STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State returns to action Saturday against the University of Delaware at Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley.
The seventh-ranked Nittany Lions will take on the Blue Hens at noon. The game is only being televised on the streaming service Peacock, which requires a subscription (plans start at $5.99 a month and can be canceled any time).
Here's what you need to know about the game.
SERIES HISTORY: This is the first-ever meeting between Penn State and Delaware, a FCS school that has won six national titles over the course of its 117-year history.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO THE GAME: The parking lots around Beaver Stadium will open at 7 a.m. There is a block party scheduled for 8 a.m., and one-way traffic patterns will be implemented at 9:30. The team arrival at the stadium is set for 10 a.m., while the Blue Band March will be held at 11.
For more information, go to Penn State Game Day.
ABOUT PENN STATE: The Nittany Lions opened the season with a 38-15 victory over West Virginia in a prime-time game last Saturday in Happy Valley. Quarterback Drew Allar completed 21 of 29 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start under center. It was the first time a Penn State quarterback threw for over 300 yards in his first career start since Michael Robinson threw for 379 yards against Wisconsin in 2003.
Two of Allar's three TD tosses went to KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who had four catches for 123 yards in all. Allar found Lambert-Smith for a 72-yard TD bomb on Penn State's opening drive, and hit him again for a 12-yard score later in the game.
Allar also found Malik McClain for a 25-yard touchdown, while backup QB and Central York grad Beau Pribula scored on a 5-yard TD run during mop-up duty in the game's closing moments.
Nick Singleton scored Penn State's other rushing touchdown. He and backfield mate Kaytron Allen combined for 121 yards on 23 carries.
Linebacker Curtis Jacobs finished the game with 10 tackles. It's the third time in his career that he had 10 or more tackles in a game.
Penn State's defense stopped West Virginia on three fourth-down conversion attempts.
Delaware is the first FCS team to visit Happy Valley since Villanova in 2021. The Lions won that game 38-17 and are 116-79-12 against current FCS teams all-time.
ABOUT DELAWARE: The Fighting Blue Hens are part of the Colonial Athletic Conference. They opened the season with a 37-13 victory over CAA foe Stony Brook last Thursday. Delaware racked up 559 yards in the game, including 414 in the air. QB Ryan O'Connor completed 24-of-38 passes for 346 yards and a touchdown, while Marcus Yarns rushed for 107 yards and two scores. The Blue Hens also forced three takeaways.
Coached by alumnus Ryan Carty, Delaware is coming off a FCS playoff appearance in 2022, when the Blue Hens went 8-5. Carty is the first Delaware head coach to lead the team to the FCS Playoffs in his first season.
The Blue Hens are ranked No. 22 in the Stats Perform FCS poll and No. 21 in the FCS Coaches Poll.
Against Stony Brook, Chandler Harvin caught five passes for 100 yards and Kym Wimberly Jr. had five grabs for 81 yards and a score.
Delaware allowed 327 total yards, including 164 on the ground and 163 through the air. The Blue Hens had a 50-yard pick-six by Ty Davis.
Considered to be a perennial powerhouse at the FCS level, Delaware has won six national titles over the course of its storied history. The most-recent championship came in 2003, when the Blue Hens won the NCAA Division I-AA (the precursor to FCS) crown. They returned to the FCS title game in 2007 and 2010.
Delaware has produced five NFL quarterbacks, including Rich Gannon and Joe Flacco, who won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens in 2012 (and was voted the game's MVP).