Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/703041
Nittany Lions to face Auburn in 2021-22 Penn State and Auburn rank eighth and 13th, respectively, on the list of all- time winningest Football Bowl Subdivi- sion programs, but they've never faced each other in a regular-season game. That will change in 2021, when the two traditional powers begin a two- game intersectional series. Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour and her Auburn counterpart, Jay Jacobs, jointly announced the series last month. The Tigers will visit Beaver Stadium on Sept. 18, 2021, and the Nittany Lions will travel to Jordan-Hare Sta- dium on Sept. 17, 2022. The teams have met twice in bowl games, with Penn State posting a 43-14 win in the 1996 Outback Bowl and Auburn earning a 13-9 victory in the 2003 Capital One Bowl. Barbour also announced that Penn State will host Buffalo on Sept. 7, 2019, and Ball State on Sept. 11, 2021. The Nit- tany Lions and Bulls will be meeting for the fourth time, while Penn State and Ball State will be playing for the first time. The Lions' football schedules are com- plete through the 2019 season. "We are thrilled to be adding Auburn to our future football schedules," Bar- bour said. "This is a great intersectional matchup, and there will be significant interest from alumni, fans and students of both schools to be a part of the elec- tric atmospheres on both campuses. I am very appreciative of Jay Jacobs' in- terest and efforts in making this home- and-home series a reality. "We are excited that our fans will be able to see Auburn, Pitt, West Virginia and Virginia Tech in Beaver Stadium in upcoming seasons, in addition to our challenging Big Ten schedule," Barbour added. "We are also looking forward to hosting quality MAC opponents with Buffalo and Ball State in future seasons." The 2021 and 2022 Auburn games add another marquee opponent to the Nit- tany Lions' upcoming nonconference schedules. The future schedules also feature the following: • A four-game home-and-home series with Pitt from 2016 to '19, with the first game set for Sept. 10 at Heinz Field. The Nittany Lions will host the Panthers in 2017 and 2019. • Games against Virginia Tech in 2020 (away) and 2025 (home). The Nittany Li- ons and Hokies have never met on the gridiron. • A resumption of the West Virginia ri- valry, with games in 2023 (home) and 2024 (away). They will be the first games between the former Eastern Independ- ent rivals since 1992. Penn State is 23-22 all-time against current Southeastern Conference schools, having played every SEC team except Arkansas, Mississippi and Mis- sissippi State. The Nittany Lions' most recent meeting with an SEC squad was against Georgia in the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl; the most recent regular-season contest was against Alabama in 2011 in Beaver Stadium. The Lions lost both of those games, falling to the Bulldogs, 24- 21, and the Crimson Tide, 27-11. The Nittany Lions vs. SEC teams over- all: Alabama (5-10), Auburn (1-1), Flori- da (0-3), Georgia (1-1), Kentucky (3-2), LSU (2-0), Missouri (3-1), South Caroli- na (2-0), Tennessee (3-2), Texas A&M (3-1) and Vanderbilt (0-1). Parking fees coming to Blue-White Game It was only a matter of time. With Penn State spending in excess of $500,000 annually to stage the Blue- White Game, the athletic department announced in June that it will begin to charge for parking beginning next year in an effort to defray its expenses. Football season ticket-holders with season car parking will be exempt from the charge, but for others, the new costs will be as follows: • Parking for RVs without a season pass: $60. • Parking for cars without a season pass: $20. All parking fees must be paid in cash. In a lengthy press release, university officials cited rising expenses as an im- petus for the changes. "Penn State In- F O O T B A L L N O T E B O O K COST OF DOING BUSINESS To de- fray expenses, Penn State will charge a parking fee for the 2017 Blue-White Game. Photo by An- nemarie Mountz