsin).
- Over those 14 consecutive winning seasons, Penn State has totaled at least nine wins in nine seasons, including the last three seasons.
- Head coach James Franklin has guided his teams to a winning record each of the last seven seasons (2 at Vanderbilt, 5 at Penn State).
STREAKING
- Sophomore WR KJ Hamler has a reception in all 16 games of his career.
- Sophomore TE Pat Freiermuth has a reception in his last 15 games (all but his first career game).
- Junior K Jordan Stout has earned a touchback on each of his last 23 kickoffs.
- Freshman RB Noah Cain has a rushing touchdown in all three games of his career.
- Sophomore Jake Pinegar has hit 28-straight extra point attempts and four-straight field goal attempts.
- Sophomore QB Sean Clifford has made 75 pass attempts without an interception.
- Penn State has won 10 consecutive games over non-conference opponents during the regular season, dating back to a win over Temple in 2016.
- The Nittany Lions have won 16-straight non-conference regular-season home games, dating back to a win over Kent State in 2013.
- Penn State has won its last 10 games against Big Ten West Division opponents, dating back to an overtime win over Minnesota on Oct. 1, 2016.
MILESTONE WATCH
- KJ Hamler is 210 yards shy of 2,000 all-purpose yards.
- ... 1 yard shy of 1,000 career receiving yards.
- ... 420 yards shy of 1,000 career kickoff return yards.
- Pat Freiermuth is 492 yards shy of 1,000 career receiving yards.
- Sean Clifford is 24 yards shy of 1,000 career passing yards.
- Ricky Slade is 222 yards shy of 500 career rushing yards.
- Jahan Dotson is 154 yards shy of 500 career receiving yards.
- John Reid is two tackles shy of 100 career tackles.
- Robert Windsor is 11 tackles shy of 100 career tackles.
- Yetur Gross-Matos is 23 tackles shy of 100 career tackles.
- Jake Pinegar is 29 extra points shy of 100 career extra points made
- ... is 22 points shy of 150 points scored.
MILESTONES ACHIEVED
- Pat Freiermuth surpassed 500 career receiving yards with a 16-yard reception vs. Pitt.
- Micah Parsons surpassed 100 career tackles with nine vs. Pitt.
- Garrett Taylor surpassed 100 career tackles with seven tackles - including one on second-and-goal from the 1 in the second quarter - against Pitt.
- Jan Johnson surpassed 100 career tackles with a 14-tackle effort against Buffalo.
- Yetur Gross-Matos surpassed 25 career tackles for loss with a sack against Buffalo.
- KJ Hamler surpassed 1,500 all-purpose yards with a 159-yard effort in the season opener against Idaho.
PILING UP THE POINTS
- Penn State ranks fourth in FBS averaging 47.0 points per game.
- Penn State scored 124 points (79 vs. Idaho; 45 vs. Buffalo) in its first two games, the second-highest total in the first two games of the season in school history. In 1894, Penn State opened the season with a combined 132 points in the first two games, scoring 60 against Gettysburg in the opener and 72 vs. Lafayette in the second game.
- Penn State has scored at least 50 points eight times since 2016.
- Penn State has scored 40 points 17 times since 2016. By comparison, from 2008 until 2016, the Nittany Lions had 18 40-point outings.
- Penn State has scored 30 or more points 26 times in the last 34 games.
- Penn State has scored 20 or more points in 35 of its last 38 games.
- The Nittany Lions scored 28 points in the third quarter of the Buffalo game, the most in a single quarter since they scored 35 in the fourth quarter of last season's game at Illinois.
- The 28-point third stanza marked the highest scoring by Penn State in a third quarter since the Nittany Lions had 28 points in the third quarter of the 2017 Rose Bowl Game vs. USC.
- Penn State had a high-scoring season-opener, scoring 79 points for its highest single-game total since an 81-0 win over Cincinnati in the 1991 home opener.
- Penn State's 44 points in the first half vs. Idaho were its most in an opening half since scoring 56 at Illinois in 2005.
- The 72-point margin of victory over the Vandals is tied for the 10th-biggest in Penn State history and is the largest since the 1991 Cincinnati game (81).
- The 79 points vs. Idaho are the second-most scored since 1921 and are tied for the sixth-most in program history.
- The last time Penn State scored at least 70 points was a 70-24 win over Akron in 1999.
GREEN LIGHT IN THE RED ZONE
- Dating back to 2017, Penn State has scored on 90 of its last 95 red zone trips, including 72 touchdowns.
- This season, Penn State is 12-for-12 in the red zone with nine touchdowns.
- Penn State is one of 12 teams to stay perfect in the red zone through the first four weeks of the season.
- Penn State is seventh in red zone scoring over the last three-plus years (2016-19) with a scoring rate of 88.78 percent.
