Penn State highlighted in Big Ten Network Thursday night lineup

Photo: Geoff Rushton Viewers will get a look at standout defensive end Maurice Evans and the rest of the Nittany Lions at practice Thursday night on the Big Ten Network

University Park, Pa. — Penn State will take center stage on the Big Ten Network during its primetime line-up on Thursday (Aug. 21).

During the past two weeks, the Network's lead college football studio team of host Dave Revsine and analysts Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith have taken viewers to a practice at every Big Ten school for a special 90-minute edition of Big Ten Tonight: Football Practice. The show includes interviews with special guests, features in-depth analysis of both sides of the ball and highlights important position battles.

Big Ten Tonight: Football Practice will conclude its tour of the conference schools when it originates from Penn State on Thursday, with the program airing at 9 p.m. ET. The 90-minute program will re-air on the Network on Monday, Aug. 25 at 4:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. and Wednesday, Aug. 27 at 5:30 p.m.

Fans can warm-up for the football practice program Thursday at 7 p.m., when the Big Ten Network airs the 2001 Penn State-Ohio State game as part of its "Big Ten's Greatest Games" series. The Nittany Lions' rallied from an 18-point third quarter deficit to beat the Buckeyes, 29-27, giving Joe Paterno his 324th career victory to move past Paul "Bear" Bryant as the wins leader among major college coaches.

Following the practice program on Thursday, the Big Ten Network will air the "Penn State Year in Review" at 10:30 p.m. During 2007-08, the Nittany Lions won four Big Ten Championships and two NCAA titles and finished No. 9 nationally in the NACDA Directors' Cup:

- The women's volleyball team won its fifth consecutive conference crown last year and its second National Championship. The team is ranked No. 1 in the nation entering the 2008 season; - The women's soccer team won its 10th consecutive Big Ten title and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Championship; - The men's gymnastics team captured its second Big Ten title and finished fourth at the NCAA Championships; - The women's track and field team won its first Big Ten crown earned a program-best fourth place finish at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. - The top-seeded men's volleyball team won its NCAA Championship. The program captured its 10th consecutive EIVA title.

The Big Ten Network's "Penn State Football Preview" show is scheduled to air on Monday, Aug. 25 at 6:30 p.m. ET., five days before the season opener with Coastal Carolina. The 30-minute program will re-air on Monday at 9:30 p.m., Aug. 27 at 3 p.m. and Aug. 29 at 6 p.m.

The Aug. 30 season opener will kick at 12:00 p.m. and air on the Big Ten Network, the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com

Penn State Football Eve launches the season on Friday, Aug. 29, with stadium gates opening at 7 p.m. and the program starting at 7:45 p.m. The Nittany Lion women's soccer team opens its home schedule on Aug. 29 at 5 p.m. vs. Florida State at Jeffrey Field. Admission and parking are free for Football Eve and the soccer match.

Available to all cable and satellite providers nationwide, the Big Ten Network has agreements with Comcast, DirecTV, DISH Network, AT&T U-Verse, Verizon FiOS and 230 cable operators and is available to 55 million households. For more information on the Big Ten Network, go to www.BigTenNetwork.com