Nittany Lions Host Hoosiers Saturday Afternoon

UNIVERSITY PARK  – No. 4 Penn State (4-0) will honor its past during its “Generations of Greatness” game Saturday, as the Nittany Lions will don special uniforms while hosting Indiana (2-1) in a crucial Big Ten East Division match-up set to kickoff at 3:30 p.m. on BTN.

Penn State is coming off a thrilling finish at Iowa, as the Nittany Lions drove 80 yards with less than two minutes remaining for a “walk-off” touchdown pass from Trace McSorley to Juwan Johnson with no time remaining to earn a 21-19 victory. The hard-fought win improved Penn State’s start to 4-0 for the first time since 2014.

Now, the Nittany Lions will look to extend their home winning streak of 10 games as they host a Big Ten team for the first time this season.

Leading the way for the Lions has been Saquon Barkley, who is assembling a historic season. Barkley’s latest feat was totaling a school-record 358 all-purpose yards at Iowa, and he now leads the nation with 253.3 all-purpose yards per game. His increased versatility is highlighted by his Big Ten-leading 335 receiving yards, while his ground game remains strong with 518 rushing yards in four games to rank in the top 10 nationally. His career-best 211 rushing yards at Iowa was his third career 200-plus yard effort, putting him in elite company with Lion legends John Cappelletti and Larry Johnson.

The Penn State defense has been doing its part as well, averaging just 8.3 points allowed per game to rank second in FBS. Its second safety of the season proved to be a difference maker in the two-point win over Iowa

Indiana presents a challenge with playmakers in all three phases, as linebacker Tegray Scales is a returning All-American, J-Shun Harris II has returned two punts for touchdowns and freshman running back Morgan Ellison nearly rushed for 200 yards in his last outing.

HEAD COACH TOM ALLEN

• Tom Allen was named Indiana University’s 29th head football coach on Dec. 1, 2016. He made his head coaching debut in the 2016 Foster Farms Bowl.
• Allen joined Indiana as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator prior to the 2016 season.
• IU’s defense improved in every major statistical category under Allen’s guidance against a schedule featuring a program-high four top 10 opponents. He was a nominee for the 2016 Broyles Award, which honors college football’s top assistant coach.
• A 25-year coaching veteran, Allen was the defensive coordinator at USF in 2015, the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Ole Miss (2012-14), the assistant head coach at Arkansas State (2011) and the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Drake University (2010).

SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS

• Indiana is 2-1 with wins over Virginia and Georgia Southern after a season-opening loss to Ohio State.
• Indiana has an average margin of victory of 26 points in its last two games.
• Indiana’s scoring offense ranks fifth in the Big Ten averaging 35.7 points per game, while its scoring defense ranks 12th allowing 27.7 points per game.
• All-American linebacker Tegray Scales leads the defense, ranking fourth in the Big Ten averaging 8.7 total tackles per game.
• J-Shun Harris II has two punt return touchdowns this season, scoring one each in the last two games, to lead the Big Ten and rank second in FBS. He also leads the Big Ten and ranks third in FBS averaging 26.1 yards per return.
• True freshman running back Morgan Ellison leads the ground attack and rushed for 186 yards on 25 carries in his last outing against Georgia Southern.
• Indiana had an unexpected bye week Sept. 16 when FIU was unable to travel to Bloomington due to Hurricane Irma. However, the Hoosiers will not lose a game as they will host Charleston Southern next week during their originally scheduled bye week.

As for Saturday’s “Generation of Greatness” Game, elements of the contest against the Hoosiers will take fans back in time, while the Nittany Lions will don uniforms with designs elements from uniforms past. Select “Generations of Greatness” game-worn jerseys, as well as “Generations of Greatness” helmets and gloves, will be available via auction at: GoPSUsports.cbsi-auctions.com starting at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The auction will continue until the evening of Tuesday, October 10.

For more information about “Generations of Greatness” and the game day and uniform elements, go to: GoPSUsports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/092717aae.html.

Penn State continues to encourage fans to arrive early to Beaver Stadium and is offering several season-long incentives for early arriving fans. The combination of an increased number of early arriving fans, 31 new stadium entry lanes and additional staffing has seen entry wait times the first three games decrease from last season. Beaver Stadium gates will open at 1:30 p.m. for the Indiana contest.

Before leaving home, fans should check their tickets to be sure the barcode and seat location is attached.

Student-Athlete Academic Recognition, Faculty-Staff and Celebrate Agriculture Day
At halftime, Penn State student-athletes who earned a 3.0 grade-point average during the record-setting 2017 spring semester will be recognized. A school spring semester record 495 Nittany Lion students delivered a 3.0 GPA or higher. In addition, overall records were broken as Penn State student-athletes earned a combined 3.14 GPA and 66 percent earned a 3.0 GPA or higher.

THON, Penn State’s annual 46-hour dance marathon that raises funds in the battle against pediatric cancer will be recognized during the game in addition to a Yellow Ribbon to the right of the “S” Zone. The College of Agricultural Sciences will be celebrating the origins of Penn State as the Farmers High School of Pennsylvania by Celebrating Agriculture before and after the game. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and PA Propane also are being recognized during Celebrate Agriculture Day.