Penn State-Ohio State Game NotesPenn State-Ohio State Game Notes

Penn State-Ohio State Game Notes

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In one of the most anticipated games of the week, No. 4 Ohio State will visit Beaver Stadium to take on No. 9 Penn State in its annual Penn State White Out game Saturday night. The primetime tilt is set for 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
 
Penn State is also hosting ESPN's College GameDay, as the popular pregame show visits campus for a second consecutive season and Penn State White Out game, broadcasting live from 9 a.m. to noon.
 
For the second consecutive season and ninth time all-time, both teams will meet while being ranked in the AP Top 10. Both schools will also put undefeated records on the line for the first time since 1998.
 
It will be a match-up of the highest scoring offenses in the nation, as Penn State (55.5) and Ohio State (54.5) rank first and second, respectively, in FBS. Neither team has scored fewer than 40 points in a game this season, and neither defense has allowed 40 or more points in a game. The 1-2 statistical comparisons persist at the quarterback position at the conference level. Trace McSorley is second in the Big Ten only to Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins in points responsible for and passing touchdowns.
 
The last two meetings between the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes have been thrillers. A total of four points has decided the two games, and neither team leading at the start of the fourth quarter was leading at the end.
Ohio State has maintained a top-five ranking in both polls for the duration of the season. The Buckeyes will be playing in their first true road game of the season after defeating then-No. 15/14 TCU in AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Ohio State ranks tops in the conference and third in FBS in total offense averaging 599.0 yards per game.
 
HEAD COACH URBAN MEYER

  • Urban Meyer is in his seventh season as the Ohio State head coach. Meyer began his coaching career as the tight ends coach for the Buckeyes in 1986.
  • Other head coaching stops have included Bowling Green (2001-02), Utah (2003-04) and Florida (2005-10).
  • This will be Meyer's eighth match up against Penn State, as his Florida team beat the Nittany Lions in the 2011 Outback Bowl, 37-24.
  • He has won three National Championships, guiding Florida in 2006 and 2008, and Ohio State in 2014.
  • Meyer is 47-3 in Big Ten games at Ohio State.
  • Meyer was an ESPN analyst for Penn State's home game with Iowa on Oct. 8, 2011.
  • He is a 1986 graduate of the University of Cincinnati.

 
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES

  • Ohio State is 4-0 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play with a win over Rutgers in the second week of the season.
  • Ohio State is playing its first true road game of the season. In Week 3, the Buckeyes faced No. 15/14 TCU in AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.
  • Ohio State ranks third in FBS and first in the Big Ten in total offense (599.0), and only trails Penn State (55.5) in scoring offense (54.5).
  • QB Dwayne Haskins leads the Big Ten in completion percentage (75.7), passing efficiency (207.0), passing touchdowns (16), passing yards (1,194), passing yards per completion (13.72), points responsible for per game (25.5) and total offense (305.5).
  • WR Parris Campbell leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth in FBS with five receiving touchdowns this season.
  • The Buckeyes are among the best in converting third downs, doing so at a 58.8 percent clip to lead the Big Ten and rank third in FBS.
  • DE Nick Bosa leads the Big Ten and ranks second in FBS with 1.33 sacks per game and also leads the Big Ten and ranks ninth in FBS in tackles for loss game (2.0). However, he missed the Tulane game due to injury.
  • Ohio State is yielding an average of 14.0 points per game to rank fourth in the Big Ten, while it ranks sixth in total defense (323.3). The unit also has three touchdowns, which trails only Temple's four.

 
TOP-10 GAMES

  • Penn State is playing its 29th regular-season game in which both teams are ranked in the AP Top 10.
  • Penn State is 13-15 in the 28 previous top-10 regular- season match-ups.
  • Eight of those games have been played against Ohio State. The Nittany Lions have won three.

