Link: Full Game Notes (Huskers.com)
Nebraska (4-6, 3-4) at Penn State (8-2, 5-2)
When: November 18, 2017 | 3:00 p.m. (CT)
Where: Beaver Stadium (106,572) | State College, Pennsylvania
TV: FOX Sports 1 (Announcers TBA)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Ben McLaughlin)
Satellite Radio: Sirius (Ch. 134) | XM (Ch. 195)
Internet Radio: Huskers.com
Nebraska completes the back end of a two-game road trip on Saturday when the Huskers travel to Penn State to take on the Nittany Lions in a Big Ten cross-division matchup. Game time at PSU's Beaver Stadium is set for 3 p.m. CT (4 p.m. local), with national television coverage on FS1. The game can also be heard on the IMG Husker Sports Network.
Saturday's matchup is the first between two of college football's most storied programs since 2013. Nebraska has won all three meetings with Penn State since joining the Big Ten in 2011, including a 2-0 mark at Beaver Stadium.
Nebraska heads to Happy Valley with a 4-6 record, including 3-4 in the Big Ten and continues to focus on bowl eligibility in the season's final two weeks. The Huskers are coming off a 54-21 loss at Minnesota on Saturday, and must win its final two games to become bowl eligible.
Penn State comes into the game with an 8-2 overall record and a 5-2 mark in Big Ten action, following a 35-6 victory over Rutgers at home on Saturday. The Nittany Lions have spent the majority of the season ranked in the top 10 in the nation and are currently 13th in the Associated Press Poll and 11th in the USA Today Coaches poll. Penn State was ranked No. 14 in last week's College Football Playoff poll.
Penn State has an explosive offense that ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring at 37.7 points per game and second in passing at 283.6 yards per game. On defense, the Nittany Lions rank second in the Big Ten in scoring defense at
13.9 points per game and fourth in total defense in the conference.
Numbers to Know
50 - Senior kicker Drew Brown is set to make his 50th consecutive start on Saturday at Penn State. Brown would become one of only four players in Nebraska history to start 50 career games and the first since kicker Alex Henery started 53 games in his NU career from 2007 to 2010. Drew's brother, Kris, made 51 career starts at kicker.
1,768 - Nebraska and Penn State both rank in the top 10 in the FBS ranks in all-time victories. Nebraska is fifth with 893 all-time wins, while Penn State ranks eighth with 876 all-time wins.
800 - Nebraska receivers JD Spielman and Stanley Morgan Jr. are both nearing 800 receiving yards. The pair needs 66 and 73 yards, respectively, this week to hit 800 yards. Nebraska has never had two 800 yard receivers in the same season.
Series History
Saturday's matchup will mark the 17th meeting all-time between the Huskers and the Nittany Lions. Nebraska leads the overall series 9-7, and is 3-0 against Penn State as members of the Big Ten Conference. Penn State is 5-3 against Nebraska in games played at State College, however, Nebraska is 2-0 in Beaver Stadium in Big Ten play. Nebraska is currently riding a four-game winning streak in the series between the two programs. Penn State won four of the first five meetings between 1920 and 1952, but NU has an 8-3 edge since then.
Nebraska and Penn State met five consecutive seasons from 1979 to 1983, with both teams ranked in each of those five meetings. Nebraska's three-point setback in 1982 was its only setback in a 12-1 season. Penn State also finished that season with just one loss and captured the national championship, while NU finished third in the AP Poll.
After this weekend's matchup, Nebraska and Penn State are not scheduled to meet again until November 7, 2020 in Lincoln. That will mark the Nittany Lions first visit to Memorial Stadium in eight years.
