With the Week One debacle over, now our Fighting Irish look ahead to Sept.8 when they will fly into Central Pennsylvania to take on the Nittany Lions. Penn State is coming off a 59-0 thumping of Florida Int. this past weekend and has jumped three spots in the polls to # 14. Penn State boasts a hard hitting, more than solid defense lead by LB Dan Connor, LB Sean Lee, CB Justin King, and S Anthony Scirrotto. Here is a breakdown of the Penn State-Irish rivalry. Also, FYI, ESPN Gameday will not be attending this game Saturday Night. Gameday will attend Virginia Tech - LSU.
Game Time: 6:00 pm
Location: Beaver Stadium, State College
Records: Irish 0-1 (loss to Georgia Tech 33-3)
Penn State 1-0 (won vs Fla. Int. 59-0)
All-time record between the Irish and Lions: 9-8-1 ND advantage
Last played: Notre Dame 41 Penn State 17 - Sept. 9, 2006
South Bend, Indiana
Notre Dame at Penn State vs JoePa: 1-5 Last win 1989 under Lou 34-23
Last played at Beaver Stadium: Penn State 35 Notre Dame 13
Fans of both teams: Hate each other, especially in Northeastern Pennsylvania
How the two teams stack up against one another in key positions:
Average weight of the offensive and defensive lines:
ND OL 301.8 lbs. vs. PSU DL 276.0 lbs.
ND DL 284.3 lbs. vs. PSU OL 298.0 lbs.
Average height of the receivers and the secondaries:
Average height of the receivers and the secondaries:
ND WR/TE 6'1" vs. PSU DB 5'11"
ND DB 6'0" vs. PSU WR/TE 6'0"
PENN STATE SCOUTING REPORT: The Nittany Lions opened their 2007 season with a 59-0 rout of Florida International last weekend. Anthony Morelli tossed for 295 yards and three touchdowns, while Austin Scott added two TDs on the ground. Penn State ranked up 27 first downs and 549 total yards (313 in the air and 236 on the ground). The Nittany Lions defense limited the Golden Panthers to just seven first downs and 114 total yards (-3 rushing, 117 passing). With the game just 24-0 at halftime, Penn State scored on five of its first seven possessions of the second half to blow the game open. Junior LB Sean Lee led the Nittany Lions defense with seven solo tackles, two for loss, a forced fumble and a sack. All-American senior LB Dan Connor added five tackles, a fumble recovery and sack. Penn State finished the 2006 season with a 9-4 record that included a 20-10 win against Tennessee in the Outback Bowl, and the No. 24 spot in the final AP Poll. The Nittany Lions lost three defensive linemen and two-time All American linebacker Paul Posluszny off a defense that allowed only 14.4 points per game, but is still expected to be one of the nation's best in large part to the return of Connor and Lee, both are Butkus Award candidates.
Information taken from und.com
