There are few sights more spectacular in college football than a night game at Beaver Stadium, and for the second straight season, fans will be treated to a primetime kickoff against a Big Ten opponent.

Penn State football’s Sept. 19 clash with new Big Ten foe Rutgers will kick off in primetime, and will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. It will be Rutgers’ first trip to Beaver Stadium as a member of the conference, looking to avenge a crushing defeat last season that saw Christian Hackenberg march the Nittany Lions down the field to take a 13-10 lead with 1:13 remaining and silence the sold-out crowd in Piscataway.

After not playing a home night game for three seasons between 2010-2013, Beaver Stadium made a dazzling return to a primetime last season with an overtime classic against Ohio State, as the Nittany Lions nearly upset the eventual national champion Buckeyes. Penn State’s lone night kick at Beaver Stadium prior to that game was in 2010, when the Nittany Lions defeated Michigan 41-31 behind 150 yards and two touchdowns from Evan Royster.

The primetime kickoff will only add to the intrigue between two teams that are rekindling an old rivalry. While there were some poor displays of sportsmanship prior to the game last season (for which Rutgers would later apologize), the history of the rivalry between Penn State and Rutgers is almost as old as college football itself. Rutgers earned a victory in the first ever meeting, a 6-3 win at New Beaver Field on Nov. 9, 1918. Last season’s game was the first since 1995, and with the win, Penn State moved to 23-2 all-time against the Scarlet Knights.

Get excited, folks. The Team From New Jersey is coming to town.

Editor’s note: This story originally stated kickoff will be at 8 p.m. The Big Ten Network announced the game will be broadcast in primetime, but an official time has yet to be announced. 

Photo: Annemarie Mountz