[2] They finished with the 24th ranked recruiting class according to ESPN, who cited retention of top prospects Hackenberg and tight end Adam Breneman, as well as adding depth in the secondary, overall giving them a "B" rating.

"[6] Many college football analysts expected the Nittany Lions to perform similarly in 2013, although almost all season outlooks noted that the team could take a major step back from 2012 if they were hampered by injuries, or could surprise everyone and win more games than they did in 2012.

[16] Prior to the game, Penn State coach Bill O'Brien hoped to keep his choice between Tyler Ferguson and Christian Hackenberg as starting quarterback a secret until the first snap.

[49] As this was Penn State's first night game with a particularly young team, keeping emotions in check was a key,[50] as was improving third down efficiency (the Lions were 2-for-26 on the season) good for dead last in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

[55] Penn State's special teams responded with a 44-yard kickoff return by Geno Lewis, but their offense went three-and-out, and though they punted the ball deep into UCF territory, the Knights marched down the field with a strong running game and scored another touchdown to go up 21–7.

[56] UCF got some decent yardage on their next drive, but Bortles threw his first interception since October 27, 2012, with 1:17 in the half, but they ran down the clock and Ficken missed his first field goal attempt of the season, a 57-yard try as time expired.

Kent State was expected to be without their star offensive weapon, wide receiver and running back Dri Archer, who suffered lingering effects from an ankle injury sustained in week one.

[69] That duo along with the running back trio of Zach Zwinak, Bill Belton, and Akeel Lynch led Penn State's offense,[70] which was coming off a performance in which they had scored 31 points, into the game.

In the middle of the fourth quarter, Penn State embarked on a drive that milked over five-and-a-half minutes off the clock and culminated with Zwinak rushing for his third touchdown of the game, a one-yard score with 6:42 to play.

In the post game media conference, Coach Bill O'Brien commended his defensive coordinator John Butler for his hard work in practice the previous week to rebound from an embarrassing performance against Central Florida.

[80] Defensive end Deion Barnes recorded his first sack of the season, and safety Ryan Keiser made his first career interception, while linebacker Glenn Carson led the team with seven tackles.

[92] A preview on SB Nation noted that Indiana's pass first offense might "cause problems" for Penn State, though it expressed some optimism, as Mike Hull finally returned and Adrian Amos moved from safety to cornerback.

Each team ran one more drive before Indiana attained first downs on three consecutive plays, ultimately culminating their possession with a five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nate Sudfeld to Isaiah Roundtree, making the score 7–0 at the end of the first quarter.

[31] Michigan, coming off a 42–13 victory over Minnesota, entered the game with a win–loss record of 5–0, one of two remaining undefeated teams in the Big Ten (the other was Ohio State, who was 6–0, and whom the Lions are scheduled to play on October 26).

[101] Michigan's defense, led by their star cornerback Blake Countless, who was tied for the NCAA lead with four interceptions entering the game, had yet to allow a rushing touchdown,[99] and was expected to receive a boost from the return of their 2012 All-Big Ten linebacker Jake Ryan, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) the prior season.

On Penn State's ensuing drive, they converted a fourth down and one near midfield prior to a penalty and then a sack setting up a third and long on which Hackenberg threw an incomplete pass, so they were forced to settle with pulling within 7; Sam Ficken kicked a 43-yard field goal.

Needing a touchdown to tie the game, Penn State's first play of scrimmage was a pass from Hackenberg to Robinson along the sideline that was ruled incomplete on the field, but was reviewed and overturned and counted as a 14-yard gain.

Hackenberg then attempted a quarterback sneak over the right side for a touchdown; the play was reviewed and the call was confirmed, and Ficken made the extra point to tie the game with 27 seconds left.

[115] Lancaster Newspapers concurred with ESPN, awarding their first half offensive and defensive MVPs to Robinson and Jones respectively as well, adding Sam Ficken as special teams MVP.

The analyst blamed sanctions imposed by NCAA president Mark Emmert in wake of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal for that disparity, citing scholarship reductions hampering depth.

[142] The secondary struggled, though did record two interceptions, mitigating their overall ineffectiveness, much of which, however, stemmed from defensive coordinator John Butler's incessant third-down blitzes, leaving one-on-one coverage for overmatched cornerbacks such as Jordan Lucas.

Freshman quarterback Christian Hackenberg in tandem with a running game that, in theory, was led by Bill Belton and supplemented by Zach Zwinak, and receivers Allen Robinson had potential to score a lot of points.

[146] Penn State received the opening kickoff, however on their first play from scrimmage, Bill Belton lost a fumble and Minnesota recovered and kicked a field goal after failing to achieve a first down.

[148] Receiving the second half kickoff, Minnesota initiated a drive that included a 39-yard run by Cobb, but ultimately ended in their first punt of the day, which they downed inside the one-yard line.

[160] Purdue's ensuing drive ended in the second quarter when quarterback Danny Etling threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Justin Sinz, making the score 14–7 Penn State.

Two plays later, with the snow increasing in intensity, Hackenberg ran a play-action bootleg and rolled right, running for a 7-yard touchdown, putting Penn State up 13–7, as this time, Ficken made the extra point.

Back where they started at the beginning of the half in terms of scoring differential, Penn State got the ball inside their own 20 after Geno Lewis fumbled the kickoff return (he recovered).

[210] Several weeks after the departure of those assistants, reports began to surface that O'Brien had interviewed for the Houston Texans' head coaching position to replace Gary Kubiak, who was fired late in the season.

[215] In the ensuing days, ESPN reported that the search committee, led by athletic director David Joyner, targeted Munchak, Franklin, and Golden as its top three candidates, but that Johnson remained in the mix.

[229] Three players were invited to the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine, held February 22–25, 2014, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana: DaQuan Jones, Allen Robinson, and John Urschel.