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Penn State-Idaho football: Start time, how to watch and stream

Penn State starts the season with head coach James Franklin facing a lawsuit and pressure to improve on last year's 9-4 record.

Penn State football head coach James Franklin during a preseason practice in early August.
Penn State football head coach James Franklin during a preseason practice in early August.Read moreCRAIG HOUTZ / For the Inquirer

No. 15 Penn State will kick off its 2019 football season Saturday afternoon with James Franklin facing a lawsuit and some pressure to perform entering his sixth year as the Nittany Lions’ head coach.

Scott A. Lynch, the team’s former orthopedic physician, filed a lawsuit in Dauphin County Court this week claiming Franklin interfered with his medical treatment of student athletes and tried to rush injured players back to the field. Lynch also claims he was removed from his position last March after reporting Franklin’s alleged actions to his superior.

Penn State Health issued a statement saying they “reject” Lynch’s claims and “will vigorously defend our program and its representatives." Franklin told reporters “the health and well-being of our student athletes is of the utmost importance to us.” Several former Penn State players, including quarterback Trace McSorley and running back Saquon Barkley, have issued statements defending Franklin.

But Franklin also faces pressure on the field following last year’s 9-4 record, which came on the heels of back-to-back 11-win seasons. As my colleague Joe Juliano notes, Franklin has a 45-21 record in five seasons as the Nittany Lions’ head coach, but is just 3-12 against the Big Ten East’s big three teams — Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State. And Franklin will have to turn it around behind redshirt sophomore quarterback Sean Clifford.

Fans who streamed Penn State games last season should take note: BTN2GO, the Big Ten Network’s cable-authenticated streaming platform, no longer exists. The game will be available to stream in the Fox Sports app, but not on BTN+, which only streams games not broadcast on television.

» READ MORE: Penn State’s health, depth and chemistry fuel James Franklin’s optimism about 2019 season

» READ MORE: Penn State to open college football season led by defense while youthful offense finds its stride

Idaho Vandals at Penn State Nittany Lions (No. 15): Week 1 NCAA Football

When: Saturday, Aug. 31

Where: Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pa.

Time: 3:30 p.m. kickoff

TV: Big Ten Network (Brandon Gaudin, James Laurinaitis, Elise Menaker)

Radio: 1210 WPHT via the Penn State Sports Network (Steve Jones, Jack Ham)

Streaming: Fox Sports app (requires cable authentication), fuboTV, Playstation Vue, Hulu with Live TV, DirecTV Now (all require a subscription)

Streaming Note: BTN2GO has been discontinued, and the game is not available on BTN+.

Media coverage

Joe Juliano and Tyler King will be covering all the action live on Twitter. Notes and observations about the game will be at inquirer.com/college-sports.

On the Big Ten Network, B1G Football Game Break will air at 3 p.m. following Akron–Illinois. Dave Revsine, Mike Hall, and Rick Pizzo will anchor the network’s studio coverage, alongside reporter and former ESPNer Coley Harvey.

» READ MORE: Sean Clifford’s mentality hasn’t changed, despite being named Penn State’s starting quarterback

» READ MORE: Penn State’s offensive line features plenty of depth, including three starters at guard

Other Saturday games worth watching

  1. Temple versus Bucknell: 3 p.m., ESPN3 (Dave Leno, Tyoka Jackson)

  2. Duke versus No. 2 Alabama: 3:30 p.m., ABC (Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Todd McShay)

  3. No. 11 Oregon versus No. 16 Auburn: 7:30 p.m., ABC (Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit)

  4. Florida Atlantic versus No. 5 Ohio State: noon, FOX (Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt)

» READ MORE: Temple vs. Bucknell: Five things to watch in the season opener

» READ MORE: Four coaches in four years: How Temple football players have adapted, once again, ahead of 2019 season

Penn State football 2019 schedule

  1. Idaho at Penn State: Saturday, Aug. 31, 3:30 p.m. (Big Ten Network)

  2. Buffalo at Penn State: Saturday, Sept. 7, 7:30 p.m. (FOX)

  3. Pittsburgh at Penn State: Saturday, Sept. 14, noon (ABC)

  4. Penn State at Maryland, Friday, Sept. 27, 8 p.m. (FS1)

  5. Purdue at Penn State: Saturday, Oct. 5, noon (ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2)

  6. Penn State at Iowa: Saturday, Oct. 12, TBA

  7. Penn State at Michigan State: Saturday, Oct. 26, TBA

  8. Penn State at Minnesota: Saturday, Nov. 9, TBA

  9. Indiana at Penn State, Saturday, Nov. 16, TBA

  10. Ohio State at Penn State, Saturday, Nov. 23, TBA

  11. Rutgers at Penn State, Saturday, Nov. 30, TBA

» READ MORE: Four seniors are among eight players voted captains for Penn State’s 2019 season

» READ MORE: Miffed at the depth chart? James Franklin lets Penn State players rank themselves