Tuesday Roundup: Penn State vs. Purdue
Penn State (4-0, 1-0) welcomes the Purdue Boilermakers (1-3, 0-1) to Happy Valley for the 100thHomecoming game in program history. The Nittany Lions are coming off their first conference victory of the season, while Purdue suffered its third loss of the season during a week four matchup with Minnesota. Here's what we learned from Tuesday's press conference with head coach James Franklin and defensive tackle Robert Windsor.
Setting the Stage
Coming off their most complete game of the season, the Nittany Lions welcome Purdue to State College for the first time since 2013. The Boilermakers will be without two of its top playmakers in quarterback Elijah Sindelar and wide receiver Rondale Moore. Sindelar, who had surgery on Monday to repair a broken collarbone, led the Big Ten's top passing offense with an average of 351.0 yards per game.
"To be honest with you, I think our players and our staff would like for him to be playing in the game. You come to Penn State because you want to play against the best players and you want to play against the best teams," head coach James Franklin stated during his weekly press conference. "I think our players and our staff have an unbelievable amount of respect for Purdue, with the program and the university and their personnel. I don't know whether he's going to travel this week or not, but if he does, I'd love the opportunity to tell him what a fantastic football player he is and I'm a big fan."
Redshirt freshman Jack Plummer will take over at quarterback for the Boilermakers. Plummer went 23-of-41 for 245 yards and a touchdown following Elijah Sindelar's injury in the first quarter of the Minnesota game.
Across the field, Penn State is coming off a 59-0 shutout over Maryland. The Nittany Lion defense ranks second in the country allowing just 7.5 points per game. "The thing that's most surprising to me about these first weeks is how we swarm to the ball as a defense," said defensive tackle Robert Windsor. "There's the running back and they are surrounded by a bunch of Blue and White, so that's been really impressive to me."
Quarterback Sean Clifford was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week following an impressive record-breaking performance against the Terps. "Sean's [Clifford] first start on the road in the Big Ten, so we're very pleased," Franklin said. "The film really showed the same thing that we thought after the game. I thought probably the most impressive thing is the level that we played for four quarters with the twos, with the threes, and, at some spots, the fours. It was impressive. They played up to the standard for four quarters, so very pleased with that."
What to Watch
With the nation continuing to set eyes on Penn State, there are several things to watch for on Saturday. One thing to keep an eye on Saturday is tight end Brycen Hopkins wide receiver David Bell. "We've been impressed with Brycen Hopkins, who we know all the way back from our days in Nashville, who is having a really nice career there," Franklin said during his press conference. "David Bell, who we recruited and is playing at a really high level for them. Those guys jump out to us."
HBO
Throughout the week, Penn State has seen an increased presence in behind-the-scenes access as HBO features the Nittany Lions in HBO Sports' 24/7 college football show.
"You know, we have our own WPSU around so much and they do such a fantastic job for us. The more we kind of went through it, I said, you know, the reality is, it's not going to be a whole lot different than what we already have, and it's not like these guys are walking around with like HBO plastered all around them. We have cameras around our building all the time," head coach James Franklin said. "After talking to the leadership council about it and after talking to the coaching staff, we just felt like it was the right thing to do.We've got just such a wonderful university here and program and history and traditions and the community and the type of support that we get; that I want to make sure that everybody in the United States knows how special this place is. To be able to have somebody like HBO that has tremendous expertise in doing this; to be able to peak behind the curtain and allow people maybe a more comprehensive review of how we do things, I think is important."
Defensive tackle Robert Windsor added: "I think it's going to be fun to watch just because it's about us, but nothing's really changed. It's just another camera in the room. Everyone is kind of going about their business as usual."
Game Information
No. 12/11 Penn State welcomes Purdue to Beaver Stadium for its second Big Ten showdown of the season. The 100thHomecoming game is set to kickoff at noon and can be seen on ESPN. Fans are encouraged to check Game Day Central on GoPSUsports.com for all your game day information.
