The Penn State Nittany Lions (1-1) overcame soggy weather and used a dominating second half to top the Buffalo Bulls (1-1) by a final score of 27-14. Penn State started the afternoon with a 58-yard return on the opening kickoff. Despite DaeSean Hamilton’s two catches, the Lions failed to convert on the fourth down. Buffalo’s first offensive possession ended with a three-and-out after quarterback Joe Licata was sacked, and the Bulls were forced to punt. Several quick penalties gave Buffalo ... Read More
Temple snaps 74-year losing streak against Penn State, 27-10
Temple (1-0) capitalized on foolish mistakes to snap Penn State’s (0-1) 40-game win streak today at Lincoln Financial Field by a final score of 27-10. This is the first time the Owls have beaten Penn State since 1941. Penn State dominated the first period of play; in the first offensive drive, true freshman Joey Julius put Penn State on the board with a 34-yard field goal following a 33-yard rush from freshman wide receiver Brandon Polk. The Nittany Lions took a 10-point lead after junior ... Read More
COLUMN: Removing names from jerseys will heal, not hurt
The Penn State Nittany Lions football team announced last week that going forward, the names on the back of the jerseys will be removed, returning to the “Basic Blues” that the university wore for more than 100 years. By now, it’s old news, and the change has been welcomed by almost all, especially alumni. “That simple tradition, I feel, takes away from a lot of the chest-beating and ‘look at me’ mentality we have in society and puts the importance on working together and being a team,” said ... Read More
Penn State returning to roots, remove names from jerseys
The Penn State Nittany Lions will return to their roots in 2015 after the school announced on Thursday that the team would be removing their names from the back of the jerseys. During former head coach Bill O’Brien’s inaugural season, he made the somewhat controversial decision to add the players’ names to the backs of the jerseys, saying that their loyalty and dedication to Penn State deserved recognition. Current head coach James Franklin followed O’Brien’s example for one year, praising ... Read More
Column: Could Franklin be Penn State’s “Great One?”
It is not out of the realm of believability to say that James Franklin’s 2014 was pretty good. Great, even. In January, he was hired to be the head football coach of a fairly prestigious university (a team in his home state that he grew up watching, nonetheless), he scraped out a winning season despite having a severely depleted team, and he led Penn State to its first bowl game since 2012 and it’s first bowl win since 2010. So the question becomes this: will 2015 bring greatness for ... Read More
Penn State hockey season recap
Even though the Penn State Nittany Lions hockey team may not have placed where they wanted to in the Big Ten Tournament, their season was successful overall. Top Ten Moments: 1. Head coach Guy Gadowsky brought the Nittany Lions their first winning season as a Division I team. Penn State finished the year with an 18-15-4 record, doubling the number of wins it had in the 2013-2014 season. 2. Nicknamed “The Sniper,” Casey Bailey became the program’s first professional player when he signed ... Read More
He’s Ficken Here: Penn State Kicker Ends Illustrious Career
Sam Ficken is Penn State’s man of the hour, just like he has been for the last five months. It all started with his game-winning 36-yard field goal against UCF in Dublin, Ireland, at the Croke Park Classic and it ended with his game-winning extra point attempt (after tying the game on a 44-yard field goal with 20 seconds left in regulation) against Boston College in the New Era Pinstripe bowl at Yankee Stadium. Walk-off wins, which bookended his senior season, seem to have become Ficken’s ... Read More
Family Doesn’t Die
Penn State relies on the importance of family. University fans probably have some whiplash from the roller coaster they have been on in the last few years. New coaches, sanctions, and the departure of beloved players have hit fans where it hurts, but there is one thing that they can rely on, no matter the circumstances. They have the loyalty and dedication of a family from their football team. Familial ties have always been strong amongst the Nittany Lions, and that’s probably head coach ... Read More
Penn State to face Boston College in Pinstripe Bowl
Penn State (6-6) will play Boston College (7-5) in the Pinstripe Bowl on December 27 in New York City at Yankee Stadium. The kickoff is set for 4:30 in the afternoon and will be broadcasted on the ESPN family of networks. This is the Nittany Lions’ first bowl trip in two years since participating in the TicketCity Bowl in January 2012, but they haven’t won a bowl game since January 2010 when they topped LSU 19-17. This will be head coach James Franklin’s fourth career bowl appearance. He ... Read More
Penn State faces Michigan State in regular season finale
Penn State (6-5, 2-5 Big Ten) will welcome tenth-ranked Michigan State (9-2, 6-1 Big Ten) for a 3:30 kickoff this weekend in a game that is both team’s regular season finale. The winner will walk away with the Land Grant Trophy. This game will showcase the Big Ten’s top talent; Michigan State ranks first in total offense, averaging 44.3 points per game, while Penn State ranks second in total defense but leads the conference in total rushing defense, holding nine of their 11 opponents to 20 ... Read More