1920 - Penn State 20, Nebraska 0 (State College)
1949 - Penn State 22, Nebraska 7 (State College)
1950 - Nebraska 19, Penn State 0 (Lincoln)
1951 - Penn State 15, Nebraska 7 (Lincoln)
1952 - #19 Penn State 10, Nebraska 0 (State College)
1958 - Nebraska 14, Penn State 7 (Lincoln)
1979 - #6 Nebraska 42, #18 Penn State 17 (Lincoln)
1980 - #3 Nebraska 21, #11 Penn State 7 (State College)
1981 - #3 Penn State 30, #15 Nebraska 24 (Lincoln)
1982 - #8 Penn State 27, #2 Nebraska 24 (State College)
1983 - #1 Nebraska 44, #4 Penn State 6 (East Rutherford, NJ)
2002 - Penn State 40, #8 Nebraska 7 (State College)
2003 - #18 Nebraska 18, Penn State 10 (Lincoln)
2011 - #19 Nebraska 17, #12 Penn State (State College)
2012 - #18 Nebraska 32, Penn State 23 (Lincoln)
2013 - Nebraska 23, Penn State 20 (OT) (State College)
Riley Hopes for More Success vs. Ranked Foes
Nebraska faces its third ranked opponent of the 2017 season at No. 13 Penn State on Saturday. NU faced top-10 foes Wisconsin and Ohio State earlier this season.
Mike Riley coached teams have 16 wins over ranked teams in his 17 seasons as a college coach, 14 at Oregon State and Husker wins over Michigan State in 2015 and Oregon in 2016.
The 2015 win over No. 6 Michigan State marked the sixth top-10 opponent a Riley-coached team defeated since 2006. The win was Nebraska's first over a top-10 opponent since October of 2011.
About Penn State Football
Penn State ranks eighth all-time with 875 victories, and the Nittany Lions are fifth all-time with 28 bowl wins and ninth with 47 bowl appearances. Penn State was an independent for much of its history, but the program has won five conference titles, including Big Ten championships in 1994, 2005, 2008 and 2016.
First Season: 1887
Conference Titles: 5
National Titles: 2 (1982, 1986)
All-Time Record: 875-387-42
Bowl Record: 28-17-2
About 2017 Penn State Football
Penn State (8-2) is ranked 13th in the AP Poll and spent two weeks ranked as the nation's No. 2 team. The Nittany Lions began the year 7-0 before back-to-back road losses by a combined four points at No. 6 Ohio State and No. 24 Michigan State.
Offensively, Penn State ranks 17th nationally in scoring (37.7 points per game). The unit is led by quarterback Trace McSorley and running back Saquon Barkley. McSorley, a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien Award, ranks 17th nationally in passing efficiency. He is completing 65 percent of his passes and has thrown for 2,666 yards, which leads the Big Ten. Barkley is an all-purpose back utilized in a multitude of ways. A Maxwell Award semifinalist, Barkley leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally with 1,846 all-purpose yards this season. He ranks third in the Big Ten with 899 rushing yards and has added 40 receptions for 524 yards. Barkley also leads the Big Ten in scoring and total touchdowns, ranking sixth nationally with 16 touchdowns. Despite his junior status, Barkley is already Penn State's all-time leader in all-purpose yards and total touchdowns, and he is 452 yards shy of becoming the Nittany Lions' all-time leading rusher. Barkley is also one of the nation's top kickoff returners, ranking ninth nationally with an average of 30.2 yards per kickoff return and fourth nationally with two kickoff returns for touchdowns. In addition to Barkley's prowess as a kick returner, Deandre Thompkins is ninth nationally with an average of 14.9 yards per punt return, including a 61-yard TD return vs. Akron.
Defensively, Penn State ranks fourth nationally and second in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing only 13.9 points per game. The Nittany Lions rank 22nd in rushing defense (123.9 ypg) and 18th in total defense (318.3 ypg) and have forced 22 turnovers, a total which leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth nationally. Individually, Jason Cabinda, a Lott IMPACT Trophy semifinalist, leads Penn State with 74 tackles. Amani Oruwariye ranks ninth nationally with four interceptions, while fellow cornerback Grant Haley is a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist.
