Nov. 1, 2010

Northwestern (6-2, 2-2 Big Ten) at Penn State (5-3, 2-2 Big Ten)
2:30 p.m. CT • Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010
Beaver Stadium (107,282) • University Park, Pa.

Television: ABC (regional) & ESPN2 (outer markets) • Broadcast Map (PDF Format)
NOTE: If the game is not on ABC in your viewing area, and your ESPN2 channel is showing ESPN News, please try your standard definition ESPN2 channel.
Radio: WGN (720 AM), WNUR (89.3 FM)
Internet: wgnradio.com, wnur.org
Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Next Home Game: vs. Iowa, Saturday, Nov. 13 • 11 a.m. CT, ESPN or ESPN2
Ticket Information: NU's final two home games -- Nov. 13 vs. Iowa and Nov. 20 vs. Illinois -- are sold out.

NU Football Game Notes (vs. Penn State)

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For Openers
• After picking up its sixth win of the season last weekend at Indiana, Northwestern (6-2) starts November with a trip to Happy Valley to face Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lion squad this Saturday, Nov. 6. Kickoff is set for 2:36 p.m. CT. This is NU's first visit to Beaver Stadium since Sept. 30, 2006. That day marked the Big Ten coaching debut of NU mentor Pat Fitzgerald.

• With its 20-17 win at Indiana, Northwestern is now bowl-eligible for a fourth consecutive season, and the fifth time in the last six years. (Note: NU was bowl-eligible in 2007 with a 6-6 record, but did not play in a bowl game due to the fact that there were a Big Ten-record 10 bowl-eligible teams.) Since 1995, NU has posted 10 seasons with six or more victories.

• The month of November has been especially good to the Wildcats under Pat Fitzgerald. Since taking over as NU's head coach in 2006, the Wildcats have posted a 9-4 record in November, which includes a 6-1 record the past two years. Three of those six wins came against top-25 clubs. This year's slate of November foes may be the most challenging yet for Fitzgerald's 'Cats: NU's final four foes own a combined record of 23-9. Two of those teams (Iowa and Wisconsin) are ranked in the top-15.

• Northwestern carries a six-game road winning streak to Penn State on Saturday after having posted victories over Iowa, Illinois, Vanderbilt, Rice, Minnesota and Indiana in its last six true road games. The six-game road winning streak is NU's longest since 1931. NU can tie the school record for consecutive road wins (1929-31) at seven with a win on Saturday. Since the start of the 2008 season, Northwestern has won a Big Ten-best 11 road games. NU is 8-2 in Big Ten road contests during that span. (See page six of these game notes for the FBS' top road teams.)

• Junior quarterback Dan Persa, who attended Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pa. -- approximately 170 miles from Penn State -- was added to the Manning Award Watch List last week after his strong start to the 2010 season. Persa ranks second among Division I (FBS) quarterbacks in completion percentage with a mark of .744. After opening the season by completing 19-of-21 passes (90.5 percent) at Vanderbilt, Persa led the nation in completion percentage for nine consecutive weeks. He has completed 75 percent or more of his passes in five of eight games this year. Persa also ranks ninth among FBS quarterbacks, and third among Big Ten signal callers, in pass efficiency with a rating of 162.7.

• Only two current Wildcat student-athletes (Stefan Demos and Lee Coleman) and six coaches (Pat Fitzgerald, Jerry Brown, Randy Bates, Adam Cushing, Kevin Johns and Matt MacPherson) were members of NU's last football travel party to Beaver Stadium on Sept. 30, 2006.

• Penn State, which won its second straight game last Saturday with a 41-31 win over Michigan, is seeking win No. 400 for legendary head coach Joe Paterno, who is in his 45th year at PSU. He ranks first among all FBS coaches in career victories.

The Broadcasts
Radio -- WGN Radio (720 AM, wgnradio.com) will carry the game live with the pregame show starting at 10:30 a.m. Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Ted Albrecht (analyst) call the action. WNUR (89.3), NU's student station, also will carry the game. The game can also be heard on satellite radio: Sirius (Ch. 90), XM Satellite (Ch. 196).

Television -- ABC is televising the game to a regional audience. (ESPN2 will carry to the outer markets.) Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst) and Heather Cox (sideline) call the action.

Game Time Set for Iowa
• Northwestern and Iowa will kick off at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Nov. 13. ESPN or ESPN2 will televise the contest.

(For a complete set of game notes, download the PDF above.)

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