UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 7/7 Penn State hosts UCLA on Saturday, October 5 at Beaver Stadium. The kick-off is scheduled for 12:00 on FOX.

BIG AFTERNOON KICK-OFF: Penn State will appear as FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff for the second time this season. Penn State was the featured game due to its 34-12 win over West Virginia.

SERIES HISTORY: Penn State meets UCLA for the seventh time in program history. Penn State is down 4-2 in the all-time series and is set for its first game since 1968 and first game as Big Ten opponents. Four of the last six games have been decided by one possession. PSU won the last matchup, 21-6, in 1968. The opening score of the game came on a blocked punt by Jack Ham, which was scooped up and returned 36 yards for a touchdown by Jim Kates.

2,000 meters ACHTERVELD DUO: Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton reunited for a dynamic performance against Illinois. Allen rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, while Singleton gained 139 all-purpose yards (94 rushing) and scored on a 4-yard run. On the day, Allen surpassed the 2,000 career rushing yards mark. Allen (2,058) and Singleton (2,221) are the second group of Penn State teammates to each have 2,000 career rushing yards, joining Lydell Mitchell (2,934; 1969-71) and Franco Harris (2,002; 1969-71).

SECOND HALF SHUTOUT: The Nittany Lions defeated Illinois in the second half last Saturday, holding the Illini to 59 yards, including -19 rushing yards. Extending that into the first half, from 1:41 of the second quarter to the end of the game, PSU allowed just 39 total yards. This season, Penn State has allowed just nine second-half points and ranks second in the nation in second-half points allowed per game (2.25). PSU hasn’t allowed a point in the third quarter this year.

THE OPPOSITION: UCLA is 1-3 and 0-2 in Big Ten play this season. The Bruins lost 34-13 to Oregon last Saturday. Ethan Garbers threw for 118 yards, while TJ Harden rushed for 53. Bryan Addison had a 96-yard pick-six while adding eight tackles and a pass breakup. Carson Schwesinger led the team with 13 tackles (8 solo).

BY THE NUMBERS

• 4-0 – Penn State is the only FBS team to start 4-0 in each of the past four seasons.
• 14 of 15 – The Nittany Lions have won 14 of their last 15 Big Ten opponents under 100 yards rushing.
• 20 – Tyler Warren has recorded a catch in each of his last 20 games.
• 9 – Through four games this season, Penn State has allowed just nine points in the second half and no points in the third quarter.

EXPLORING THE BRUINS

• DeShaun Foster was named head coach at his alma mater on February 12, 2024.
• Foster spent 10 of the previous 11 seasons on UCLA’s staff.
• UCLA is 1-3 and 0-2 in Big Ten play this season.
• The Bruins earned a 16-13 victory over Hawaii to open the season, but fell to Indiana (42-13), No. 14/13 LSU (34-17) and No. 8/7 Oregon (34-13).
• In the Oregon game, UCLA gained 172 yards while allowing 431 yards.
• Ethan Garbers threw for 118 yards, while TJ Harden rushed for 53.
• On defense, Bryan Addison returned an interception 96 yards for a score.
• UCLA is averaging 14.8 points and 262.0 yards per game.
• Garbers has completed 57.3 percent of his passes for 808 yards and three touchdowns.
• Harden leads the rushing attack with 125 yards and a touchdown, while Rico Flores Jr. is the highest receiving target with 12 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown.
• UCLA’s defense is allowing 30.8 points and 398.3 yards per game.
• LB Carson Schwesinger leads the team with 34 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss.
• LB Kain Medrano leads the team with four more tackles for loss, with 24 more tackles and a forced fumble.
• K Mateen Bhaghani is 8 of 9 in field goal attempts this season with a long of 54.
• P Brody Richter is averaging 44.5 yards per punt.

BIG AFTERNOON KICK-OFF

• Penn State will be featured on FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff for the second time this season.
• The Nittany Lions’ 34-12 win at West Virginia on August 31.
• Since the show’s debut in 2019, Penn State has appeared as FOX’s featured game eleven times.
• Penn State will host FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff in Happy Valley for the third time, having welcomed the show in 2022 (Ohio State, 10/29) and 2023 (Michigan, 11/11).
• The broadcast begins at 10 a.m. and leads to kickoff between the Nittany Lions and Bruins at noon.
• The crew of Rob Stone, Reggie Bush, Mark Ingram, Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn and Urban Meyer will be live ahead of the meeting, while the in-game crew of Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft will call the action.

PENN STANDS OUT

• The Nittany Lions are playing in their ninth Penn State Stripe Out Game with a 5-3 record in the previous eight games.
• The Penn State Stripe Out game has been played every season since 2015, except 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
• The first Penn State Stripe Out game was against Rutgers in 2015, a 28-3 win.
• Penn State Stripe Out Games:

ILLINOIS NOTES

• Penn State is 17-15 all-time in Big Ten openers, including wins in the last four and seven of the last eight.
• Penn State is 75-24-5 in Homecoming games and 5-2 when wearing its Generations of Greatness uniforms.
• Penn State has held Big Ten opponents to fewer than 100 rushing yards in three straight games and 14 of the last 15 games.
• From the 1:41 mark of the second quarter (when Illinois had the ball at the Penn State 2-yard line) until the end of the game, the Nittany Lions held Illinois to 39 total yards.
• A missed field goal in the red zone by the Illini in the second quarter snapped a streak of 36 consecutive red zone scores, the longest in the country.
• Penn State had a season-high 13 tackles for loss, the most since recording 14 in 2023 against UMass, and the most in a Big Ten game since 2022 at Rutgers (15).
• The Nittany Lions recorded seven sacks on the season, their most since scoring seven in 2023 at Michigan State.
• THE Abdul Carter is the first Nittany Lion with four tackles for loss in a game since Yetur Gross-Matos against Iowa in 2018.
• Carter was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.