Clifford, McSorley, Hackenberg: Former Penn State QBs talk shop
Penn State lettermen Christian Hackenberg, Trace McSorley and Sean Clifford answered audience questions during an NIL event before the annual Blue-White game.
The opening to Penn State football’s historic 2024 season will feature a distinctive early-day feel.
The Nittany Lions’ first two games of the upcoming season − at West Virginia on Aug. 31 and at home against Bowling Green the following week − will kick off at noon, according to the Big Ten Conference.
The West Virginia game will air on FOX as its first “Big Noon Kickoff” of the 2024 season. The Big Ten Network will air the Lions’ home-opener against Mid-American Conference Bowling Green on Sept. 7.
Big Ten officials also announced possible start times for the Lions’ homecoming game and league opener with Illinois (Sept. 28): It will begin at either 3:30 p.m., 4 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. with a TV affiliate yet to be determined.
Last year, seven of Penn State’s 12 regular season games kicked off at noon. They did open in prime time, though, with that 38-15 victory over West Virginia in Beaver Stadium.
This will be the Lions’ first trip to Morgantown since their 40-26 victory in 1992 – the program’s final season before beginning Big Ten play. This will be the biggest home game of the season for the Big 12 Mountaineers in 60,000-seat Milan-Puskar Stadium.
Penn State game times for the remainer of this watershed Big Ten season will be announced later, some not coming until a week or two before kickoff. The Big Ten is integrating new members USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington this season and expects to be a prominent player in the newly-expanded College Football Playoff.
The rest of Penn State’s schedule includes home games against Kent State (Sept. 21), UCLA (Oct. 5), Ohio State (Nov. 2), Washington (Nov. 9) and Maryland (Nov. 30). The Lions will make road trips to USC (Sept. 12), Wisconsin (Oct. 26), Purdue (Nov. 16) and Minnesota (Nov. 23).
This shapes up as a pivotal season for coach James Franklin and his Lions as they break in three new coordinators and attempt to make the playoff for the first time. The larger, 12-team tournament also gives PSU a chance to host a first-round game in Beaver Stadium in December.
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Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.