The Penn State Nittany Lions and the UCF Knights will face off at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland in 2014, both schools officially announced today.
The game will be the season-opener for both schools on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014. It will kick off at 1:30 p.m. in Dublin (8:30 a.m. ET) and will be televised by ESPN2.
“We are thrilled to announce that we will play UCF at Croke Park to open the 2014 season, ” said Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien. “Our players and coaches are so excited to go to Ireland and play a college football game in such a historic and outstanding venue. I have great respect for Coach O’Leary and his team and playing UCF in Ireland will be a fantastic experience for all the players, coaches and fans.”
“We are very excited about the prospect of playing our 2014 season opener in Dublin,” said UCF head coach Coach O’Leary. “It’s a great opportunity for UCF, and a chance for us to grow the exposure of our football program.”
Travel packages for the game are available through Penn State and UCF.
Croke Park is the home of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Sports played at the stadium include hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball, and rounders.
The last American football game played at Croke Park was on July 27, 1997 between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Bears of the NFL. Notre Dame and Navy met at Croke Park in the Shamrock Classic in 1996.
The announcement of the UCF match-up completes Penn State’s 2014 football schedule. To accommodate the game, the previously scheduled contest against Temple on Aug. 30 was moved to Nov. 15.
UCF has now completed the non-conference portion of their 2014 schedule. After facing Penn State, the Knights host Florida International on Sept. 6, travel to Missouri on Sept. 13, and then host BYU on Oct. 11.
Football Schedules