Gophers will face Penn State in prime time on national TV

Up next: at No. 16 Penn State

6:30 p.m. Saturday, Beaver Stadium, Ch. 5, 100.3-FM

The skinny: The Gophers and Nittany Lions will meet for the first time since Minnesota posted its signature victory under coach P.J. Fleck, a 31-26 triumph over then-No. 4 Penn State on Nov. 9, 2019. That win vaulted the Gophers to No. 8 in the AP Top 25 on their way to an 11-2 season.

This game will match a Gophers team on a two-game skid against a Nittany Lions squad that lost 41-17 at No. 5 Michigan on Saturday. Penn State (5-1) led 17-16 early in the third quarter before Michigan scored 25 unanswered points on the strength of a rushing game that gained 418 yards.

Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford left the game in the third quarter because of what coach James Franklin called an undisclosed injury. Clifford struggled before being injured, going 7-for-19 for 120 yards. His replacement, freshman Drew Allar, went 5-for-10 for 37 yards.

Penn State relies on a pair of freshmen in their running game. Nick Singleton leads the Nittany Lions with 482 yards on 69 carries, while Kaytron Allen has carried 63 times for 319 yards. Michigan held Singleton to 19 yards and Allen to 16.