Purdue @ Penn State preview
Beaver Stadium
Last Meeting ( Nov 3, 2012 ) Penn State 34, Purdue 9
Nothing has come easy for Penn State in Big Ten play this season, but it stands a good chance to change its recent fortunes Saturday when it hosts Purdue. The Nittany Lions have lost by an average of 27.7 points while dropping all three of their conference road games and have been taken into overtime in each of their two home wins. Penn State continued that trend in last week's 24-10 setback at Minnesota as it was shut out after halftime and held to a season-low point total.
While the Nittany Lions have struggled to remain consistent, the Boilermakers have been uncompetitive regardless of the venue. Purdue, which has dropped seven straight by an average of 28.6 points, is coming off a 38-14 home setback against Iowa and has lost six in a row against Penn State. This game will mark the final time the Leaders Division rivals will meet on a yearly basis, however, as the Boilermakers will join the West Division in 2014 while the Nittany Lions will leave for the East in the reconfigured Big Ten.
TV: 12 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network. LINE: Penn State -21.5
ABOUT PURDUE (1-8, 0-5 Big Ten): A youth movement is well underway for first-year coach Darrell Hazell and his Boilermakers, who played 19 freshmen against Iowa and started five of them – including two offensive linemen and quarterback Danny Etling. Two of Purdue’s top three and three of its top five leaders in all-purpose yardage are freshmen. Not surprisingly, the Boilermakers are the only team in the country that has started underclassmen at all six skill positions in the same game this year.
ABOUT PENN STATE (5-4, 2-3): Allen Robinson became Penn State's single-season receiving-yardage leader with 1,106 yards in the loss to Minnesota, passing Bobby Engram's mark of 1,084 from 1995. Robinson needs five more catches to break his own single-season school record of 77 from last season. Freshman Christian Hackenberg, who entered last weekend as the Big Ten leader with 253 passing yards per game, threw for 163 yards – the second time in three games he has been held to that total or less.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Purdue and Penn State are the only two Big Ten teams to start a freshman at quarterback.
2. All eight of Purdue's losses are against teams that are already bowl eligible.
3. Penn State is 6-1 following a loss under coach Bill O’Brien.
PREDICTION: Penn State 31, Purdue 13