“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
Battle for Governor’s Victory Bell returns to Happy Valley
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Penn State Nittany Lions The Records: Penn State (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten); Minnesota (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten). The Coaches: Penn State: James Franklin, third season, 40-29 overall, 16-14 at Penn State; Minnesota: Tracy Claeys, first full season as a head coach, 5-4 overall. The Game: Minnesota comes to Happy Valley for the first time since 2009 to begin their Big Ten Conference schedule after going undefeated in non-conference play. The Golden Gophers look to keep ... Read More
Penn State heads to Big House to take on No. 4 Michigan
Penn State Nittany Lions vs. No. 4 Michigan Wolverines The Records: Penn State (2-1, 0-0 Big Ten); Michigan (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten). The Coaches: Penn State: James Franklin, third season, 40-28 overall, 16-13 at Penn State; Michigan: Jim Harbaugh, second season, 71-30 overall, 13-3 at Michigan. The Game: Penn State heads to Michigan to begin Big Ten conference play to the tune of nine-straight games against Big Ten foes. The Nittany Lions enter the game at 2-1 on the season, while Jim ... Read More
Nittany Lions welcome Temple to Beaver Stadium
Temple Owls vs. Penn State Nittany Lions The Records: Penn State (1-1, 0-0 Big Ten); Temple (1-1, 0-0 AAC). The Coaches: Penn State: James Franklin, third season, 39-28 overall, 15-13 at Penn State; Temple: Matt Rhule, fourth season, 19-21 overall, 19-21 at Temple The Game: Penn State returns home to the friendly confines of Beaver Stadium after an agonizing loss to arch-rival Pittsburgh last Saturday. The Nittany Lions nearly came back from a three touchdown deficit, only to throw an ... Read More
Reeder, Lynch to transfer for final years of eligibility
The Penn State offense will look very different in 2016, as linebacker Troy Reeder and running back Akeel Lynch announced this week that they would transfer and finish their eligibility at different institutions. Reeder announced on Tuesday that he would transfer to the University of Delaware. He has three years of eligibility remaining, and attributes his decision to the chance to play alongside of his brother, who verbally committed to the Blue Hens last week. Reeder, a Wilmington native, ... Read More
Penn State’s Shoop to Tennesee
University of Tennessee head football coach Butch Jones announced Saturday that Penn State’s Bob Shoop agreed in principle to be the defensive coordinator for the Volunteers. Shoop and Tennessee agreed to a three-year deal worth $1.15 million per year. Penn State and Shoop will work out the buyout. Shoop has coached for 27 years at the collegiate level, and has been at Penn State for two. He has previously served as defensive coordinator at Yale (1994-96), Villanova (1997), William & ... Read More
Nassib’s unexpected rise to stardom
Carl Nassib had two dreams when he arrived at Beaver Stadium as a freshman: First, to be an All-American. Second, to play professional football. At first, neither seemed likely, or even possible. Now, however, he stands tall as one of the best college football players in the nation. Nassib’s stardom was unexpected. The six-foot-seven, 272-pound defensive end was a former walk-on, and had never started a game in high school or college. His first career start came in Penn State’s 2015 opener, ... Read More
Lions edge Terrapins 31-30
The Penn State Nittany Lions (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten) outlasted the University of Maryland Terrapins (2-5, 0-3 Big Ten) on Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium. The final score was 31-30. Big Plays: Despite the nail-biter, Penn State had a good outing. Not only did the team earn bowl eligibility with its sixth win of the season, but quarterback Christian Hackenberg also knocked former QB Zach Mills out of the Penn State record books. The junior signal-caller took over the career records for ... Read More
Penn State clashes with Indiana during Homecoming weekend
The Penn State Nittany Lions (4-1, 1-0) will round out a five-game home series on Saturday against the Indiana Hoosiers (1-3) at 12 p.m. The nationally televised game will air live on ESPN. Fast Facts: This is Penn State’s 96th annual Homecoming game and the fifth of its seven home games this season. Head coach James Franklin is looking forward to welcoming back the extended Penn State family this weekend. "We really appreciate the support of the students and especially all of the alums ... Read More
Lions top Knights 20-14 in dreary conditions
Despite miserable conditions on Saturday at Beaver Stadium, Penn State pulled (4-1, 1-0) out the win against Army (1-4) with a final score of 20-14. Major Plays: Christian Hackenberg threw 156 yards, Nick Scott and Mike Gesicki scored touchdowns, and Joey Julius kicked two field goals in the win. Recap: Army backup quarterback A.J. Schurr ran in the third and fourth quarters to give the Knights their two touchdowns of the afternoon. Army struggled to produce offensively after seven fumbles ... Read More