 
PENN STATE WHITE OUT

  • A tradition stretching back to a student section white out in 2004, Penn State White Outs have created an unrivaled atmosphere inside Beaver Stadium.
  • Saturday marks the 11th time the Nittany Lions will host a full-stadium Penn State White Out.
  • Penn State holds a 5-5 record when the full stadium wears white, including a 1-2 record against Ohio State.
  • Ohio State is reclaiming its place as the most frequent Penn State White Out (full stadium) opponent with its fourth appearance in the annual game. Michigan is second with three appearances.
  • This season's game marks Ohio State's fourth consecutive trip to Beaver Stadium as the White Out opponent and first since 2016.
  • The 2016 Penn State White Out game against Ohio State was one of the most thrilling in Nittany Lion history. Grant Haley returned a field goal blocked by Marcus Allen 60 yards for the game-winning touchdown, as unranked-Penn State erased a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat No. 2 Ohio State, 24-21.
  • It marked the first time Penn State defeated a top-2 team since winning at No. 1 Notre Dame in 1990, and the first win at home over a top-two team since downing No. 2 Nebraska, 27-24, in 1982. The victory was also Penn State's first over a ranked opponent since 2013.

 
GET UP. IT'S GAMEDAY

  • ESPN's College GameDay Built by The Home Depot program will be live from Penn State on Saturday.
  • This is the 18th time College GameDay has been at the site of a Penn State game.
  • The popular pregame college football program will air live from 9 a.m.-noon (ET) Saturday.
  • College GameDay will be appearing at a Penn State game for the third consecutive season, joining the 2017 Michigan and Ohio State contests and the 2016 Big Ten Championship Game.
  • The seven-time Emmy Award-winning show is hosted by Rece Davis, who is joined by analysts Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and David Pollack, as well as contributors Chris 'The Bear' Fallica, Jen Lada, Tom Rinaldi, Maria Taylor and Gene Wojciechowski.
  • Additionally, College Football Live will originate from the set with Taylor, Howard and Pollack Friday, Sept. 28. There will also be SportsCenter segments filmed from the set Friday afternoon.
  • Saturday's broadcast marks the seventh time College GameDay has originated from Penn State and the first time it has done so in back-to-back years. It was also in Happy Valley in 1997 (Michigan), 1999 (Arizona), 2005 (Ohio State), 2007 (Ohio State), 2009 (Iowa) and 2017 (Michigan).
  • Penn State is 3-3 with GameDay on campus, defeating  Arizona (1999), Ohio State (2005) and Michigan (2017).

 
PSU ON ABC

  • Penn State is appearing on ABC for its second time this season and 177th time all-time, the most of any other network.
  • Penn State is 102-73-1 all-time playing on ABC.

 
B1G CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK MEET

  • The Penn State-Ohio State game will feature the Big Ten's reigning Co-Offensive Players of the Week, as Nittany Lion RB Miles Sanders and Buckeye QB Dwayne Haskins shared the honor for Week 4.
  • Sanders had a career-high rushing for 200 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries at Illinois.
  • Sanders also became the sixth player (nine occasions) in PSU history to have 200 rushing yards and at least three rushing touchdowns in a game. The last was Larry Johnson in 2002, who did it twice that season.
  • For Ohio State, Haskins completed 21 of 24 passes for 304 yards and five touchdowns in one half of action against Tulane Saturday.

 
PENN STATE-OHIO STATE CONNECTIONS

  • Penn State senior running back Mark Allen and sophomore DE Shane Simmons and Ohio State sophomore DE Chase Young played together at DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland.
  • Penn State junior TE/H Jonathan Holland and junior LB Cam Brown and Ohio State sophomore QB Dwayne Haskins played together at Bullis School in Maryland.
  • Penn State redshirt freshman CB Donovan Johnson and Ohio State juniors RB Mike Weber and OL Joshua Alabi played together at Cass Tech in Michigan.
  • Penn State redshirt freshman WR KJ Hamler and Ohio State sophomores S Isaiah Pryor and DT Malik Barrow and freshmen CB Marcus Williamson and DT Taron Vincent all played at IMG Academy in Florida.
  • Penn State junior CB Jabari Butler and Ohio State redshirt freshman QB Tate Martell and sophomore DL Haskell Garrett played together at Bishop Gorman in Nevada.
  • Penn State redshirt freshman QB Sean Clifford and Ohio State junior LB Justin Hilliard and junior TB Brock Davin played together at St. Xavier in Ohio.
  • Penn State sophomore OL Alex Gellerstedt and Ohio State WR C.J. Saunders played together at Dublin Coffman High School in Ohio.
  • Ohio State associate head coach and defensive coordinator Greg Schiano was a graduate assistant at Penn State in 1990 and went on to coach the Nittany Lion defensive backfield from 1991-95.
  • Ohio State assistant head coach/defensive line coach Larry Johnson coached 18 seasons at PSU, serving four years as a defensive ends and special teams coach and 13 years as a defensive line coach.

