Kickoff set for Penn State's opener against Akron

(AP Photo/Chris Knight)

It all begins at noon September 2 on network television.

Announced Thursday, the Penn State season opener against Akron will air live on ABC with the kickoff set for 12:00 p.m. ET. It is the first of seven home games in Beaver Stadium, the initial three of which are on consecutive weekends against Akron, Pittsburgh (Sept. 9) and Georgia State (Sept. 16).

It is the sixth meeting between the Nittany Lions and the Zips with their most recent coming during week two of the 2014 season. After a 7-0 score at halftime, Penn State prevailed, 21-3. Christian Hackenberg threw for 319 yards, which at the time tied the school record of six 300-yard games held by Matt McGloin. Hackenberg threw for all three touchdowns, two of which found Jesse James, while also throwing two interceptions.

A trio of freshmen flashed signs in what was just their second career games: DaeSean Hamilton had a game-high seven catches for 69 yards, Mike Gesicki made an 11-yard grab, while freshman Parker Cothren notched his first career sack.

Now in their senior year, they’ll be looking for a similar, if not better, outcome against Akron.

All time, PennState is 5-0 in the series. Against teams from the Mid-American Conference, it is 24-3, having played a MAC school every year since 2009.

In season openers, PSU owns an all-time record of 116-13-1, and it is 48-9 in Beaver Stadium. Penn State has been victorious in 15 of its last 16 games to begin the season in Beaver Stadium.