No. 4 Penn State vs. Minnesota

UNIVERSITY PARK- No. 4 Penn State visits Minneapolis to meet Minnesota at Huntington Bank Stadium on Saturday, November 23. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on CBS.

NITTANY LIONS ON CBS: Penn State will play its 30th game on CBS on Saturday. The Nittany Lions are 19-10 all-time on CBS, including their 33-30 overtime win at USC on October 12 and a 49-10 win at Purdue last Saturday.

SERIES HISTORY: Penn State meets Minnesota for the 17th time in program history. The Nittany Lions own a 10-6 record in the series. Penn State has won four road games against the Golden Gophers. In 2022, Penn State earned a 45-17 win. Sean Clifford threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns. Nicholas Singleton rushed for 79 yards and two scores. Curtis Jacobs led PSU with 14 tackles, including two tackles for loss. Ji’Ayir Brown had an interception, which he returned 35 yards.

MOST VERSATILE PLAYER: Tyler Warren once again showed off his versatility in Penn State’s win at Purdue. Warren hauled in eight receptions for 127 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown, while adding three rushes for 63 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown rush. Warren ranks second among FBS tight ends in receiving yards (808), receiving yards per game (80.8) and yards per reception (12.1, min. 60 catches), while leading FBS tight ends in rushing touchdowns (4) and tying for first in total touchdowns (9). Among Warren’s 16 rush attempts this season, he has gained 13 first downs and scored four times.

CARTER CONTINUES TO DOMINATE: Abdul Carter notched two tackles for loss and led PSU with five tackles against Purdue. It was his third-straight game with multiple tackles for loss (2 vs. Ohio State; 4 vs. Washington; 2 vs. Purdue). He ranks second in the FBS with 17.5 tackles for loss and seventh with eight sacks this season.

THE OPPOSITION: Minnesota is 6-4 overall and 4-3 in Big Ten play. The Golden Gophers fell 26-19 at Rutgers on November 9. Max Brosmer threw for 262 yards and a touchdown, while Jameson Geers had eight receptions for 73 yards and Daniel Jackson made seven grabs for 70 yards. Cody Lindenberg led the Gophers with 14 tackles, including one tackle for loss.

BY THE NUMBERS

2011 – Penn State won its first four road games of a season for the first time since 2011.

190 – Tyler Warren posted 190 all-purpose yards at Purdue, including 127 receiving yards and 63 rushing yards. It was his third 100-yard receiving game this season.

49 – PSU has allowed just 49 second-half points this season, sitting second in the FBS in second-half points per game allowed (4.9).

0 – The Nittany Lions did not allow a sack against Purdue, marking back-to-back games without giving up a sack.

MINNESOTA SCOUTING REPORT

• P.J. Fleck is in his eighth season as head coach at Minnesota, boasting a 56-38 record with the Golden Gophers.
• He has led Minnesota to five bowl games: 2018 Quick Lane Bowl, 2020 Outback Bowl, 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl, 2022 Pinstripe and 2023 Quick Lane.
• The Gophers are 6-4 this season, including a 4-3 mark in Big Ten play. Minnesota fell 26-19 at Rutgers on November 9.
• QB Max Brosmer threw for 262 yards and a touchdown, while TE Jameson Geers had eight catches for 73 yards and WR Daniel Jackson had seven receptions for 70 yards.
• On offense, the Gophers rank eighth in the Big Ten in scoring offense (26.7), 14th in total offense (333.3), 10th in passing offense (228.6) and 17th in rushing offense (104.7). Minnesota is 18th in the country in third down conversion percentage (46.6).
• Brosmer has completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,251 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions, while adding four rushing touchdowns.
• RB Darius Taylor is averaging 74.7 rushing yards per game, while scoring nine times on the ground.
• Jackson leads the receivers with 63 catches for 712 yards and has three touchdown grabs.
• On defense, Minnesota ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring defense (17.7) and total defense (296.4), sixth in pass defense (176.6) and 11th in rushing defense (119.8).
• Minnesota is fourth in the nation with 16 interceptions.
• DB Koi Perich holds second in the country with five interceptions, while DB Ethan Robinson is 29th in the nation with three interceptions.
• Perich ranks second in the Big Ten and 11th in the country averaging 12.9 yards per punt return.

PURDUE NOTES

• Penn State is now 17-3-1 all-time against Purdue, including 9-2 in road games.
• The Nittany Lions have won their first four road games of a season for the first time since 2011.
• Between four scoring drives against Washington and two against Purdue, the Nittany Lions scored on six-straight first half drives before a punt in the second quarter.
• The Nittany Lions tallied 539 total yards, including 305 through the air.
• TE Tyler Warren earned his fourth career 100-yard receiving game, tying Ted Kwalick (4; 1966-68) for the Penn State tight end record.
• Warren’s three 100-yard receiving games this season are the most by a PSU player since Jahan Dotson’s five in 2021.
• The senior hauled in a 15-yard touchdown grab in the first quarter. It was his 16th career touchdown reception, tying Pat Freiermuth (16; 2018-20) for the Penn State tight end career record. Warren broke a tie with Mike Gesicki (15; 2014-17).
• Warren scored on a career-long 48-yard run in the third quarter.
• Since 1956, Warren is the seventh FBS true tight end with four rushing touchdowns in a season, joining Jaylen Samuels (NC State; 2015, 2016, 2017), Jordan Myers (Rice; 2021), Jordan Reed (Florida; 2010), Gerald Everett (South Alabama; 2015), Harold Fannin Jr. (Bowling Green; 2022) and James Mitchell (Virginia Tech; 2019).
• Since 1956, Warren is the only Big Ten tight end with four rushing touchdowns in a season.
• QB Drew Allar has 5,228 career passing yards. On the day, he became the 11th Nittany Lion to reach 5,000 career passing yards.
• Penn State held Purdue without a point in the third quarter and limited the Boilermakers to seven second-half points.
• The Nittany Lions held Purdue to 35 yards on 10 plays and three rushing yards on five attempts in the third quarter.