Nittany Lions and Zips Open Season Saturday

UNIVERSITY PARK – The Penn State football team, ranked number six in several pre-season polls, opens its 131st campaign on Saturday, hosting Akron for a noon kickoff in Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions own a 107-21-2 record all-time in season openers.

The Akron game is Youth Sports and Spirit Day and pre-game youth clinics will be held for football (Holuba Hall), basketball (Bryce Jordan Center Basketball practice facility) and cheer and dance (Multi-Sport) Saturday at 9 a.m. Registration for each clinic will begin at 8 a.m. at all three venues.

Saturday’s game is the sixth meeting between Akron and Penn State in series history which began in 1999. The Nittany Lions hold a 5-0 record over the Zips. All five games were played at Beaver Stadium.

In the teams’ last meeting in 2014, the Akron defense forced three turnovers, but the Zips were only able to convert them into three points as UA dropped a 21-3 decision to the host Nittany Lions.

In 2009, No. 2 Penn State claimed a 31-7 win in the season opener for both teams. The Lions led, 31-0, at intermission.  Akron’s lone score was a 40-yard pass from Chris Jacquemain to Deryn Bowser. PSU had 515 yards of total offense on the day, compared to UA’s 186.

Nittany Lion head coach James Franklin and wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton both met with members of the media earlier this week for a final look at pregame preparations before game day arrives.

While Franklin noted consistency earlier this week, there’s a variety of reasons he’s heading into the 2017 season with confidence this year.

“I think we’ve had a lot of guys back who have played a lot of football for us,” Franklin said. “I think because of their approach in meetings and their approach with practice and their approach off the field. I don’t think it’s one factor that gives a coach confidence like practice, it’s so many other things.”

Hamilton noted that this training camp was a bit of an interesting experience, being a senior rooming with early enrollee wide receiver KJ Hamler for training camp.

“Camp is kind of interesting to me because I was rooming with KJ and I’m teaching him the offense, teaching him the ropes of college football and it really brought the game into a different perspective for me,” Hamilton said. “Being in the game for so long, I’m probably about five or six years older than KJ, he’s trying to get his feet wet, so teaching him and playing at the same time, you really get to see the game from both aspects and it just makes you that much better as a leader and player.”

Franklin had tremendous praise for tight end Jonathan Holland, noting his maturity as a key component in his improvement.

“The light has really kind of gone on for him in the last year through spring ball and now this fall where he kind of gets it,” Franklin said. “He’s being great with his nutrition, he’s being great in the weight room, he had a great offseason, he’s big and strong and durable enough to get in there and mix it up in the run game and I think we’ve all seen, he’s an athletic guy and able to make plays in the pass game.”

The offseason has been abuzz with Hamilton’s playmaking skills this season. With a renewed mindset following the Rose Bowl Game, he hasn’t let off the gas pedal in his preparation, poised for a record-breaking season in 2017.

“I knew I wasn’t going anywhere, like the NFL or anything like that so I just knew that this is my last season and I’ve got to make the best of it and do everything for my teammates to make sure we can do everything we can win games,” Hamilton said.

Penn State Athletics is reminding patrons that Beaver Stadium gates will open two hours before kickoff for all games and strongly encouraging fans to arrive early to Beaver Stadium. Early arriving fans will have an opportunity to receive up to a 20 percent discount at the concession stands, $5 off the official Penn State White Out T-shirt, along with other incentives (see below).

The Beaver Stadium parking lots will open Saturday at 7 a.m. Fan Fest on Curtin Road begins at 8:30 a.m., team arrival is at 9:30 a.m. and the stadium gates will open at 10 a.m.

The Penn State-Akron game will air on ABC, the Penn State Sports Network (10:30 a.m. airtime) and GoPSUsports.com.