Nittany Lions Take on Ducks in Big Ten Championship (Game Preview)

No. 3 Penn State (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) vs. No. 1 Oregon (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten)

Date: Saturday, December 7

Times: 8:00 PM

Location: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, IN)

Coverage

• TV: CBS

• Radio: CommRadio & LionVision (PSU) & The Varsity Network (ORE)

• Live Stats: ESPN GameCast & StatBroadcast (Big Ten)

Storylines

Looking Back on the 2016 Big Ten Championship

The Nittany Lions’ last Big Ten Championship appearance was eight years ago in a 38-31 victory over Wisconsin. Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley’s 384 passing yards and four touchdowns gave him the single-season record. (Source: York Daily Record)

Dan Lanning’s Message to CFP Teams

As the only undefeated team in the FBS, the Ducks’ head coach had a simple message for teams with multiple losses going into the CFP: “Just win”. When talking about three-loss SEC teams such as Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Alabama, he commented, “If you lose three games, shame on you — right?” (Source: Yahoo Sports)

No. 3 Penn State vs. No. 1 Oregon: Team Numbers

No. 3 Penn State	Offense	No. 1 Oregon
33.3	Points Per Game	35.2
248.2	Pass Yards Per Game	277.6
194.7	Rush Yards Per Game	170.9
47.22%	3rd Down %	49.32%
15 (1.25)	Turnovers (per game)	17 (1.42)

No. 3 Penn State	Defense	No. 1 Oregon
14.0	Points Allowed PG	16.2
169.8	Pass Yards Allowed PG	171.5
97.0	Rush Yards Allowed PG	112.4
33.54%	Opponent 3rd Down %	31.45%
26 (2.17)	Takeaways (per game)	29 (2.42)

Nittany Lions Slightly Lead Head-to-Head

Penn State is 3-1 against Oregon all-time, according to Winsipedia. Their last meeting was on January 1, 1995, when Penn State beat Oregon 38-20 in the Rose Bowl. Penn State is 3-0 against Oregon at a neutral site all-time, with their last road meeting being in 1995 (see above). Penn State has won the last one head-to-head meeting dating back to 1995. Oregon last beat Penn State on October 3, 1964 in a 22-14 win on the road.

Top Players on Offense

No. 3 Penn State

• QB Drew Allar, Jr.

  • Passing: 204-for-285, 2,668 yds, 18 TD, 5 INT

  • Rushing: 67 car, 225 yds, 5 TD

• RB Nicholas Singleton, Jr.

  • Rushing: 121 car, 733 yds, 7 TD

• TE Tyler Warren, Sr.

  • Receiving: 81 rec, 978 yds, 6 TD

  • Rushing: 21 car, 189 yds, 4 TD

No. 1 Oregon

• QB Dillon Gabriel, Sr.

  • Passing: 275-for-374, 3,275 yds, 24 TD, 6 INT

• RB Jordan James, Jr.

  • Rushing: 206 car, 1,166 yds, 13 TD

• WR Tez Johnson, Sr.

  • Receiving: 67 rec, 685 yds, 9 TD

Top Players on Defense

No. 3 Penn State

• DE Abdul Carter, Jr.

  • Defense: 54 tot, 10 sacks, 19.5 TFL (T-2nd in FBS)

• DT Zane Durant, Jr.

  • Defense: 35 tot, 3 sacks, 9 TFL

• S Jaylen Reed, Sr.

  • Defense: 75 tot, 3 INT, 2 PD

No. 1 Oregon

• LB Matayo Uiagalelei, So.

  • Defense: 37 tot, 10.5 sacks, 12.5 TFL

• LB Bryce Boettcher, Sr.

  • Defense: 80 tot, 7 TFL, 4 PD

• DB Jabbar Muhammad, Sr.

  • Defense: 33 tot, 17 solo, 9 PD

Quick Picks: Expert Analysis

Bryan: Penn State head coach James Franklin is 1-14 against Top 5 opponents in his career, however the potential is there to put it all together. The Nittany Lions will take this game by a close one.

Pick: No. 3 Penn State