After 243 days, Penn State football is officially back. The Nittany Lions are traveling to West Lafayette, Indiana, for a prime-time duel with Purdue.

Penn State is widely considered to not contend for a Big Ten title after a disappointing finish to the 2021 season and a frustrating Outback Bowl loss to No. 21 Arkansas. Meanwhile, Purdue is coming off a 2021 campaign in which it was an upset machine, taking down top-five ranked Iowa and Michigan State en route to a 9-4 record.

Once again opening conference play and the season away from Beaver Stadium, the Nittany Lions will try to survive another tough road matchup.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Penn State’s first game of the year.

Television

Thursday’s matchup will kick off at 8 p.m. EST on FOX. Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt will be on the call, while Jenny Taft will provide updates from the sidelines.

Radio

Penn State Sports Network — Steve Jones and Jack Ham
Local: 99.5 & 103.7 FM/1450 AM, Sirius/XM/Internet: 84/158/957

Weather

It’s going to be a warm one to start the game in West Lafayette. The sun will be out at kickoff, with temperatures staying in the high 70s and dropping to the low 70s by the end of the game, according to AccuWeather. Expect the humidity to rise throughout the game after the sun goes down, getting up to a sticky 76% by 11 p.m.

There won’t be many difficult conditions from mother nature, as there’s no chance of precipitation and winds at only two miles per hour throughout the game.

Last Meeting

The two teams last met at Beaver Stadium in 2019 when Penn State cruised to an easy 35-7 win over the Boilermakers on Homecoming Weekend. Noah Cain ran for 105 yards and one touchdown while Sean Clifford threw racked up 264 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.

Penn State owns a tilted 15-3-1 all-time series advantage over Purdue. The Boilermakers’ last victory over the Nittany Lions came in 2004 when current Penn State wide receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield led Purdue to a 20-13 win in Beaver Stadium and became the Big Ten’s career receptions leader, a record that is still intact today.

Injuries/Suspensions

Penn State doesn’t have any injuries or suspensions to report, but that doesn’t mean that James Franklin won’t throw us a curveball at kickoff time, though.

Purdue tight end Garrett Miller and defensive tackle Damarjhe Lewis both suffered season-ending injuries in training camp. Wide receiver Broc Thompson is coming back from offseason surgeries on his knees, and cornerbacks Cory Trice and Jamari Brown are both coming off injury shortened 2021 seasons. Head coach Jeff Brohm confirmed that all three will suit up against the Nittany Lions, but it’s unclear if they will be limited in capacity.

Betting Lines

Penn State is currently a 3.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 53.5 points.

Media Coverage

Onward State will have you covered throughout tonight’s game. You can find big plays, photos, analysis, and more on our main @OnwardState Twitter account and Facebook page, and we’ll also provide play-by-play commentary from @OnwardStSports.

Football writers Ryan Parsons (@rjparsons9), Sam Fremin (@SamFremin), and Frankie Marzano (@frankiemarzano) will have you covered from inside of Ross-Ade Stadium’s press box.

Photographers Kyra Cunningham (@kyracunninghamm) and Teagan Staudenmeier (@Teag_42)will provide visual updates from the field as well.

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