 
NITTANY LIONS FROM OHIO

  • QB Sean Clifford – Cincinnati/St. Xavier
  • OL Alex Gellerstedt – Dublin/Dublin Coffman
  • OL Mike Miranda – Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls
  • OL Juice Scruggs – Ashtabula/Cathedral Prep (Pa.)
  • DT Antonio Shelton – Westerville/Westerville-North
  • SN Chris Stoll – Westerville/St. Francis DeSales

 
COLLINS GOING INTO THE HALL

  • Penn State national award winner and first-team All-America QB Kerry Collins has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2018 class.
  • Collins will be recognized for the honor during the Ohio State game as part of National Football Foundation (NFF) Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, presented by Fidelity Investments.
  • Collins will be inducted to the Hall of Fame December 4, 2018 at the 61st (NFF) Annual Awards Dinner in New York. Collins is the 25th member of the Penn State football family to be elected.
  • Linebacker Shane Conlan was the most recent player inductee in 2014, while former Nittany Lion player Bill Bowes was enshrined into the Hall of Fame as the University of New Hampshire head coach in 2016.

 
LIONS UNDER THE LIGHTS

  • The 2018 season marks the 18th straight with at least one regular-season night game on the schedule, and the 10th since 2000 with multiple night games in the same season.
  • Penn  State has won its first two night games of the season (at Pitt and at Illinois). The Lions have now won their last nine night games, including a 4-0 mark last season, and nine of their last 10 dating back to 2015. The lone loss was at Ohio State in 2015.
  • Three of Penn State's first five games of the season were scheduled to be played at night, its most since playing three of its first four games at night in 1991.
  • Penn State is 51-30 at night all-time. The figure breaks down to 14-9 at home, 25-14 on the road and 12-7 in neutral site games. Penn State is 1-1 at regular season neutral sites, 11-6 in bowl games and 1-0 in conference championship games.
  • The Lions' night games since 2000 include: Pitt
    (2018); Michigan, Iowa and Georgia State (2017); Ohio State, Iowa, Rutgers and Wisconsin (2016); Ohio State and Rutgers (2015); Boston College (Pinstripe Bowl), Ohio State, Michigan and Rutgers (2014); Ohio State, Michigan and UCF (2013); Iowa and Ohio State (2012); Northwestern (2011); Alabama, Iowa and Michigan (2010); Iowa (2009); Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio State (2008); Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas A&M (2007), Michigan (2006), Illinois, Ohio State and Florida State (2005), Minnesota and Boston College (2004), Nebraska (2002 and 2003), Miami (Fla.) (2001) and Indiana (2000).
  • On Oct. 12, 2013, the Lions claimed the longest game in Big Ten history when they edged Michigan under the lights, 43-40, in four overtimes in front of a sellout Beaver Stadium crowd of 107,844 on Homecoming.

 
MILESTONE WATCH

  • Trace McSorley is 868 yards shy of 9,000 career passing yards.
  • ... 15 completions shy of 600 career completions.
  • ... 40 attempts shy of 1,000 career pass attempts.
  • ... 734 yards shy of 10,000 career yards of total offense.
  • ... 9 TDs shy of 100 career touchdowns responsible for.
  • Tommy Stevens is 112 yards shy of 500 career rushing yards.
  • Miles Sanders is 130 yards shy of 1,000 career rushing yards.
  • Juwan Johnson is 88 yards shy of 1,000 career receiving yards.

 
MILESTONES ACHIEVED

  • Trace McSorley surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards with 54 yards against Kent State.
  • ... 9,000 career yards of total offense with 283 against Kent State.
  • ... 8,000 career passing yards with 160 against Illinois.
  • Miles Sanders surpassed 500 career rushing yards with an 118-yard effort against Pitt.
  • DeAndre Thompkins surpassed 1,000 career receiving yards with 101 against Kent State.
  • ... surpassed 500 career punt return yards with a 29-yard return against App State.

