- OPENING KICK: The No. 12/11 Nittany Lions welcome home Penn State alumni for the 100th Homecoming game Saturday against Purdue. Kickoff is set for noon on ESPN.
- BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Penn State QB Sean Clifford was named the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week. Against Maryland, Clifford set personal bests with 26 completions on 31 attempts for 398 yards, including a Penn State-record 287 yards in the first half, and 452 yards of total offense. Three of his throws went for touchdowns and he earned his first career rushing touchdown on the Lions' first play from scrimmage.
- BOILERS RETURN: Purdue is making its first visit to Beaver Stadium since 2013. The teams last met in 2016 when Penn State rolled to a 62-24 victory.
- B1G PASSING ATTACKS: Purdue (351.0 ypg) and Penn State (316.0 ypg) rank first and second, respectively, in the Big Ten in passing yardage. Purdue's Elijah Sindelar (326.0 ypg) and Penn State's Sean Clifford (294.8 ypg) also rank Nos. 1 and 2 in the conference, but Sindelar is out with an injury this week. Freshman Jack Plummer went 23-of-41 for 245 yards and a touchdown after entering in the second quarter last week against Minnesota in relief of Sindelar.
- BEHIND ENEMY LINES: Looking to post its fifth consecutive 40-plus sack season, Penn State is averaging 3.75 sacks per game, led by defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, who has 3.5 this season to rank in a tie for third in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions are also averaging 9.8 tackles for loss per game to rank third in FBS. Gross-Matos also leads Penn State in that category and ranks seventh in the Big Ten with 1.4 per game.
- THE OPPOSITION: Purdue is 1-3 this season, defeating Vanderbilt in Week 2 and most recently coming up short in its Big Ten opener against Minnesota. The Boilermakers lead the Big Ten in passing offense, but rank last in rushing offense (68.3 ypg) for a seventh-place total offense ranking (419.3 ypg). The Boilers returned first-team All-American and reigning Big Ten Freshman and Wide Receiver of the Year Rondale Moore, who leads the Big Ten with 7.3 receptions per game and ranks third with 96.3 receiving yards per game, but he will miss this week's game with an injury.
HEAD COACH JEFF BROHM
- Jeff Brohm is in his third season as Purdue's head coach and has guided the Boilers to bowl appearances in his first two seasons.
- Brohm came to the Boilermakers from Western Kentucky, where he compiled a 30-10 overall record and guided the Hilltoppers to Conference USA Championships in 2015 and 2016.
- Previously, Brohm served as an assistant coach at Louisville (2003-08), Florida Atlantic (2009), Illinois (2010-11), UAB (2012) and Western Kentucky (2013).
- As a student-athlete, Brohm was a three-year starter at quarterback for Louisville from 1989 to 1993.
SCOUTING THE BOILERMAKERS
- In 2018, Purdue went 6-7, highlighted by a 49-20 rout of then-No. 2 Ohio State and an appearance in the Music City Bowl.
- Purdue uses a pass-heavy offensive attack, with pass attempts and sacks accounting for 65.5 percent of the Boilermakers plays this season.
- Purdue ranks last in the conference in total defense (451.0) and is averaging 32.5 points allowed per game to rank 13th in the conference. Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan set an opponent record last week by completing 95.4 percent (21-of-22) of his passes against the Purdue defense.
NITTANY LION FROM INDIANA
- WR Mac Hippenhammer – Fort Wayne/R. Nelson Snider
PENN STATE-PURDUE CONNECTIONS
- Penn State junior WR KJ Hamler, freshman RB Noah Cain and freshman CB Makai Self and Purdue freshman WR Grant Summers all attended IMG Academy in Florida.
- Penn State junior CB Donovan Johnson played with Purdue freshman S Jalen Graham at Cass Tech in Michigan.
- Penn State sophomore WR Mac Hippenhammer and Purdue redshirt defensive lineman Lawrence Johnson played together at R. Nelson Snider in Indiana.