2017 Penn State Schedule (8-2)
Akron (W 52-0)
Pittsburgh (W 33-14)
Georgia State (W 56-0)
at Iowa (W 21-19)
Indiana (W 45-14)
at Northwestern (W 31-7)
#19 Michigan (W 42-13)
at #6 Ohio State (L 38-39)
at #24 Michigan State (L 24-27)
Rutgers (W 35-6)
Nebraska
at Maryland
About Penn State Coach James Franklin
James Franklin is in his fourth season at Penn State and sports a 33-17 record (19-13 Big Ten) with the Nittany Lions. He is in his seventh season overall as a college head coach, having spent 2011 through 2013 as the head coach at Vanderbilt, where he led the Commodores to a 24-15 record. Franklin has taken his team to a bowl game in every year of his head coaching career. Franklin played quarterback in college at NCAA Division II East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania and graduated in 1995. He immediately began his coaching career after his collegiate playing days, serving as an assistant coach at Kutztown (1995, WR), East Stroudsburg (1996, DB), James Madison (1997, WR), Washington State (1998, TE), Idaho State (1999, WR), Maryland (2000-04, WR & RC), Green Bay Packers (2005, WR), Kansas State (2006-07, OC & QB), and Maryland (2008-10, QB, OC and Assoc. Head Coach). This will be Franklin's first-ever meeting with Nebraska in his coaching career.
Last Meeting: November 23, 2013
Nebraska 23, Penn State 20 (OT)
With one final kick, Pat Smith was swooped up and off for a ride on the shoulders of his Nebraska teammates. He made the clutch kicks that Penn State's Sam Ficken failed to make -- and got the win. Smith kicked a 42-yard field goal on Nebraska's first possession in overtime to lift the Cornhuskers to a 23-20 win over Penn State on Saturday night.
Smith sent the game into overtime with a tying field goal late in regulation, then had a 37-yarder in OT called back on a false start. Smith had no trouble with five extra yards, giving the Huskers their third win in four games (8-3, 5-2 Big Ten).
Ficken, who missed an extra point in regulation, also missed a 37-yard field goal in overtime.
The Huskers could have won the game late in the fourth quarter after Ameer Abdullah sprinted for a 60-plus yard touchdown run, but wide receiver Sam Burtch was flagged for a personal foul, wiping out the go-ahead score. Nebraska chewed up more clock and settled for Smith's game-tying 19-yard field goal.
Turnovers and wasted plays on both sides defined this one.
Ron Kellogg III, who started in place of an injured Tommy Armstrong Jr., was stripped deep in Nebraska's own territory, and defensive end C.J. Olaniyan was there to recover the fumble. Christian Hackenberg quickly capitalized, fooling everyone on a fake handoff, then sprinting to his right and into the end zone for a 13-7 lead.
Nebraska receiver Kenny Bell then sucked the enthusiasm out of Beaver Stadium with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, giving Nebraska a 14-13 lead
Penn State outgained Nebraska in total offense 387 yards (217 pass, 170 rush) to 360 yards (192 pass, 168 rush). Nebraska committed two turnovers in the game to Penn State's one. Penn State held a slight advantage in time of possession, 30:33 to 28:50.
Individually, for Nebraska, Ron Kellogg III was 20-of-34 for 191 yards with 1 TD. Ameer Abdullah rushed 25 times for 147 yards. Jordan Westerkamp had five catches for 62 yards in the win and Quincy Enunwa totaled three catches for 42 yards and a TD. Kenny Bell scored on a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and Pat Smith was 3-for-3 on field goal attempts.
For Penn State, Christian Hackenberg was 16-of-33 for 217 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT. Zach Zwinak had 35 carries for 149 yards to lead PSU on the ground and Allen Robinson was the leading receiver with eight catches for 106 yards. Sam Ficken was 0-for-1 in his field goal attempts in the loss.