 
STREAKING

  • PSU has won its last eight games, which is the third-longest active streak in FBS (UCF, 16; Ohio State, 9).
  • With a win over Kent State, Penn State extended its home winning streak to 16 games for the sixth-longest streak in the school annals. It is the longest home winning streak since a 21-game streak from 1970-74.
  • See Happy Valley on Page 19
  • The Nittany Lions have scored 20 or more points in a school-record 27 consecutive games, which is the second-longest streak in Big Ten history. It trails the 46-game stretch by Ohio State (2012-15).
  • QB Trace McSorley has thrown a touchdown pass in 32 consecutive games, dating to the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl, extending his school record. It is the longest active streak in FBS.
  • Penn State has rushed for 200 yards in seven consecutive games, dating back to last season's Nebraska game on November 18, 2018. It's the longest streak since a seven-game streak from 2007-08.
  • The Lions have made 174 consecutive extra points.
  • The Lions have scored in 17 consecutive quarters.
  • Penn State has scored on 22-straight trips into the red zone, scoring touchdowns on 21 of those trips.
  • Penn State has won its last eight games against Big Ten West Division opponents.
  • Penn State has won its last 21 games against unranked opponents.

 
WINNING BIG

  • With wins of 51-6 (Pitt), 63-10 (Kent State) and 63-24
    (Illinois) in three consecutive weeks, Penn State has earned wins of 39 or more points in three-straight games for the first time since 1973, when Penn State defeated Army, 54-3, Syracuse, 49-6, and West Virginia, 62-14.
  • Penn State's 39-point margin of victory over Illinois was the largest by an FBS team that trailed at any point in the second half since Nov. 8, 2003 when Texas went from trailing Oklahoma State, 16-14 in the second half to winning 55-16. (Per Stats)
  • Penn State's 53-point win over Kent State tied for the 13th-largest margin of victory since 1966.

 
SECOND-HALF TEAM

  • Penn State leads the nation in scoring offense in the second half, averaging 35.50 points. The next highest average in FBS is 25.67 points.
  • Penn State's plus-26.75 second-half scoring differential and plus-14.0 fourth-quarter scoring differentials also lead FBS.
  • Since surrendering 28 points to Appalachian State in the fourth quarter of the season opener, Penn State has outscored opponents 70-0 in the fourth quarter of its last three games.
  • In the last three games, Penn State has outscored opponents 114-7 in the second half.
  • For the season, Penn State is outscoring opponents  142-35 in the second half.

 
WINNING WAYS

  • At 4-0, Penn State is one of 21 undefeated FBS teams this season.
  • Penn State is 24-3 in its last 27 games, the best span since going 37-3 from 1993-96.
  • Over the last 25 games, only Alabama and Oklahoma (23-2) have posted a better record than Penn State (22-3). Clemson and Wisconsin are also 22-3 in their last 25.
  • Penn State is 26-5 over the past three seasons (2016-18), for the seventh-best record in FBS.
  • Penn State's 40 wins over the last five years (2014-18) rank tied for 13th in FBS with five other teams and third in the Big Ten (Ohio State, 53; Wisconsin, 50).
  • Penn State's 82 wins over the last 10 years (2009-18) rank tied for 17th in FBS with Virginia Tech and fourth in the Big Ten (Wisconsin, 97; Ohio State, 94; Michigan State, 86).
  • Penn State's 126 wins over the last 15 years rank  16th in FBS and third in the Big Ten (Ohio State, 145, Wisconsin, 144).
  • Penn State finished 2017 with an 11-2 record for its seventh 11-win regular season since joining the Big Ten (12 wins in 1994; 11 wins in '96, 2005, '08, '09, '16, '17) and 16th overall.
  • Penn State posted back-to-back 11-win seasons for the first time since the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
  • Penn State completed its 2017 home schedule with a second consecutive perfect 7-0 record. It is the first time the Nittany Lions have back-to-back undefeated home seasons since 1985 (6-0) and 1986 (7-0).
  • Penn State and Wisconsin are the only Big Ten teams to have posted a winning season in the last 13 consecutive years.
  • Penn State is one of eight teams (USC, LSU, Florida State, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Oregon, Virginia Tech) in the Autonomy Five to have a winning record each of the last 13 years.
  • Overall in the FBS, Penn State is one of nine teams with a winning record in each of the last 13 years (Boise State).