- Penn State freshman LB Lance Dixon and Purdue senior safety Navon Mosley both attended West Bloomfield in Michigan.
- Penn State passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach Gerad Parker served on the Purdue coaching staff from 2013-16. He was Purdue's interim head coach when Penn State faced Purdue in 2016.
SUCCESS ON HOMECOMING
- The Nittany Lions own a 71-23-5 record in 99 games in front of the alumni crowd since their 14-7 victory over Dartmouth in the first Homecoming game on Oct. 9, 1920.
- Last season, the Nittany Lions were defeated by Michigan State, 21-17, snapping a three-game Homecoming winning streak.
- Penn State has won six out of its last eight Homecoming tilts, defeating Rutgers (2017), Maryland (2016), Indiana (2015), Michigan (2013), Northwestern (2012) and Purdue (2011).
- The Nittany Lions have claimed 11 of their last 14 contests in front of the alumni crowd.
- This is the fifth time Penn State will square off against Purdue in a Homecoming game. The Nittany Lions are a perfect 4-0 against the Boilermakers with wins in 1996 (31-14), 1998 (31-13), 2005 (33-15) and 2011 (23-18).
GENERATIONS OF GREATNESS
- Penn State is turning back the clock for its "Generations of Greatness" game, as the Nittany Lions will don uniforms with designs elements from uniforms past.
- Penn State last wore its "Generations of Greatness" uniforms in 2017 against Indiana.
- Uniform Elements
- Numbers on Helmets – The Nittany Lions had the number on the side of their helmet from 1959-61 and then again from 1967-74. A No. 42 also appeared on the side of every Penn State helmet in the season finale against Wisconsin in 2012 to honor injured senior Michael Mauti.
- Block Uniform Numbers – The block uniform numbers are similar to those uniform numbers that donned the Blue & White from mid-1950s-66.
- White Stripe on Sleeve – Penn State's uniform had a white stripe on the sleeve several times, including 1957-66, 1982-89 and 1992-2011.
- Stripe on the Pants – The Nittany Lions had a blue stripe on their pants from 1952-68.
- Gray Facemask – The gray facemask was donned by the Nittany Lions from 1959-86.
- White Cleats – The white cleats were worn by the Nittany Lions in the 1979 Sugar Bowl.
- Gloves – The gloves will feature the Lion Shrine on the palm of the hands.
- Lion Shrine – The image of Lion Shrine appears on the "home plate" of the front of the jersey. It is an original element of the "Generations of Greatness" uniform to pay homage to the Lion Shrine that was a gift from the Class of 1940.
- Back Inside Collar – The back inside collar of the jersey reads "Penn State 1959" in recognition of the first Liberty Bowl game, played in Philadelphia. Penn State defeated Alabama, 7-0.
WINNING THE WEST
- 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.
- The streak includes Penn State's Big Ten Championship Game victory over Wisconsin in 2016 and three wins over Iowa.
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:
- Seventh in FBS in points per possession (2.35).
- Third in FBS in points per play (1.72).
- Seventh in FBS in scoring offense (40.60).
- Eighth in FBS in scoring percentage (43.58).
- 10th in FBS in touchdown percentage (34.90).
- Ninth in FBS in turnover percentage (12.33).
- Over the last three-plus years the Penn State defense is:
- First in FBS in plays per point (4.99).
- Sixth in FBS in three-and-out percentage (28.57).
- Seventh in FBS in yards per play (4.77).
- Seventh in FBS in points per possession (1.24).
- 10th in FBS in second half points allowed (9.11).
- Sixth in FBS in scoring percentage (24.27).
- Ninth in FBS in touchdown percentage (17.04).
- Fifth in FBS in punt percentage (47.85).
- Eighth in FBS in scoring defense (17.48).
- 11th in FBS in percent of drives not crossing the 50-yard line (59.93).
- Sixth in FBS in percent of non-scoring drives (76.25).
- Eighth in FBS in percent of drives of 25 yards or less (58.36).
BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
- QB Sean Clifford was named the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week and to the Davey O'Brien Award Great 8 of the Week list following the Maryland game.
- At Maryland, Clifford set personal bests with 26 completions on 31 attempts for 398 yards.
- Clifford had 287 passing yards in the first half to break the Penn State record of 258 yards by Trace McSorley against Georgia State in 2017.
- Clifford had his first career 300-yard passing game with a career-high 398 passing yards to surpass his previous high of 280 against Idaho to open the season.
- Clifford's 300-yard game is the 40th in Penn State history.
- Clifford's 398 yards rank third in Penn State single-game history, behind Christian Hackenberg (454; vs. UCF, 2014) and Zack Mills (299, vs. Iowa, 2002).
- It was his fourth-consecutive 200-yard game.
- Three of his throws went for touchdowns and he earned his first career rushing touchdown on the Lions' first play from scrimmage.
- With 54 yards rushing, Clifford totaled 452 yards of total offense, which ranks as the third-most in a single game in school history.
CONTROLLING THE GAME
- The Nittany Lions have held a lead for 73.3 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 64.0 percent of the plays, which is seventh among FBS schools.
- By comparison, from 2013-15, PSU led for 42.8 percent (2,760 of 6,453) of its plays, to rank 69th in FBS.
STREAKING
- Sophomore WR KJ Hamler has a reception in all 17 games of his career.
- Sophomore TE Pat Freiermuth has a reception in his last 16 games (all but his first career game).
- Sophomore Jake Pinegar has hit 36-straight extra point attempts and four-straight field goal attempts.
- Sophomore QB Sean Clifford has thrown for at least 200 yards in his last four games.
- 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.
- 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.
- The Nittany Lions have won their last 14 consecutive against their neighbors (schools within 250 miles of Beaver Stadium).
PILING UP THE POINTS
- Penn State ranks fifth in FBS averaging 50.0 points per game.
- Penn State has scored at least 50 points nine times since 2016.
- Penn State has scored 40 points 18 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 27 times in the last 35 games.
- Penn State has scored 20 or more points in 36 of its last 39 games.
- 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.
- 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 97 of its last 102 red zone trips, including 78 touchdowns.
- This season, Penn State is 19-for-19 in the red zone with 15 touchdowns.
- Penn State is one of eight teams to stay perfect in the red zone this season, joining Iowa, LSU, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Tulane, UConn and UTEP.
- Penn State is first in red zone scoring over the last three-plus years (2016-19) with a scoring rate of 89.16 percent.
EXPLOSIVE PLAYS
- Explosive plays have been a key part of Penn State's offense this season.
- Penn State ranks:
- Sixth in FBS in 15-plus yard pass play percentage (33 plays, 25.58%).
- 11th in FBS big play percentage (12-plus yard runs & 15-plus yard passes) at 17.34 percent (44-of-271).
- Fourth in FBS with 2.58 percent of plays (7 plays) going for 50 yards or more.
- Accordingly, 79.8 percent (79-of-99) of Penn State's first downs this season have come on first or second down, which ranks eighth in FBS.
EARLY SEASON PASSING PRODUCTIVITY
- QB Sean Clifford is the third Penn State quarterback since 2000 to throw for at least nine touchdowns and 1,000 yards in the first four games of a season, joining Matt McGloin (2012) and Trace McSorley (2017).
- Clifford became the first Penn State quarterback to open a season with six touchdown passes in the first two games since Daryll Clark did the same in 2009.
- Clark and Clifford are the only two Penn State quarterbacks to accomplish the feat since 2000.
EFFICIENT AND CONSISTENT
- QB Sean Clifford's 16.84 passing yards per completion ranks fifth in FBS and leads the Big Ten.
- Clifford's 11.12 yards per pass attempt ranks sixth in FBS and is second in the Big Ten.
- Clifford's 294.8 passing yards per game ranks second in the Big Ten.
