No. 7/7 Penn State hosts UCLA
UNIVERSITY PARK- No. 7/7 Penn State hosts UCLA on Saturday, October 5 at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon on FOX.
BIG NOON KICKOFF: Penn State will appear as FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff for the second time this season. Penn State was the featured game for its 34-12 win over West Virginia.
SERIES HISTORY: Penn State meets UCLA for the seventh time in program history. Penn State trails 4-2 in the all-time series and is set for the first matchup since 1968 and the first contest as Big Ten opponents. Four of the last six matchups have been decided by one possession. PSU won the last matchup, 21-6, in 1968. The opening score of the game came on a blocked punt by Jack Ham, which was scooped up and returned 36 yards for a touchdown by Jim Kates.
2,000-YARD BACKFIELD DUO: Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton once again combined for a dynamic performance against Illinois. Allen rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, while Singleton tallied 139 all-purpose yards (94 rushing) and scored on a 4-yard run. On the day, Allen went over the 2,000 career rushing yards mark for his career. Allen (2,058) and Singleton (2,221) are the second set of Penn State teammates to each have 2,000 career rushing yards, joining Lydell Mitchell (2,934; 1969-71) and Franco Harris (2,002; 1969-71).
SECOND HALF SHUTOUT: The Nittany Lions shut out Illinois in the second half last Saturday, holding the Illini to 59 total yards, including -19 rushing yards. Extending that into the first half, from the 1:41 mark of the second quarter until the end of the game, PSU allowed just 39 total yards. On the season, Penn State has allowed just nine second-half points and ranks second in the country in second-half points allowed per game (2.25). PSU has not allowed a point in the third quarter this year.
THE OPPOSITION: UCLA is 1-3 this season and 0-2 in Big Ten play. The Bruins fell 34-13 against Oregon last Saturday. Ethan Garbers threw for 118 yards, while T.J. Harden rushed for 53. Bryan Addison had a 96-yard pick-six, while adding eight tackles and a pass breakup. Carson Schwesinger led the team with 13 tackles (8 solo).
BY THE NUMBERS
4-0 – Penn State is the only FBS team to start 4-0 in each of the last four seasons.
14 of 15 – The Nittany Lions have held 14 of their last 15 Big Ten opponents under 100 yards rushing.
20 – Tyler Warren has a catch in each of his last 20 games.
9 – Through four games, Penn State has allowed just nine points in the second half and no points in the third quarter this season.
SCOUTING THE BRUINS
DeShaun Foster was named head coach at his alma mater on Feb. 12, 2024.
Foster spent 10 of the previous 11 seasons on the staff at UCLA.
UCLA is 1-3 this season and 0-2 in Big Ten play.
The Bruins earned a 16-13 win at Hawaii to open the season, but fell against Indiana (42-13), No. 14/13 LSU (34-17) and No. 8/7 Oregon (34-13).
In the Oregon game, UCLA gained 172 total yards, while allowing 431.
Ethan Garbers threw for 118 yards, while T.J. Harden rushed for 53.
On defense, Bryan Addison returned an interception 96 yards for a score.
UCLA is averaging 14.8 points and 262.0 total yards per game.
Garbers has completed 57.3 percent of his passes for 808 yards and three touchdowns.
Harden leads the rushing attack with 125 yards and a touchdown, while Rico Flores Jr. is the top receiving target with 12 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown.
UCLA’s defense is allowing 30.8 points and 398.3 total yards per contest.
LB Carson Schwesinger leads the squad with 34 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss.
LB Kain Medrano paces the team with four tackles for loss to go with 24 tackles and a forced fumble.
K Mateen Bhaghani is 8-of-9 on field goal attempts this season with a long of 54.
P Brody Richter is averaging 44.5 yards per punt.
BIG NOON KICKOFF
Penn State will be featured on FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff for the second time this season.
The Nittany Lions’ 34-12, season-opening win at West Virginia on August 31.
Since the show’s debut in 2019, Penn State has made 11 appearances as FOX’s featured game.
Penn State will host FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff for the third time in Happy Valley after welcoming the show in 2022 (Ohio State, 10/29) and 2023 (Michigan, 11/11).
The broadcast will begin at 10 a.m. and lead up to kickoff between the Nittany Lions and Bruins at noon.
The crew of Rob Stone, Reggie Bush, Mark Ingram, Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn and Urban Meyer will be live ahead of the meeting, while the in-game crew of Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft will call the action.
PENN STATE STRIPE OUT
The Nittany Lions will play in their ninth Penn State Stripe Out Game with a 5-3 record in the previous eight games.
The Penn State Stripe Out game has been played each season since 2015, except for 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The first Penn State Stripe Out game was against Rutgers in 2015, a 28-3 victory.
Penn State Stripe Out Games:
ILLINOIS NOTES
Penn State is 17-15 all-time in Big Ten openers, including wins in its last four and seven of the last eight.
Penn State is 75-24-5 in Homecoming games and 5-2 when wearing its Generations of Greatness uniforms.
Penn State has held Big Ten opponents to less than 100 rushing yards in three-straight games and 14 of the last 15 contests.
From the 1:41 mark of the second quarter (when Illinois had the ball at the Penn State 2-yard line) until the end of the game, the Nittany Lions held Illinois to 39 total yards.
A missed field goal in the red zone by the Illini in the second quarter snapped a streak of 36-straight red zone scores, which was the longest in the country.
Penn State had a season-high 13 tackles for loss, the most since recording 14 in 2023 vs. UMass, and most in a Big Ten game since 2022 at Rutgers (15).
The Nittany Lions recorded a season-high seven sacks, their most since notching seven in 2023 at Michigan State.
DE Abdul Carter is the first Nittany Lion with four tackles for loss in a game since Yetur Gross-Matos against Iowa in 2018.
Carter was tabbed Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.