 
MCSORLEY ADDING YARDS ON THE GROUND

  • McSorley finished with a career-high 92 rushing yards  at Illinois to break his previous high of 81 rushing yards against Maryland in 2016.
  • McSorley's six rushing touchdowns this season lead the Big Ten and rank sixth in FBS.
  • McSorley now has 1,134 career rushing yards to rank 38th in Penn State history and second among quarterbacks (1,637; Michael Robinson, 2002-05).
  • McSorley tied the Penn State record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season with 11 rushing scores in 2017 to equal the mark of 11 set by Michael Robinson in 2005. He already has six through four games in 2018.

 
MCSORLEY MAKES HIS MARK

  • QB Trace McSorley owns Penn State career records for 300-yard passing games (10), 200-yard passing games (24), rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (24), passing touchdowns (67), total offense (9,266) and touchdowns responsible for (91).
  • With 160 yards against the Illini, McSorley surpassed 8,000 passing for his career and has 8,132 yards for his career. He is the second Penn State player (Christian Hackenberg) and 22nd player in Big Ten history with 8,000 career passing yards.
  • McSorley has 960 career passing attempts to rank third on Penn State's career list. He passed Matt McGloin (894; 2009-12) for the position against Pittsburgh. Next on the list is Zack Mills with 1,082 attempts (2001-04).

 
EVERY QUARTER

  • The Nittany Lions have scored in 17 consecutive quarters, including the overtime against Appalachian State, and have scored in 27 of its last 29 quarters dating back to the Nebraska game in 2017.
  • Penn State has scored in at least three of four quarters in its last eight games, dating back to Rutgers on Nov. 11, 2017.

 
PILING UP THE POINTS

  • Penn State is averaging 55.5 points per game to lead FBS in scoring.
  • Penn State has scored 63 points in consecutive games (Kent State; Illinois) for the third time in program history (1917 & 1894).
  • Penn State has scored on 22-straight trips into the red zone, including 21 touchdowns.
  • At Illinois, the Nittany Lions scored 60 or more points for the third time in six games.
  • The Nittany Lions are the fourth Big Ten team to score 60 or more points in consecutive games in the last 100 years, joining 2016 Ohio State, 1996 Ohio State and 1971 Michigan. (Per @BTNStatsGuys)
  • The Nittany Lions scored at least 50 points for the seventh time since 2016.
  • Penn State scored 40 points for the 15th time since 2016. By comparison, from 2008 through 2015, the Nittany Lions had 18 40-point outings.
  • Penn State has scored 30 or more points 22 times in the last 24 games.
  • The Nittany Lions have scored 20 or more points in a school-record 27 consecutive games, which is the second-longest streak in Big Ten history. It trails the 46-game stretch by Ohio State (2012-15).
  • Penn State's streak of 27-straight games with at least 20 points is the second-longest active streak, trailing only Alabama.
  • The Nittany Lions have 222 points scored in the first four games of the season, which is the most to start a season in program history.
  • Penn State's 222 points in the first four games are the most in a four-game stretch in program history.
  • The 35 points scored in the fourth quarter at Illinois are the most in a quarter since Penn State had 36 tallies in the second quarter against Louisville in 1997.
  • The 63 points scored at Illinois are tied for the second-most by the Nittany Lions in a Big Ten game with the 1994 Ohio State and 2005 Illinois games. The program record for points in a Big Ten contest is 66 at Maryland last season.

 
MOVING THE BALL

  • Penn State is averaging 514.5 yards per game on offense to rank 16th in FBS and second in the Big Ten.
  • The Nittany Lions have 1,234 yards of total offense over the last two games, which is the highest two-game total since posting 1,266 against Temple (605) an Rutgers (661) in 1995.
  • Penn State's 591 yards of total offense at Illinois rank fifth in program history in Big Ten games and are the fourth-best outing of James Franklin's tenure.
  • Penn State had 31 first downs against the Illini, the second-highest total under Franklin and the fourth-best total in the program's Big Ten history.
  • Penn State's 643 total yards of offense against Kent State were the most by the Nittany Lions since having 661 yards of total offense at Rutgers in 1995.

