Penn State announces 2016 homecoming opponent

Penn State edged out Maryland in 2015 for a 31-30 win on the Terrapins’ home turf.

The Nittany Lions would like to see another win in the next football season, and now there is motivation.

On Monday, the Penn State Homecoming Committee announced that the homecoming game will be Oct. 8, as the team plays host to Maryland.

Penn State won the 2015 homecoming game against Indiana, but lost in 2014 against Northwestern. In 2013, they beat a ranked Michigan team 43-40, the last of a homecoming winning streak that put them over Northwestern in 2012, the first homecoming without longtime coach Joe Paterno, and Purdue in 2011.

There was a five-year run of winning homecoming games before that.

Maryland has a 1-1 record against Penn State since joining the Big Ten. Before that, the Terps hadn’t seen a notch in the win column against the Nittany Lions since 1961.

Head coach James Franklin also has a 1-1 record when it comes to homecoming games at Beaver Stadium. He was 2-1 at Vanderbilt, losing only to Missouri in the 2013 contest.

The homecoming committee is accepting applications from students interested in serving as captains for the 2016 event. To submit an application, visit https://homecoming.psu.edu/Students/Captains/captainapplication.

This story was originally published January 11, 2016 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Penn State announces 2016 homecoming opponent."