- Clifford threw for 398 yards at Maryland, ranking third in Penn State single-game history, behind Christian Hackenberg (454; vs. UCF, 2014) and Zack Mills (299, vs. Iowa, 2002).
- Clifford ranks third in the Big Ten and seventh in FBS with a 185.6 passing efficiency rating.
- Clifford's 18 completions of 20 or more yards rank tied for 22nd in FBS.
- Clifford threw for 398 yards at Maryland for his fourth-straight 200-yard game.
DUAL THREAT
- QB Sean Clifford (1,179 passing yds; 9 passing TDs; 167 rushing yds) is one of four FBS quarterbacks with at least 1,000 yards passing, nine passing touchdowns and 150 rushing yards rushing this season, joining Texas' Sam Ehlinger (1,237 passing yds; 15 passing TDs; 191 rushing yds), Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts (1,295 passing yds; 12 passing TDs; 443 rushing yds) and Wake Forest's Jamie Newman (1,278 yds; 12 passing TDs; 160 rushing yds).
- Averaging 336.5 yards of total offense per game, Clifford leads the Big Ten and ranks 12th in FBS.
- Clifford totaled the third-most yards of total offense in a game in school history at Maryland with 452 (398 pass, 54 rush).
- Clifford is second on the team with 167 yards rushing.
- Clifford had a career-long 58-yard rush against Buffalo and his first career rushing touchdown at Maryland.
- Clifford ranks 14th all-time at Penn State with 164 career rushing yards by a quarterback.
LOW SCORING
- Penn State is second in scoring defense overall, allowing just 7.5 points per game to trail only Wisconsin (7.3 ppg).
- Penn State has not allowed a point in the first quarter this season and is one of three teams in the country yet to do so (Missouri, Oklahoma).
- Penn State is tied for second in FBS in third-quarter points allowed (0.75) and is second in second-half points allowed (2.5).
- At Maryland, the Nittany Lions posted their first shutout since the Georgia State game in 2017, first Big Ten shutout since 2016 (seventh overall in Big Ten play) and first of Maryland since 1970.
- It was also Penn State's largest road shutout since beating Fordham, 75-0, in 1947 and largest shutout in a Big Ten game.
- Dating back to last season, Penn State has held its last six regular season opponents to 13 points or less.
- Penn State has held eight of its last nine regular-season non-conference opponents to 14 points or less, dating back to 2017.
NOT GOING ANYWHERE
- Penn State is allowing just 68.0 yards rushing per game to rank seventh in FBS and third in the Big Ten.
- Penn State is allowing just 1.88 yards per rush to rank third in FBS and the Big Ten behind Wisconsin (1.71) and Michigan State (1.86).
- The 128 yards of total offense allowed at Maryland ranks second in a Big Ten game in program history behind the 87 yards allowed to Rutgers in 2016.
- It was the sixth time under James Franklin the Nittany Lions have given up less than 200 yards of total offense.
- The 68 passing yards allowed at Maryland are tied for the seventh-fewest given up by the Nittany Lions in a Big Ten game.
- The 10 first downs allowed at Maryland are the seventh-fewest allowed in a Big Ten game in program history.
- 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 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.
TAKEAWAYS
- Penn State has four takeaways this season to rank sixth in the Big Ten and 27th in FBS.
- Penn State's four interceptions rank sixth in the Big Ten and 49th in FBS. CB John Reid leads Penn State with two picks, while LB Jan Johnson and CB Tariq Castro-Fields added picks at Maryland.
- LB Cam Brown and CB Keaton Ellis have both recovered fumbles.
SOLID IN THE MIDDLE
- Penn State is not leaving early for halftime or returning late, boasting a plus-9.3 scoring differential in the middle eight minutes of the game that ranks fourth in FBS.
- Penn State owns a plus-7.0 scoring differential in the first four minutes of the second half, which ranks tied for first in FBS with Oklahoma.
- Penn State has not allowed a point in the first four minutes of the second half this season.