 
GROUND GAME ROLLS

  • Penn State is averaging 275.0 rushing yards per game  to lead the Big Ten and rank 10th in FBS.
  • Penn State leads FBS with 31 rushing touchdowns, one more than second-place Ohio State (30).
  • Penn State has rushed for more than 200 yards in each of its first four games, rushing for 205 yards in the opener against App State, 211 yards at Pitt, 297 at Kent State and 387 at Illinois.
  • The 387 rushing yards at Illinois are the third-highest total in a Big Ten game in program history, it is also the highest total since going for 389 yards against Youngstown State in 2006.
  • Penn State has now rushed for more than 200 yards in seven-straight games, dating back to November 18, 2017 vs. Nebraska. It's Penn State's longest 200-yard rushing game streak since a seven-game streak from 2007-08.
  • RB Miles Sanders has led Penn State in rushing in each of the first four games of the season.
  • Sanders posted his second career 100-yard game and first 200-yard outing with a career-high 200 yards at Illinois. His previous career high was 118 yards at Pittsburgh earlier this season.
  • Sanders is the 28th player in Penn State history with a 200-yard rushing game and the first since Saquon Barkley in 2017 (at Iowa).
  • Sanders is the sixth player (nine occasions) in Penn State history to have 200 rushing yards and at least three rushing touchdowns in a game. The last player with 200 rushing yards and three scores was Larry Johnson in 2002, which he accomplished twice.
  • Sanders set a career high with three rushing touchdowns against the Illini, breaking his previous high of two scores against App State in the season opener.
  • Sanders' 123.8 rushing yards per game ranks second in the Big Ten and seventh in FBS, and his five rushing touchdowns rank second in the league only to QB Trace McSorley, who has six.
  • Sanders was not alone in the Illinois rushing effort, as McSorley added a career-high 92 yards and freshman RB Ricky Slade set a career best with 94 rushing yards. Slade scored two rushing touchdowns for the first time in his career, with his first of the game coming on a career-long run of 61 yards.
  • Additionally at Illinois, RB Journey Brown got his first two carries and earned his first career rushing touchdown, a 6-yard rush in the fourth quarter.
  • Against Kent State, Sanders' 86 yards led four rushers with 50 or more yards, as he was followed on the stat sheet by RB Johnathan Thomas (3 carries for 84 yards, 1 TD), RB Mark Allen (11 carries, 62 yards, 1 TD) and McSorley (9 carries for 54 yards, 3 TD).
  • Allen's 62 yards were a career high, as were Thomas' 84. Thomas also had a career-long 69-yard run and his first career touchdown.
  • The last time Penn State had four rushers total at least 50 yards in the same game was at Rutgers Nov. 19, 2016, as Barkley (16 carries for 92 yards, 1 TD), McSorley (11 carries for 55 yards), Sanders (5 carries for 85 yards) and Tommy Stevens (6 carries for 61 yards) completed the feat.

 
GREEN LIGHT IN THE RED ZONE

  • Penn State is one of 14 FBS teams that has scored on each trip to the red zone this season.
  • Penn State has scored on 22-straight trips into the red zone, including 21 touchdowns.
  • Penn State has scored on 48 of its last 49 red zone trips, including 44 touchdowns.
  • Penn State's 92.59 percent scoring rate score over the last two seasons is ninth in FBS.

 
LIMITED ACCESS

  • Penn State ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 35th in FBS in scoring defense, allowing 19.5 points per game.
  • Penn State allowed just seven second-half points at Illinois and shutout Pitt and Kent State in the second half.
  • Penn State has not allowed any fourth-quarter points since allowing 28 in the fourth quarter against Appalachian State in the season opener.
  • Penn State allowed just 221 total yards to Kent State, the sixth-fewest yards allowed under James Franklin, tied with 221 yards allowed at Indiana in 2014.
  • The 221 total yards allowed vs. Kent State are the fewest since allowing 200 vs. Rutgers in 2017.
  • The Nittany Lions allowed just 41 yards rushing by Kent State, the lowest value since giving up 39 at Rutgers in 2016.
  • Penn State held Pitt to just six points, marking the fewest points allowed by Penn State since holding Maryland to three points in the 2017 regular season finale.

 
STEPPING UP ON D

  • Penn State's top nine tacklers this season do not include any returning starters from last season.
  • In his first start at middle linebacker in the opener against App State, Jan Johnson had a career-high 11 tackles, including four solo.  He leads the team with 24 tackles.
  • S Garrett Taylor, had a career-best eight tackles in his first start against App State and has 23 tackles.
  • True freshman LB Micah Parsons, who had a career-high seven tackles at Pitt, has racked up 22 tackles to rank third on the team.
  • Along with Making his second-career start at safety, Nick Scott recorded a career-best nine tackles in the opener at App State. He has 20 tackles for the season, tying him.
  • LB Cam Brown (18), CB Amani Oruwariye (16), S Jonathan Sutherland (15), CB Tariq Castro-Fields  (13) and LB Ellis Brooks (11) round out the group.
  • Brooks and Sutherland both had big games at Illinois. Brooks recorded his first career interception in the fourth quarter, set a career high with six tackles and assisted on a sack for the first time in his career. Sutherland set a career best with eight tackles, which also led Penn State for the game.