LONG JOURNEY
- In his first career start, RB Journey Brown's 85-yard run against Pittsburgh was the second-longest non-scoring run in school history. Blair Thomas had a 92-yard rush vs. Syracuse in 1986.
- Brown's 85-yard rush was the longest rush by a Nittany Lion since Saquon Barkley had a 92-yard dash against Washington in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl.
- The 85-yard rush led Brown to a career-high 109 yards for the day on a personal-best 10 carries for his first career 100-yard game.
- It was also Penn State's second run of 80 or more yards this season, joining an 81-yard run by Devyn Ford against Idaho.
FRESHMAN FINDS THE END ZONE
- True freshman RB Noah Cain scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the season against Pittsburgh.
- Cain is tied for second in FBS in rushing touchdowns by freshmen with Wyoming's Sean Chambers. Washington's Richard Newton leads with five.
- Overall, Cain ranks 23rd in FBS and sixth in the BIg Ten.
- Cain is the first Penn State freshman to rush for at least four touchdowns in the first three games of a season since QB Michael Robinson rushed for five touchdowns in the first three games of 2002.
EXPLOSIVE PLAYS
- Explosive plays have been a key part of Penn State's offense this season.
- Penn State ranks:
- Seventh in FBS in 15-plus yard pass play percentage (23 plays, 25.84%)
- 14th in FBS big play percentage (12-plus yard runs & 15-plus yard passes) 17.37% (33-of-190)
- Third in FBS with 2.63% of plays going for 50 yards or more.
- Accordingly, 83.6 percent (56-of-67) of Penn State's first downs this season have come on first or second down, which ranks third in FBS.
NOT GOING ANYWHERE
- Penn State is allowing just 70.7 yards rushing per game to rank ninth in FBS and fourth in the Big Ten.
- Penn State is allowing just 1.91 yards per rush to rank fifth in FBS and fourth in the Big Ten.
- Penn State allowed just 24 rushing yards against Pitt, tied for the third-fewest given up by the Nittany Lions under James Franklin.
- Two of the four lowest rushing yard totals allowed under Franklin have been established this season, with 4 yards allowed to Idaho and 24 yards allowed to Pitt.
- The Nittany Lion defense held Idaho to just 4 rushing yards, the fewest since allowing 3 yards to UMass in 2014 and the second-fewest under James Franklin.
- Penn State gave up just 145 yards of total offense to Idaho, which are the fewest since allowing 87 yards to Rutgers in 2016 and the second-lowest total under Franklin.
- It was the fifth time under Franklin the Nittany Lions have given up less than 200 yards of total offense.
LIMITED ACCESS
- Penn State has held eight of its last nine regular-season non-conference opponents to 14 points or less, dating back to 2017.
- Penn State's average of 10.0 points allowed this season, ranks fourth in FBS and third in the Big Ten.
CAUSING CHAOS BEHIND THE LINE
- Penn State continues to rank near the top of the sacks and tackles for loss national rankings, ranking 13th with 3.67 sacks per game and fourth with 10.3 tackles for loss per game.
- Penn State has posted double-digit tackles for loss in three consecutive games (11 vs. Idaho; 10 vs. Buffalo; 10 vs. Pitt) for the first time since opening 2007 by accomplishing the feat in four consecutive games (10 vs. FIU; 10 vs. Notre Dame; 10 vs. Buffalo; 15 vs. Michigan).
- Penn State's 11.0 tackles for loss in the season opener against Idaho were the most since recording 15.0 vs. Maryland last year.
- Penn State's 7.0 sacks against Idaho were the most since notching 7.0 vs. Kent State last season.
- DE Yetur Gross-Matos leads Penn State with 3.5 sacks to rank tied for eighth in FBS.
- Penn State's 3.32 sacks per game over the last five years (2015-19) are the second most in FBS, trailing Clemson (3.38).
- Penn State's 186 sacks over the last five years (2015-19 are second only to Clemson (213) and Alabama (201), the teams that have won the last four National Championships.
- Penn State has posted four consecutive 40-plus sack seasons for the first time in program history after totaling 47 last season, 42 in 2017, 40 in 2016 and 46 in 2015.
- In 2018, Penn State led the country in sacks per game (3.62) and ranked fourth and led the Big Ten in tackles for loss (8.2) per game.
PRODUCTION FROM LINEBACKER U
- Starting linebackers Jan Johnson (21), Micah Parsons (20) and Cam Brown (18) lead the Nittany Lions in tackles.
- Johnson recorded his first full sack and first career forced fumble against Pitt and totaled six tackles, earning a place on the Pro Football Focus National Team of the Week.
- See Season Honors on Page 17
- Parsons, who led Penn State with 83 tackles as a true freshman last season, has 103 tackles for his career.
- Brown was key in Penn State's win over Pitt, forcing a pair of throw-aways with his pressure on the quarterback as the Panthers ultimately came up empty despite first-and-goal at the 1 in the fourth quarter.