Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday, September 6 at 12:00 p.m. ET
- Network: Big Ten Network
- Location: Beaver Stadium — University Park, PA
- Spread: Penn State (-42.5)
- Over/under: 54.5
- All-time series: Penn State leads, 1-0
- Last meeting: Penn State 59, FIU 0 — September 1, 2007
- Current streak: Penn State, 1 (2007)
Setting the scene
The big cats clash in Happy Valley as the Panthers test their mettle against the Nittany Lions.
Penn State reigns supreme over 134 of the 136 FBS teams holding the current No. 2 spot in the AP Poll. That being said, the Nittany Lions are prohibitive favorites over FIU at Beaver Stadium. James Franklin and the Nittany Lions handled business in Week 1, hammering down Nevada in a 46-11 results. Meanwhile, FIU started the Willie Simmons era victorious by eviscerating FCS Bethune-Cookman 42-9 at Pitbull
Stadium — securing its first 1-0 start in three years.
FIU will represent Penn State’s first Conference USA opponent since 2011 when Houston triumphed over the Nittany Lions in the TicketCity Bowl, albeit from a much-different look CUSA.
FIU Panthers outlook
The Willie Simmons era couldn’t have started in more hopeful fashion. Sure, FIU is expected to handle business against FCS competition, but the Panthers’ 33-point disposal of Bethune-Cookman was the program’s second-largest margin of victory since the start of 2022.
FIU isn’t accustomed to dominating to that extent, and the Panthers were equipped to do so thanks to the presence of third-year starting quarterback Keyone Jenkins. The Preseason CUSA Offensive Player of the Year accounted for 187 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the season opener, and his offense tied a program record for six rushing touchdowns as a whole.
Kejon Owens, Devonte Lyons, and Anthony Carrie all split carries in the opener and saw similar amounts of success, each averaging over 6.0 yards per rush. The Panthers amassed 223 rushing yards as a group, and the skill position depth also showed in the receiver room as a school-record 13 different players landed a reception. Although replacing an 1,100-yard receiver in Eric Rivers will be difficult, FIU is in as good of a place offensively as it has been throughout the 2020s.
The Panthers’ 26.3 points per game weren’t necessarily the reason they stumbled to 4-8 last year. FIU came excruciatingly close in a variety of contests, finishing 1-5 in games decided by one score — and they were tied or leading in the fourth quarter in all of them. Fourth quarter game management is a priority in Simmons’ first season at the helm, but keeping this one close in Happy Valley won’t be easy.
Some questions remain defensively. Even though FIU didn’t surrender a single touchdown in the opener, Bethune-Cookman still amassed 356 yards, completing six passes spanning 15 yards against the Panthers. Playmakers to watch on defense include defensive end Kenton Simmons, a JUCO transfer who thrived in his FIU debut with one sack and 1.5 tackles for loss, as well as cornerback Brian Blades II, the team’s top coverage corner who produced six pass breakups and a pick-six in 2024. One other emerging talent was inside linebacker Johnny Chaney Jr., a former Colorado reserve who stepped into an expanded role and immediately generated a team-high eight tackles and a forced fumble.
This is a longshot game for FIU, but the Panthers want to showcase Jenkins’ talents and their progress against the No. 2 team in the country and keep within reasonable distance at halftime, condensing this to a 30-minute showdown. Playing at a high level against a reigning CFP semifinalist could build tremendous confidence for CUSA play.
Penn State Nittany Lions outlook
Penn State has worked its way up to No. 2 several times under James Franklin, but the Nittany Lions haven’t been labeled with a preseason ranking that lofty since 1997. After a heartbreaking exit in the Orange Bowl against Notre Dame, Franklin’s squad is eager to run it back and finally climb the mountain from elite to the best.
Last Saturday’s home opener unfolded as most Penn State fans expected. The Nittany Lions rattled off nine consecutive scoring drives on Nevada to kick off their season, although they would have hoped for more than five of those series to result in touchdowns. The defense made its presence felt too, holding Nevada out of the end zone until 25 seconds remained while forcing three turnovers in a 46-11 victory.
Penn State starting quarterback Drew Allar made a notable leap from year one to year two as a starter, and to contend for a national championship, the Nittany Lions eye more progress from the senior from Medina, OH. Allar was the model of accuracy in his 2025 debut with a 22-of-26 showing, gunning for 217 yards and a touchdown.
The long ball wasn’t tested too often, but Allar completed a 31-yard strike to USC transfer wide receiver Kyron Hudson — a promising development for Penn State’s offense. Wide receiver was the Nittany Lions’ biggest Achilles heel during last year’s playoff run as the passing offense was over-reliant on first round NFL Draft selection tight end Tyler Warren. But Hudson (6 receptions, 89 yards, 1 TD) and Syracuse transfer Trebor Pena (7 receptions, 74 yards) proved viable targets against Nevada from a position group in dire need of improvement.
Penn State’s longtime backfield duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen is back for another year, but Nevada bottled them up quite well, limiting them to 62 combined yards on 16 attempts. Still, the potential of that tandem cannot be understated as both eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark one year ago, especially with All-Big Ten guard Vega Ioane spearheading the blocking effort for them.
The Nittany Lions are usually at their best defensively, where they’ve fielded a top 10 FBS scoring defense in four consecutive seasons. Superstar Abdul Carter is gone, but the unit remains stout with five returning starters headlined by Dani Dennis-Sutton at defensive end and Zane Durant at defensive tackle. Dennis-Sutton took over in Week 1 with 2.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles while Durant secured a big-man interception. Overall, the group allowed just 203 yards on less than four yards per play, giving Nevada fits from start to finish.
Prediction
It’s clear FIU is progressing by the margin and comfortability of its FCS win. Last year at this time, the Panthers were dropping an FCS matchup to Monmouth, so the Willie Simmons era is already on a positive trajectory in the 305. Keyone Jenkins and the FIU run game make for a talented offense, but Penn State is armed to severely inhibit all but a few offenses in the country.
FIU may not score more than 10 in this matchup due to the amount of All-American caliber talent residing in Penn State’s commanding defense. The Nittany Lions produce both stops and turnovers frequently, and this could be a long day for the 42.5-point underdog Panthers. Penn State sees more success in the Singleton-Allen run game this week and dominates to improve to 2-0 for the fifth-straight year.
Prediction: Penn State 45, FIU 7
