Throughout the 2025 season, Nittany Sports Now will give you a profile of each opponent. Up first, the Nevada Wolfpack of the Mountain West Conference.
Opponent: Nevada Wolf Pack
History: First ever matchup between the programs.
Conference: Mountain West
Home Field: Chris Ault Field At MacKay Stadium (capacity 27,000)
The field is named after College Football Hall of Fame head coach Chris Ault, who is the winningest coach in program history and creator of the “Pistol Offense” guided the Wolfpack to a 234-108-1 record and nine conference championships.
Ault is a member of the 2025-26 College Football Playoff committee that will ultimately judge Penn State’s resume for playoff inclusion and seeding.
The stadium’s name is after the MacKay family who helped fund the construction of the original stadium in 1909.
Notable Football Alumni:
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick (2006-2010) was a two-time WAC Offensive Player of the Year and set NFL records for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a game (181) and in a single postseason by a quarterback (264).
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Fullback Marion Motley (1940-1942) is considered pro football’s Jackie Robinson and is the school’s only football alum enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His number 41 has been retired by Nevada.
Defensive Lineman Charles Mann (1979-1982) was a member of three Washington Commanders Super Bowl championships and a member of the Commanders Ring of Fame.
They Said It:
“I think there are guys that are excited to go play at Penn State and in an elite environment like that. If I told my 16-year-old self that I’d some day be in the same stadium Joe Paterno coached in, I’d be pretty fired up about that. I’m excited about the opportunity. And I think the guys are as well.”
Nevada head coach Jeff Choate about facing Penn State in Beaver Stadium.
Choate enters his second season with the Wolfpack with a 3-10 career record.