Nebraska (4-6, 3-4) at Penn State (8-2, 5-2)
When: November 18, 2017 | 3:00 p.m. (CT)
Where: Beaver Stadium (106,572) | State College, Pennsylvania
TV: FOX Sports 1 (Announcers TBA)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Ben McLaughlin)
Satellite Radio: Sirius (Ch. 134) | XM (Ch. 195)
Internet Radio: Huskers.com
Nebraska completes the back end of a two-game road trip on Saturday when the Huskers travel to Penn State to take on the Nittany Lions in a Big Ten cross-division matchup. Game time at PSU's Beaver Stadium is set for 3 p.m. CT (4 p.m. local), with national television coverage on FS1. The game can also be heard on the IMG Husker Sports Network.
Saturday's matchup is the first between two of college football's most storied programs since 2013. Nebraska has won all three meetings with Penn State since joining the Big Ten in 2011, including a 2-0 mark at Beaver Stadium.
Nebraska heads to Happy Valley with a 4-6 record, including 3-4 in the Big Ten and continues to focus on bowl eligibility in the season's final two weeks. The Huskers are coming off a 54-21 loss at Minnesota on Saturday, and must win its final two games to become bowl eligible.
Penn State comes into the game with an 8-2 overall record and a 5-2 mark in Big Ten action, following a 35-6 victory over Rutgers at home on Saturday. The Nittany Lions have spent the majority of the season ranked in the top 10 in the nation and are currently 13th in the Associated Press Poll and 11th in the USA Today Coaches poll. Penn State was ranked No. 14 in last week's College Football Playoff poll.
Penn State has an explosive offense that ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring at 37.7 points per game and second in passing at 283.6 yards per game. On defense, the Nittany Lions rank second in the Big Ten in scoring defense at
13.9 points per game and fourth in total defense in the conference.
Numbers to Know
50 - Senior kicker Drew Brown is set to make his 50th consecutive start on Saturday at Penn State. Brown would become one of only four players in Nebraska history to start 50 career games and the first since kicker Alex Henery started 53 games in his NU career from 2007 to 2010. Drew's brother, Kris, made 51 career starts at kicker.
1,768 - Nebraska and Penn State both rank in the top 10 in the FBS ranks in all-time victories. Nebraska is fifth with 893 all-time wins, while Penn State ranks eighth with 876 all-time wins.
800 - Nebraska receivers JD Spielman and Stanley Morgan Jr. are both nearing 800 receiving yards. The pair needs 66 and 73 yards, respectively, this week to hit 800 yards. Nebraska has never had two 800 yard receivers in the same season.
Series History
Saturday's matchup will mark the 17th meeting all-time between the Huskers and the Nittany Lions. Nebraska leads the overall series 9-7, and is 3-0 against Penn State as members of the Big Ten Conference. Penn State is 5-3 against Nebraska in games played at State College, however, Nebraska is 2-0 in Beaver Stadium in Big Ten play. Nebraska is currently riding a four-game winning streak in the series between the two programs. Penn State won four of the first five meetings between 1920 and 1952, but NU has an 8-3 edge since then.
Nebraska and Penn State met five consecutive seasons from 1979 to 1983, with both teams ranked in each of those five meetings. Nebraska's three-point setback in 1982 was its only setback in a 12-1 season. Penn State also finished that season with just one loss and captured the national championship, while NU finished third in the AP Poll.
After this weekend's matchup, Nebraska and Penn State are not scheduled to meet again until November 7, 2020 in Lincoln. That will mark the Nittany Lions first visit to Memorial Stadium in eight years.
