It's Penn State-Minnesota week: Time, channel, the spread, early storylines, and more

Penn State and Minnesota will both be looking to bounce back from losses when they meet on Saturday at Beaver Stadium in the White Out game.

The Nittany Lions fell 41-17 at Michigan, of course. It was a deflating start to a season-defining three-game stretch. Head coach James Franklin’s side was outperformed in all facets of the game during the loss.

“They’re a good football team,” Franklin said. “Let me let me start by saying that. Let me give them credit. They are a good football team. But, we didn’t play well. So yeah, I’m surprised that we didn’t play well. Again, when you’re not able to control the line of scrimmage the way you need to control the line of scrimmage, you’re going to have a hard time.”

Meanwhile, PJ Fleck’s Golden Gophers lost 26-14 to Illinois and may be without one of their stars in State College. More on that later. Let’s kick off the Monday rundown to prepare you for the Lions’ next game.

Time and TV info

This matchup was locked into primetime long ago. It will start at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC. That means Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Holly Rowe will be on the call. in State College. Penn State will be making its second ABC appearance this season. It aired on the network regionally during a Week 2 win over Ohio.

What is the Penn State-Minnesota spread?

FanDuel opened with Penn State as a seven-point favorite on Sunday morning. It will be interesting to see where injury information will take this line during the week.

Game week schedule for Penn State

Everything should be status quo for Penn State to have a regular media schedule this week.

Tuesday will see player interviews and a lengthy news conference with Franklin at lunchtime. On Wednesday, more player calls will take place in addition to a chance to watch practice plus another opportunity to interview Franklin and a player.

Thursday brings the Penn State Coaches Show, which Franklin typically appears on for the last half hour, and that will be it for the week until Saturday after the game.

What’s up with Minnesota?

There is really only one thing that matters at the moment: Will Gophers’ quarterback Tanner Morgan be available? He was carted off the field Saturday after suffering what appeared to be a cheap shot blow to the head that didn’t draw a flag. He was four of 12 for just 21 yards and an interception prior to the injury as he and offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca failed to work their magic. Athan Kaliakmanis would likely be the starter if Morgan is out.

Star back Mohamed Ibrahim did return to action. He was impressive as usual, carrying 15 times for 127 yards and a touchdown. Expect Ciarrocca to try and take advantage of a just-exposed Penn State run defense to set up Morgan for his patented play action passes that burned the Lions in 2019 on the road.

Minnesota is amid a two-game losing streak. It had started the season 4-0. It will be without star receiver Chris Autman-Bell, who was lost for the season with a leg injury in September.

Early weather outlook

According to Weather.com, tailgating conditions should be great early in the day with a high of 66 degrees. By kickoff, the forecast calls for: “A few clouds. Low 41F. Winds light and variable.”

In other words, it should be a perfect night for this time of year.

Early Penn Stat-Minnesota storylines

–Will either team have its starting quarterback? Sean Clifford is dealing with his own injury, which reportedly has to do with his right shoulder.

–What will Ciarrocca have up his sleeve for his old team? He and James Franklin have said the right things since their relationship unceremoniously ended with Ciarrocca’s firing after just one season. But, we can’t help to think the Pa., native will want to stick it to the Lions if possible.

–There will be a lot of talk this week about whether or not Penn State will let one loss turn into two. It happened last season and in ones before that. The focus must be at an all-time high in the Lasch Building, starting with today’s day off and then Tuesday’s practice.

–Minnesota will want to run the ball. Can Penn State figure out how to stop it like it did in September after Michigan gashed it on the ground in astounding fashion on Saturady?

–What will this year’s White Out game be like? Stay tuned for recruiting list updates and other news and notes throughout the week.