UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State welcomes Nebraska on Saturday for a Big Ten matchup and Senior Day. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on NBC.
SERIES HISTORY: Penn State meets Nebraska for the 19th time in program history. The Nittany Lions trail 10-8 in the all-time series. The Nittany Lions are 6-3 in home matchups as the teams meet in West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium for the first time since 2017. The teams last met in 2020 with PSU falling 30-23 in Lincoln. The Nittany Lions rushed for 245 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing for 256 yards.
TWO PENN STATE ALUMS COACHING: Saturday's game will feature two Penn State alums as head coaches. Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith graduated from Penn State in 1991, while Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule graduated in 1997. It will mark the first time two Penn State alums are serving as head coaches in an FBS game since Temple (Rhule) vs. UConn (Paul Pasqualoni) on November 23, 2013. It will be the first time two Penn State alums are serving as head coaches in a Division I game since Albany (Greg Gattuso, current PSU senior defensive analyst) vs. Richmond (Danny Rocco) on October 8, 2016.
DYNAMIC DUO: After posting a career-high 181 rushing yards and two touchdowns at Michigan State, Kaytron Allen now has 3,794 career rushing yards. He trails only Saquon Barkley (3,843; 2015-17) and Evan Royster (3,932; 2007-10) for the Penn State career rushing record. Allen now has 36 career rushing touchdowns and 40 total touchdowns, tied for fourth all-time at PSU in both. Nicholas Singleton moved into fifth all-time at PSU with 3,331 career rushing yards. With 41 career rushing touchdowns and 51 career total touchdowns, Singleton is closing in on Barkley's all-time marks (43 rushing touchdowns, 53 total touchdowns).
BLOCKED PUNTS: In the second quarter at Michigan State, Dani Dennis-Sutton blocked his third punt of the season and earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. He is tied with Jack Ham (3; 1968) and Andre Collins (3; 1989) for the PSU season record. He is also one off the career record held by Ham (4; 1968-70) and Collins (4; 1986-89). The Nittany Lions have now blocked four punts in a season for the first time since 1999 and blocked five kicks (four punts, one field goal) in a season for the first time since 2004 (7).
THE OPPOSITION: Nebraska is 7-3 this season, including 4-3 in Big Ten play, after a 28-21 win at UCLA on November 8. TJ Lateef threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns. Emmett Johnson rushed for 129 yards and a score, while adding 103 receiving yards and two touchdowns. On defense, the Huskers tallied six tackles for loss and three sacks. DeShon Singleton led the squad with 11 tackles and a tackle for loss.
BY THE NUMBERS
2013 - Saturday is the first FBS game between two Penn State alum head coaches since 2013.
181 - Kaytron Allen rushed for a career-high 181 yards and two touchdowns at Michigan State, earning Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors.
4 - Penn State has four blocked punts in a season for the first time since 1999.
3 - Dani Dennis-Sutton notched his third blocked punt of the season against Michigan State, tying the PSU season record held by Jack Ham (1968) and Andre Collins (1989).
MICHIGAN STATE NOTES
- Penn State is now 20-18-1 all-time against Michigan State, including 8-11 in road matchups.
- The Nittany Lions are 19-10 in Land Grant Trophy games.
- Terry Smith earned his first win as Penn State Interim Head Coach.
- Penn State rushed for 240 yards on 50 carries. The Nittany Lions rushed for 240+ yards in a game for the first time since December 7, 2024 against Oregon.
- QB Ethan Grunkemeyer connected with WR Devonte Ross on a 75-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. It was Penn State’s longest completion since Drew Allar to Tyler Warren for 75 yards in the 2023 Peach Bowl vs. Ole Miss and Penn State’s longest touchdown pass since Sean Clifford to KeAndre Lambert-Smith for 88 yards in the 2023 Rose Bowl vs. Utah.
- RB Kaytron Allen finished the game with a career-high 181 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, averaging 7.2 yards per rush. Allen was the first Nittany Lion to rush for 180+ yards since Journey Brown rushed for 202 yards against Memphis in the 2019 Cotton Bowl. Allen was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week.
- Penn State shutout Michigan State in the second half. It was PSU’s first second-half shutout in a Big Ten game since November 30, 2024 vs. Maryland.
- DE Dani Dennis-Sutton recorded two sacks to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors.
- Dennis-Sutton also blocked a punt in the second quarter. It was his third blocked punt this season and Penn State’s fourth blocked punt of the year. The Nittany Lions have four blocked punts in a season for the first time since 1999 (4).
- With his third blocked punt this season, Dennis-Sutton tied Jack Ham (3; 1968) and Andre Collins (3; 1989) for the PSU season record.
- Penn State has five blocked kicks (four punts, one field goal) in a season for the first time since 2004 (7; two punts, five field goals).
SERIES HISTORY VS. NEBRASKA
- Penn State and Nebraska are set to meet for the 19th time with the Nittany Lions trailing 10-8 in the all-time series.
- PSU is 6-3 in home matchups and will host Nebraska for the first time since 2017.
- The teams last met in 2020 in Lincoln.
- Penn State rushed for 245 yards and two touchdowns, while throwing for 256 yards.
STORIED PROGRAMS MEET
- Penn State and Nebraska both rank among the top-10 programs in winning percentage and total victories in NCAA history.
- Four of the top-10 winningest programs, by total wins and winning percentage, in NCAA history are from the Big Ten.
- Penn State sits No. 7 in all-time victories (947) and No. 9 in winning percentage (.688).
- Nebraska sits eighth with 931 all-time victories and No. 10 with an all-time winning percentage of .677.
- The Nittany Lions and Cornhuskers are also among the most ranked teams in NCAA history according to the AP poll.
- Nebraska has spent 70 weeks ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll (7th all-time) and Penn State has earned the No. 1 ranking by the AP on 21 occasions (T-17th all-time). (Not including preseason rankings).
- Penn State’s 717 weeks ranked among the AP Top 25 ranks ninth all-time, while Nebraska's 733 weeks are the eighth-most in NCAA history.