Nittany Lions on the road at Purdue Saturday
UNIVERSITY PARK – For the first time in more than a month, Penn State football will hit the road, traveling to Purdue to take on the Boilermakers Saturday.
The Nittany Lions (5-2, 3-1 East) and the Boilermakers (3-4, 1-3 West) are set to meet for the first time since 2013 as Penn State makes its first trip to Ross-Ade Stadium since 2012 for a noon kickoff on ABC/ESPN2.
Penn State highlighted the final outing of a three-game homestand with a historic 24-21 victory against then-No. 2 Ohio State. Junior cornerback Grant Haley capped off a 17-point fourth-quarter comeback with a 60-yard touchdown return off a blocked Ohio State field goal attempt by junior safety Marcus Allen to secure the upset.
The accolades piled up for the Nittany Lions following the win, as Haley and Allen split Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors, while linebacker Brandon Bell earned the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week nod. Leading the team with 18 tackles, one sack and a tackle for loss, Bell also picked up Bednarik Award Player of the Week honors. Haley also earned the Big Ten Rose Bowl Player of the Week award, while Nittany Lion head coach James Franklin was selected as the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week.
Now on a three-game winning streak, it’s a business-as-usual approach as Penn State has put Ohio State in the past, quickly turning the focus toward preparing for the trip to Purdue, which presents a much different atmosphere than the friendly surroundings at Beaver Stadium.
“We know what kind of situation we’re going into,” senior center Brian Gaia said earlier this week. “It doesn’t matter where we’re at, whether it’s home or away we’re going to try to bring our own energy so that way we don’t have to rely on something else.” Gaia said.
Led by interim head coach Gerad Parker, the Boilermakers are coming off of an inspired outing at then-No. 8 Nebraska last week. Purdue led the Cornhuskers at the half, 14-10, before falling short in a 27-14 decision. The Boilermakers’ lone conference win this year came on the road at Illinois, as Purdue rallied to top the Illini, 34-31 in overtime. Penn State is up 13-3 in the all-time series against Purdue, with wins in each of the last seven games dating back to 2005.
