The No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2, 8-1 Big Ten) were catapulted to a win by a 21-point third quarter en route to a 45-12 victory over the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium in State College, PA. Here are the game's “Cheers and jeers.” Cheers “Bend, don't break” defense— Michigan State marched the ball into the red zone on all four of its first half drives, however, Penn State only gave up field goals on all four trips. In the second half, Michigan State ... Read More
Bowl game picture getting clearer for Penn State
Following the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings being released Tuesday night, the 8-2 Penn State Nittany Lions now sit at No. 8 in the playoff committee's ranking to go along with being ranked No. 9 in the AP Top 25 and No. 10 in the Coaches Poll. While making the College Football Playoff remains a long shot, the bowl game picture got much clearer after the chaos this past weekend. The Nittany Lions continue to be a legitimate contender in the Big Ten Championship race, currently ... Read More
Chaos puts Penn State in thick of Playoff Race
“What marvelous chaos!” That saying, usually reserved for the NHL by award-winning announcer (and Pittsburgh Pirates fan) Mike “Doc” Emrick, perfectly encapsulated this weekend's college football games. The No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions entered the weekend needing a perfect storm to make the Big Ten championship game as well as to be considered for the College Football Playoff. Saturday night, the perfect storm started to pick up major steam. Coming into the weekend, to make the Big Ten ... Read More
Penn State looks to continue winning ways against Hoosiers
#10 Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Indiana Hoosiers The Records: Penn State (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten); Indiana (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) The Head Coaches: Penn State: James Franklin, third season, 45-29 overall, 21-14 at Penn State; Indiana: Kevin Wilson, 25-45 record while head coach at Indiana and overall. The Game: Penn State enters Saturday afternoon's game with an 18-1 overall record against Indiana, dating back to 1993 when the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten. The lone victory for the Hoosiers ... Read More
Cheers and Jeers: Balanced attack leads Penn State over Iowa
The No. 12 Penn State Nittany Lions (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten) found the endzone on their first possession and never looked back in a 41-14 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday night at Beaver Stadium. Here are the game's “Cheers and jeers.” Cheers Defense playing at top-10 level— Penn State's defense forced a turnover on downs on the first possession of the game for Iowa and was dominant in all facets of the game Saturday evening. Iowa entered the game averaging 348.1 total yards of offense, ... Read More
Cheers and Jeers: Barkley, PSU offense shine in rout of Purdue
The Penn State Nittany Lions (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) exploded for 45 points in the second half of Saturday afternoon's game on the way to a 62-24 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers. Here are the game's “Cheers and jeers.” Cheers Third quarter explosion— The Penn State offense benefited from great field position field throughout the third quarter and used it to its advantage, scoring 24 points in the third quarter. (Two Purdue turnovers also helped.) In that third quarter, Chris Godwin got the ... Read More
No. 24 Nittany Lions hit the road to face Purdue
#24 Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Purdue Boilermakers The Records: Penn State (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten); Purdue (3-4, 1-3 Big Ten). The Head Coaches: Penn State: James Franklin, third season, 43-29 overall, 19-14 at Penn State; Purdue: Gerad Parker (interim), 0-1 record while head coach at Purdue, 0-1 overall. The Game: Penn State hits the road this week to face Purdue at Ross-Ade Stadium in only the third road game of the season for the Nittany Lions. James Franklin's squad is fresh off ... Read More
Resilience key in Penn State’s resurgence this season
Resilience (noun): the ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity or the like; buoyancy; AND the dominant trait of the 2016 Penn State Nittany Lions football team. If a college football game were to ever define the word “resilience,” Saturday night's upset victory by the Nittany Lions over the then-second ranked Ohio State Buckeyes was that game. The Nittany Lions were a 19-point underdog at HOME entering the game, but a steady diet of efficient pass rush and ... Read More
Upset of No. 2 Ohio State “special” for Penn State
“This is special,” an emotional James Franklin, head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions, said following his team's 24-21 victory over the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) at Beaver Stadium. Franklin's Nittany Lions (5-2, 3-1) pulled off a major upset after coming into the game as 18-point underdogs in Las Vegas. “This is for everybody,” Franklin said. “This community has been through so much in the last five years.” Ohio State held a 14-point lead as the fourth quarter ... Read More
Cheers and Jeers: Penn State upsets No. 2 Ohio State
The Penn State Nittany Lions (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown and took down the second-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (6-1, 3-1), 24-21. Here are the game's “Cheers and jeers.” Cheers Return of Bell and Cabinda— Linebackers Brandon Bell and Jason Cabinda made their returns to the Nittany Lions' defense after being out since Game One and Two of the season, respectively. Bell and Cabinda made their presence known early and often throughout the night in a Penn State ... Read More