1920 - Penn State 20, Nebraska 0 (State College)
1949 - Penn State 22, Nebraska 7 (State College)
1950 - Nebraska 19, Penn State 0 (Lincoln)
1951 - Penn State 15, Nebraska 7 (Lincoln)
1952 - #19 Penn State 10, Nebraska 0 (State College)
1958 - Nebraska 14, Penn State 7 (Lincoln)
1979 - #6 Nebraska 42, #18 Penn State 17 (Lincoln)
1980 - #3 Nebraska 21, #11 Penn State 7 (State College)
1981 - #3 Penn State 30, #15 Nebraska 24 (Lincoln)
1982 - #8 Penn State 27, #2 Nebraska 24 (State College)
1983 - #1 Nebraska 44, #4 Penn State 6 (East Rutherford, NJ)
2002 - Penn State 40, #8 Nebraska 7 (State College)
2003 - #18 Nebraska 18, Penn State 10 (Lincoln)
2011 - #19 Nebraska 17, #12 Penn State (State College)
2012 - #18 Nebraska 32, Penn State 23 (Lincoln)
2013 - Nebraska 23, Penn State 20 (OT) (State College)
Riley Hopes for More Success vs. Ranked Foes
Nebraska faces its third ranked opponent of the 2017 season at No. 13 Penn State on Saturday. NU faced top-10 foes Wisconsin and Ohio State earlier this season.
Mike Riley coached teams have 16 wins over ranked teams in his 17 seasons as a college coach, 14 at Oregon State and Husker wins over Michigan State in 2015 and Oregon in 2016.
The 2015 win over No. 6 Michigan State marked the sixth top-10 opponent a Riley-coached team defeated since 2006. The win was Nebraska's first over a top-10 opponent since October of 2011.
About Penn State Football
Penn State ranks eighth all-time with 875 victories, and the Nittany Lions are fifth all-time with 28 bowl wins and ninth with 47 bowl appearances. Penn State was an independent for much of its history, but the program has won five conference titles, including Big Ten championships in 1994, 2005, 2008 and 2016.
First Season: 1887
Conference Titles: 5
National Titles: 2 (1982, 1986)
All-Time Record: 875-387-42
Bowl Record: 28-17-2
About 2017 Penn State Football
Penn State (8-2) is ranked 13th in the AP Poll and spent two weeks ranked as the nation's No. 2 team. The Nittany Lions began the year 7-0 before back-to-back road losses by a combined four points at No. 6 Ohio State and No. 24 Michigan State.
Offensively, Penn State ranks 17th nationally in scoring (37.7 points per game). The unit is led by quarterback Trace McSorley and running back Saquon Barkley. McSorley, a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien Award, ranks 17th nationally in passing efficiency. He is completing 65 percent of his passes and has thrown for 2,666 yards, which leads the Big Ten. Barkley is an all-purpose back utilized in a multitude of ways. A Maxwell Award semifinalist, Barkley leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally with 1,846 all-purpose yards this season. He ranks third in the Big Ten with 899 rushing yards and has added 40 receptions for 524 yards. Barkley also leads the Big Ten in scoring and total touchdowns, ranking sixth nationally with 16 touchdowns. Despite his junior status, Barkley is already Penn State's all-time leader in all-purpose yards and total touchdowns, and he is 452 yards shy of becoming the Nittany Lions' all-time leading rusher. Barkley is also one of the nation's top kickoff returners, ranking ninth nationally with an average of 30.2 yards per kickoff return and fourth nationally with two kickoff returns for touchdowns. In addition to Barkley's prowess as a kick returner, Deandre Thompkins is ninth nationally with an average of 14.9 yards per punt return, including a 61-yard TD return vs. Akron.
Defensively, Penn State ranks fourth nationally and second in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing only 13.9 points per game. The Nittany Lions rank 22nd in rushing defense (123.9 ypg) and 18th in total defense (318.3 ypg) and have forced 22 turnovers, a total which leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth nationally. Individually, Jason Cabinda, a Lott IMPACT Trophy semifinalist, leads Penn State with 74 tackles. Amani Oruwariye ranks ninth nationally with four interceptions, while fellow cornerback Grant Haley is a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist.
