The Matchup
Nebraska returns to Lincoln this Saturday when the Huskers take on Penn State at Memorial Stadium. The Big Ten cross-division matchup is set to kick off shortly after 11 a.m. The game will be broadcast on KBBN 95.3 FM with coverage on the Huskers Sports Network beginning at 9 a.m.
The game will match two traditional Big Ten and college football powers who are looking for their first victory of the 2020 season. The contest against the Nittany Lions will mark Nebraska’s second attempt at a 2020 home opener. Nebraska was scheduled to open its home schedule on Halloween against Wisconsin, but that game was canceled. As a result, Nebraska opened the season with two road games for the first time since 1995, and will play three of its five remaining scheduled games at Memorial Stadium.
The Huskers stand at 0-2 after a 21-13 loss at Northwestern on Saturday. The Husker offense moved the ball well against the stingy Wildcat defense, but was unable to finish drives. Nebraska was 3-of-6 in the red zone, including a last-minute drive that ended on a loss of downs inside the Northwestern 20.
Penn State comes into Saturday’s matchup with an 0-3 record following a 35-19 home setback against Maryland on Saturday. The Nittany Lions opened the season ranked seventh in both polls after an 11-win campaign in 2019. Penn State opened the season with an overtime loss at Indiana, before dropping a home contest against No. 3 Ohio State on Halloween, prior to Saturday’s loss against the Terrapins.
Coach James Franklin’s team features a strong passing offense that averages 286.3 yards per game through the air. The Penn State defense is strong against the run, allowing opponents just 124.0 yards per game on the ground. .
Series History
Nebraska leads the all-time series with Penn State, 9-8. The Huskers are 3-1 against the Nittany Lions since joining the Big Ten Conference in 2011.
• Saturday’s game will be the fifth meeting between Nebraska and Penn State as Big Ten foes, but only the second at Memorial Stadium. The Huskers lead the all-time series 5-2 at Memorial Stadium, including a 32-23 win over the Nittany Lions in 2012 in the only conference game between the two programs in Lincoln.
• Penn State won the last meeting, defeating the Huskers, 56-44, in 2017. The Huskers’ last win in the series was a 23-20 overtime victory in 2013, Nebraska’s first overtime game in Big Ten play.
• The first meeting between the teams as Big Ten foes occurred in 2011, when No. 19 Nebraska upset 12th-ranked Penn State, 17-14 in the first game of the post-Joe Paterno era at PSU.
• For the first three years of Nebraska’s time in the Big Ten, the Huskers and Nittany Lions met annually as a protected cross-division matchup. That was prior to the Big Ten switching to the current East-West divisional alignment.
• Nebraska and Penn State had a long history of matching up in non-conference games prior to the Huskers joining the Big Ten. The schools met five consecutive years from 1979 to 1983, with Nebraska winning three of the five games. Both teams were ranked in each of those five games, including two games featuring a matchup of top-10 teams.
• The schools had a home-and-home series in 2002 and 2003, with each team winning on its home field.
