Penn State Nittany Lions vs. #2 Ohio State Buckeyes The Records: Penn State (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten); Ohio State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten). The Head Coaches: Penn State: James Franklin, third season, 42-29 overall, 18-14 at Penn State; Ohio State: Urban Meyer, 56-4 record while head coach at Ohio State, 160-27 overall. The Game: Penn State returns to the field following its bye week with a primetime matchup against conference-rival Ohio State at Beaver Stadium on Saturday night. And for the ... Read More
Penn State enters second half of season primed to make statement
After a 49-10 dismantling at the hands of the Jim Harbaugh-led Michigan Wolverines, it looked like there might not be a bowl game in store for the Penn State Nittany Lions. But sitting at 2-2 and with talks about head coach James Franklin being on the hot seat intensifying, Penn State returned to the friendly confines of Beaver Stadium for the beginning of a three-game homestand. Up first was an undefeated Minnesota team, a team with 13 graduating seniors this season. The match-up between ... Read More
“Chaos” gives life to offense in win against Maryland
The Penn State offense picked up right where it left off last week with an 84-yard touchdown drive on the first series of the game en route to a 38-14 victory over Maryland. Up until Saturday's game, the Nittany Lions had struggled mightily in the first halves of games under head coach James Franklin. Following the victory against Minnesota, Franklin and his coaching staff instituted a “chaos” period in practices throughout the week to kick-start the offense against the Terrapins. The ... Read More
Terrapins head to Happy Valley for Homecoming match-up
Maryland Terrapins vs. Penn State Nittany Lions The Records: Penn State (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten); Maryland (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten). The Coaches: Penn State: James Franklin, third season, 41-29 overall, 17-14 at Penn State; Maryland: DJ Durkin, first season as a head coach, 4-0 overall. The Game: It's homecoming in Happy Valley as Penn State welcomes alumni and Maryland to Beaver Stadium for the second game of a three-game home-stand during Big Ten conference play. Maryland comes to State ... Read More
Barkley leads Penn State to victory in overtime
The recipe for victory in overtime for the Penn State Nittany Lions was simple: a single shot of Saquon Barkley and a 25-yard rush to the end zone for six points. Barkley had 38-yards on the ground through four quarters of football early Saturday evening, but his 25-yard touchdown on Penn State's first play in overtime gave the Nittany Lions the score they needed to beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers 29-26. “I think this is something our players needed. Everybody needed,” said head coach ... Read More
Franklin, PSU still trusting process despite injuries
There isn't a team in the country quite like the Penn State Nittany Lions — for a multitude of reasons. This year marks the first year since 2013 Penn State has had a full 85 scholarship allotment due to NCAA sanctions as a result of the 2012 child sex abuse scandal. For the past two seasons, the Nittany Lions had a reduced number of scholarships (75 in 2014 and 80 in 2015). Now, for the first time in his tenure at Penn State, third-year head coach James Franklin is on equal footing with ... Read More
Penn State heads to Big House to take on No. 4 Michigan
Penn State Nittany Lions vs. No. 4 Michigan Wolverines The Records: Penn State (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten); Michigan (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten). The Coaches: Penn State: James Franklin, third season, 40-28 overall, 16-13 at Penn State; Michigan: Jim Harbaugh, second season, 71-30 overall, 13-3 at Michigan. The Game: Penn State heads to Michigan to begin Big Ten conference play to the tune of nine-straight games against Big Ten foes. The Nittany Lions enter the game at 2-1 on the season, while Jim ... Read More
Nittany Lions welcome Temple to Beaver Stadium
Temple Owls vs. Penn State Nittany Lions The Records: Penn State (1-1, 0-0 Big Ten); Temple (1-1, 0-0 AAC). The Coaches: Penn State: James Franklin, third season, 39-28 overall, 15-13 at Penn State; Temple: Matt Rhule, fourth season, 19-21 overall, 19-21 at Temple The Game: Penn State returns home to the friendly confines of Beaver Stadium after an agonizing loss to arch-rival Pittsburgh last Saturday. The Nittany Lions nearly came back from a three touchdown deficit, only to throw an ... Read More
After 16 years, Penn State and Pitt take their rivalry to the gridiron
Penn State University and the University of Pittsburgh haven't squared off on the gridiron since 2000. Now, 16 years later, as the two football teams are gearing up to face each other, the rivalry is more intriguing than ever before. Pitt and Penn State are natural rivals — Pennsylvania's version of Alabama vs. Auburn — yet hardly any of the action has taken place on the field. Saturday, that changes as the Nittany Lions head to Heinz Field for the Keystone Classic to take on a Panthers team ... Read More
Pitt vs. Penn State by position: Coaching
Leading up to Saturday's Pitt-PSU game, our beat reporters looked at key position battles: linebackers and defensive backs; linemen; and running backs and receivers. In the final battle, they took a look at the coaching matchup. Daniel Greenwald, Pitt beat reporter: Penn State head coach James Franklin went from being a decent coach at Vanderbilt to being an average coach with the Nittany Lions. Franklin’s first two years at PSU haven’t exactly been barn burners. The Nittany Lions have gone ... Read More