2017 Penn State Schedule (8-2)
Akron (W 52-0)
Pittsburgh (W 33-14)
Georgia State (W 56-0)
at Iowa (W 21-19)
Indiana (W 45-14)
at Northwestern (W 31-7)
#19 Michigan (W 42-13)
at #6 Ohio State (L 38-39)
at #24 Michigan State (L 24-27)
Rutgers (W 35-6)
Nebraska
at Maryland
About Penn State Coach James Franklin
James Franklin is in his fourth season at Penn State and sports a 33-17 record (19-13 Big Ten) with the Nittany Lions. He is in his seventh season overall as a college head coach, having spent 2011 through 2013 as the head coach at Vanderbilt, where he led the Commodores to a 24-15 record. Franklin has taken his team to a bowl game in every year of his head coaching career. Franklin played quarterback in college at NCAA Division II East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania and graduated in 1995. He immediately began his coaching career after his collegiate playing days, serving as an assistant coach at Kutztown (1995, WR), East Stroudsburg (1996, DB), James Madison (1997, WR), Washington State (1998, TE), Idaho State (1999, WR), Maryland (2000-04, WR & RC), Green Bay Packers (2005, WR), Kansas State (2006-07, OC & QB), and Maryland (2008-10, QB, OC and Assoc. Head Coach). This will be Franklin's first-ever meeting with Nebraska in his coaching career.
Last Meeting: November 23, 2013
Nebraska 23, Penn State 20 (OT)
With one final kick, Pat Smith was swooped up and off for a ride on the shoulders of his Nebraska teammates. He made the clutch kicks that Penn State's Sam Ficken failed to make -- and got the win. Smith kicked a 42-yard field goal on Nebraska's first possession in overtime to lift the Cornhuskers to a 23-20 win over Penn State on Saturday night.
Smith sent the game into overtime with a tying field goal late in regulation, then had a 37-yarder in OT called back on a false start. Smith had no trouble with five extra yards, giving the Huskers their third win in four games (8-3, 5-2 Big Ten).
Ficken, who missed an extra point in regulation, also missed a 37-yard field goal in overtime.
The Huskers could have won the game late in the fourth quarter after Ameer Abdullah sprinted for a 60-plus yard touchdown run, but wide receiver Sam Burtch was flagged for a personal foul, wiping out the go-ahead score. Nebraska chewed up more clock and settled for Smith's game-tying 19-yard field goal.
Turnovers and wasted plays on both sides defined this one.
Ron Kellogg III, who started in place of an injured Tommy Armstrong Jr., was stripped deep in Nebraska's own territory, and defensive end C.J. Olaniyan was there to recover the fumble. Christian Hackenberg quickly capitalized, fooling everyone on a fake handoff, then sprinting to his right and into the end zone for a 13-7 lead.
Nebraska receiver Kenny Bell then sucked the enthusiasm out of Beaver Stadium with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, giving Nebraska a 14-13 lead
Penn State outgained Nebraska in total offense 387 yards (217 pass, 170 rush) to 360 yards (192 pass, 168 rush). Nebraska committed two turnovers in the game to Penn State's one. Penn State held a slight advantage in time of possession, 30:33 to 28:50.
Individually, for Nebraska, Ron Kellogg III was 20-of-34 for 191 yards with 1 TD. Ameer Abdullah rushed 25 times for 147 yards. Jordan Westerkamp had five catches for 62 yards in the win and Quincy Enunwa totaled three catches for 42 yards and a TD. Kenny Bell scored on a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and Pat Smith was 3-for-3 on field goal attempts.
For Penn State, Christian Hackenberg was 16-of-33 for 217 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT. Zach Zwinak had 35 carries for 149 yards to lead PSU on the ground and Allen Robinson was the leading receiver with eight catches for 106 yards. Sam Ficken was 0-for-1 in his field goal attempts in the loss.
