Notable Change to Penn State Football’s Schedule

Penn State Football’s road opener against Purdue will be get the prime time, Thursday night treatment

Penn State football’s 2022 season will now kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 1 at Purdue instead of the traditional Saturday opener.

While most traditionalists will roll their eyes at this, the good news is that it’s at least the first game of the season, so there’s no short week or lack of rest for the team, they will be ready to go by then.

There’s also a bit of a benefit that Penn State Football will now have an additional “half” bye week built into the schedule, with nine days between their first and second games.

The Nittany Lions most recent non-Saturday regular-season game occurred in 2019 when Penn State destroyed Maryland 59-0 on a Friday night. The last time Penn State Football played a regular-season game on a Thursday was on Thanksgiving 1974 in a matchup against Pitt.

The Thanksgiving Day rivalry game was then moved to the Friday after Thanksgiving in 1976.

The last time Penn State Football opened a season on a day other than Saturday was 2000 when Penn State kicked off the season on a Sunday against USC. The Nittany Lions lost the game 29-5, yes, they scored five points. Penn State’s last weekday opener came on a Wednesday in 1991 when they defeated Georgia Tech 34-22.

With football becoming more and more popular each year, weekday games are likely to become more common. It’s unlikely that Penn State would ever agree to a home weekday game, for a couple of reasons. First off, Penn State Football wants as many recruits as possible in the stands for home games, and it’s more difficult for recruits to travel during the week because of school and practice. Secondly, Penn State’s proud fanbase loves to tailgate and most make the trip to Happy Valley a weekend vacation, the school likely wouldn’t want to lose that revenue and ruin the fan experience.

The 2022 season is a critical one for James Franklin and his Nittany Lions, after going 11-11 the past two years. This important season will now commence under the lights in Ross-Ade Stadium against one of the most notable upset-minded teams in the country.