Penn State enters its second straight home contest after a 31-24 overtime loss to Ohio State. The Nittany Lions have lost three straight games after starting the season 4-0.
Sophomore Christian Hackenburg orchestrates the offense for Penn State. The sophomore leads the Big Ten is passing yards per game (265.9) and has tossed six TD passes so far this season. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season
Redshirt freshman DaeSean Hamilton is the main recipient of Hackenberg’s passes. The Virginia native leads the conference in receptions per game (8.1) and is second in receiving yards per game (98.0). Geno Lewis supplements Hamilton as an option in the pass game with 33 receptions, and is a big play threat, averaging 15.8 yards a reception.
Mike Hull is a tackle machine from the linebacker position. The senior leads the Big Ten in tackles per game (11.9) and has 48 more total stops than the next highest Nittany Lion.
James Franklin is in his first season as head coach after three years at the helm at Vanderbilt. Franklin led the Commodores to consecutive nine win seasons in 2012 and 2013. The Pennsylvania native was Maryland’s offensive coordinator from 2008-to-2010 and served as the wide receivers coach from 2000-to-2004.