 
CAUSING CHAOS BEHIND THE LINE

  • Penn State ranks eighth in FBS and third in the Big Ten with 3.50 sacks per game, and sixth in FBS and tops in the Big Ten with 9.4 tackles for loss per game.
  • Penn State is continuing to bring a balanced pass rush, as 12 different Nittany Lions have contributed to the team's 14 sacks for the season.
  • DE Shareef Miller leads the team with 3.0 sacks, which ranks him 40th in FBS and seventh in the Big Ten with 0.75 per game, while his team-best 6.0 tackles for loss rank 33rd in FBS and seventh in the Big Ten.
  • The Nittany Lions totaled 42 sacks in 13 games in 2017. Following totals of 46 sacks in 2015 and 40 sacks in 2016, Penn State posted back-to-back-to-back 40-sack seasons for the first time since it posted three-consecutive 40-sack seasons in 2005 (41), 2006 (40) and 2007 (46).

 
RETURN GAME LEADERS

  • Returner KJ Hamler and DeAndre Thompkins both rank in the top 10 nationally in kickoff and punt returning, respectively.
  • Hamler is averaging 31.5 yards per kickoff return to rank seventh in FBS and second in the Big Ten.
  • Penn State's 29.9 kickoff return average as a team ranks ninth in FBS and first in the Big Ten.
  • Hamler has also returned two punts for 50 yards, giving him 239 return yards this season, which ranks 18th in FBS and tops in the Big Ten.
  • Hamler tied a career-long with a 52-yard kick return vs. Kent State to setup a Penn State touchdown drive. Hamler also had a 52-yard return in the season opener vs. Appalachian State, which helped setup a game-tying touchdown drive to force overtime.
  • Hamler's return prowess and success on offense rank him with the eighth-highest all-purpose yards average this season (110.3) in the Big Ten.
  • Thompkins leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth in FBS averaging 19.9 yards per punt return.
  • On punts alone, Thompkins' 159 combined kick return yards rank seventh in the conference.
  • Thompkins returned a punt 39 yards for a touchdown at Pitt for his second career punt return touchdown. He also scored on a punt return against Akron last season.
  • With two career punt returns for a touchdown, Thompkins is tied for fourth on Penn State's all-time list with 10 other players (most recently: Larry Johnson, 1998-2002.
  • Penn State has been strong on punt return defense, yielding an average of just 1.5 yards to rank third in the Big Ten and 22nd in FBS.

 
GILLIKIN FLIPS THE FIELD

  • With just one punt at Illinois, P Blake Gillikin, has just 13 punts on the season. That's 3.25 per game, which falls below the NCAA minimum (3.6 per game) for punting average statistics to count. Otherwise, Gillikin's average of 43.6 would rank in the top 30 of FBS.
  • Gillikin' lone punt at Illinois was inside the 20, giving him 55 punts in the 20 for his career.
  • At Pitt, Gillikin dropped four punts inside the Pitt 20-yard line and three inside the 10. He has dropped 28 inside the 10 for his career.
  • Gillikin hit a 58-yard punt against Kent State for his 33rd career punt more than 50 yards.
  • Gillikin's four punts inside the 20 at Pitt tie a career high, which he has down three times (most recently vs. Indiana in 2017).
  • He also tied his personal mark at Pitt with three punts inside the 10, which is the fifth time in his career he has done so.

 
FRESHMAN KICKERS DEBUT

  • Penn State debuted a pair of kickers in its season opener against App State.
  • K Jake Pinegar booted his first career field goal (32 yards) late in the second quarter.
  • Pinegar remains perfect in extra point attempts, connecting on all 18 extra point attempts the last two games. He is 31-for-31 on the year.
  • Penn State has made its last 172 extra points
  • K Rafael Checa has 10 touchbacks on kickoffs this season and is averaging 57.8 yards per kickoff.