Seventh-ranked Penn State will face a new rival in its second matchup of the season when the Delaware Blue Hens come to town on Saturday, September 9 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Live coverage starts at Noon ET and is exclusively on Peacock. Keep reading for how to watch and key storylines for the game.
Delaware
When Delaware takes the field on Saturday, you might do a double take. That’s because the Blue Hens have the same winged helmet design as Penn State’s Big Ten rival Michigan; they also boast similar colors. (Fun fact: The similar helmets are not a coincidence – the Blue Hens began using the design when David Nelson, a former Michigan player, became the head coach at Delaware.)
It’s easy to imagine the Blue Hens will simply present a mental warmup for the Nittany Lions’ highly-anticipated matchup against the Wolverines on November 11, but Delaware is a perennial powerhouse in the FCS and isn’t an opponent to overlook.
Last season, the Blue Hens — who boast Super Bowl MVP QB Joe Flacco as an alum — upset Navy in week 1. They would go on to achieve an 8-5 overall record (4-4 FCS Coastal Athletic Association) and a berth in the FCS Playoffs, before being eliminated in the second round by eventual national champion South Dakota State.
Currently No. 19 in the FCS Top 25, Delaware beat Stony Brook last time out, 37-13.
Watch out for the Delaware defense, which may have lost nine starters from last year but tallied three interceptions against Stony Brook on August 31, returning one for a touchdown.
Penn State
Penn State is coming off a 38-15 win over West Virginia that cemented sophomore Drew Allar as the Nittany Lions’ starting quarterback and KeAndre Lambert-Smith as WR1.
In his first career start, Allar completed 21-of-29 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first Penn State quarterback to throw for over 300 yards in his first career start since Michael Robinson in 2003.
“I thought he did a really good job of managing the game,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said of Allar after the West Virginia game. “He was extremely poised. He’s mobile for a big guy and does a great job of climbing in the pocket and keeping his eyes up.”
On the receiving end of two of those touchdowns was Lambert-Smith, who connected with Allar on the first drive of the game for a 72-yard touchdown.
The Nittany Lions will look to continue developing their depleted receiver corps, with Harrison Wallace III and Malik McClain also ones to watch.
An unexpected position battle has emerged after redshirt sophomore kicker Sander Sahaydak missed two field goals (one from 38 yards, the other from 34 yards) against the Mountaineers. After winning the starting position over the summer, Sahaydak was benched last Saturday in favor of Columbia transfer Alex Felkins, who took over on extra points in the second half and was successful with his lone field goal attempt — a 25-yarder in the fourth quarter.
“If you look at it early on, Felkins had the lead, then Sander kind of took the lead late in training camp, but it was still very close,” Franklin said. "[But] after you miss two field goals that I do not think were long, challenging field goals, it was close enough during camp to go to the other guy.”
How to watch the Delaware Blue Hens vs. No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions
- When: Saturday, September 9
- Where: Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania
- Time: Noon ET
- Watch: Peacock
How can I watch Big Ten on Peacock?
The Delaware Blue Hens vs. Penn State Nittany Lions game will stream exclusively on Peacock. Sign up for Peacock here.
What devices support Peacock?
You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices.
View the full list of supported devices here.
NBC Sports’ Big Ten Football and primetime games announced to date:
| Sat., Sept. 9 | Noon | Delaware at Penn State | Peacock |
| Sat., Sept. 9 | 7:30 p.m. | Charlotte at Maryland | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat., Sept. 16 | 5:00 p.m. | Washington at Michigan State | Peacock |
| Sat., Sept. 16 | 7:30 p.m. | Syracuse at Purdue | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat., Sept. 23 | 7:30 p.m. | Ohio State at Notre Dame | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat., Oct. 14 | 7:30 p.m. | USC at Notre Dame | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat., Nov. 11 | 7:30 p.m. | Michigan State at Ohio State | NBC, Peacock |
| Fri., Nov. 24 | 7:30 p.m. | Penn State at Michigan State (Ford Field) | NBC, Peacock |
The remaining NBC Sports’ Big Ten Football games will be announced during the season.