Penn State football will now open its season at Purdue on Thursday Sept. 1 following an announcement by both programs on Thursday, some 203 days prior to the game itself.
The game at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette was originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 3, but the pending date change was a poorly kept rumor even prior to the Big Ten’s recently released revised 2022 conference slate.
The last time Penn State played a regular-season game on a Thursday was Thanksgiving 1974 against Pitt.
Following the season-opener at Purdue, Penn State will play its home opener on Saturday, Sept. 10 against Ohio before heading to Alabama to face Auburn in the second half of the home-and-home series. Auburn could find itself with another head coach by that time.
Penn State finished the 2021 season at 7-6 while struggling to find consistency on offense despite a nationally dominant defensive unit. The Nittany Lions will welcome back quarterback Sean Clifford to the fold in addition to high-profile five-star quarterback prospect Drew Allar.
It’s anticipated that Clifford will continue in his role as Penn State’s starting quarterback for a four-season although coach James Franklin mentioned recently that the competition will be wide open. Time will tell if this is truly the case, or if Allar would be able to push the experienced Clifford in the coming months.
In any case, Penn State’s season now starts on a Thursday.
