PSU, Notre Dame clash will have 3:30 kickoff

The first meeting in 14 years between football powers Penn State and Notre Dame has been set for a 3:30 p.m. EDT kickoff on Sept. 9 in South Bend, Ind.

NBC will televise the clash to a national audience. All Penn State football games can be heard on the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com, with selected games available on XM Satellite Radio.

The contest is Penn State's first announced TV appearance for the 2006 season. The Nittany Lions have appeared on television in 138 of their last 140 games.

Two of the nation's most successful programs, Penn State and Notre Dame will be meeting for the first time since 1992, when Notre Dame evened the series at 8-8-1 with a 17-16 win in South Bend. The two schools rank among the Top 10 in all-time victories. Notre Dame is second with 810 and Penn State is seventh with 771 wins.

The Fighting Irish will return to Beaver Stadium on September 8, 2007.

Both squads are coming off highly successful 2005 seasons that culminated in the Bowl Championship Series. Coach Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions earned an 11-1 record, capturing the Big Ten and FedEx Orange Bowl titles. Penn State finished No. 3 in the AP and USA Today Coaches' polls, earning its 13th Top-5 finish under Paterno. Notre Dame was 9-3, finishing No. 9 in the AP poll after losing to Ohio State in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.