Penn State's season opener at Purdue moved up to prime-time Thursday slot

STATE COLLEGE — Penn State will open its 2022 season on a Thursday night in prime time.

The Nittany Lions will face Purdue on Thursday, Sept. 1, both programs announced Thursday morning.

The time and television network remains to be announced, but for reference, when Ohio State and Minnesota opened the 2021 season on Thursday, the game kicked off at 8 p.m. and was televised on Fox.

Penn State and Purdue were originally scheduled to meet on Saturday, Sept. 3, at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind.

Last month, the Big Ten announced changes to its 2022 football schedule. This is the latest tweak to what Penn State will face this fall.

This will be the third straight year that Penn State opens the season on the road against a Big Ten foe. In 2020, the Nittany Lions lost at Indiana, and last season, they won at Wisconsin.

Penn State and Purdue last met in 2019 with the Nittany Lions defeating the Boilermakers, 35-7, at Beaver Stadium. Penn State last played at Purdue in 2016 and won, 62-24. Overall, Penn State has won nine straight against Purdue, and the Nittany Lions lead the overall series over the Boilermakers, 15-3-1.

Purdue, though, is coming off a 9-4 season that included a 48-45 win over Tennessee in the Music City Bowl. Quarterback Aidan O’Connell is returning for a sixth season after he completed 71.2% of his passes and threw for 3,712 yards with 28 touchdowns to 11 interceptions.

Penn State, meanwhile, is coming off a 7-6 season that ended with a disappointing 24-10 loss to Arkansas in the Outback Bowl.