Penn State officially ushered in its Big Ten era of football in 1993 when it moved into the conference after decades of football independence. Joining the Big Ten meant forming some new rivalries and facing some new opponents the Nittany Lions never faced before. Penn State hosted Minnesota to kick off the 1993 season and for its historic Big Ten debut. With the first meeting between the two schools came a brand new trophy game with the introduction of the Governor’s Victory Bell.
To date, with the series set to continue this weekend, Penn State leads the all-time series with Minnesota with a record of 10-6. That includes a 45-16 in the most recent meeting in 2022. The home team has won each of the last four meetings in the series as well, dating back to 2013.
Penn State is 4-4 in games played in Minneapolis. That includes a 1-2 record with two straight losses in Minnesota’s current home stadium, Huntington Bank Stadium. Penn State’s last road trip to the home of the Gophers was a pivotal 2019 matchup that handed no. 4 Penn State its first loss of the season. Sean Clifford was intercepted in the end zone with 1:01 remaining in the game (his third interception of the game) as Penn State came up short, 31-26.
Penn State faces Minnesota on Saturday, Nov. 23. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on CBS. Penn State opened as a two-touchdown favorite for the final road game of the regular season.
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