STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — FBS newcomer UMass will play Penn State in 2014 in an early-season nonconference game in Happy Valley.
UMass announced the Sept. 20, 2014 matchup in a statement over the weekend.
The game also allows Penn State coach Bill O'Brien to host a team from his home state. O'Brien was born Dorchester, Mass., and raised in the Boston suburb of Andover.
O'Brien also has notoriety in New England after spending six seasons as an assistant coach for the Patriots, including offensive coordinator in 2011.
A power in the Football Championship Subdivision, UMass is upgrading its program to FBS status starting this fall. The Minutemen will play in the Mid-American Conference.