Penn State (6-4, 2-4 Big Ten) will take on Illinois (4-6, 1-5 Big Ten) in its final true road test of the season with a noon kickoff at Memorial Stadium. Penn State’s offensive line has been unable to effectively protect quarterback Christian Hackenberg in recent weeks, leading to a record number of sacks; however, in the match against Temple, the offensive line received a lift from the return of Miles Dieffenbach and Donovan Smith. The two veteran players added experience and size to the ... Read More
Determination embodies Penn State’s Mike Hull
James Franklin has a man-crush on Mike Hull, and it’s not hard to understand why. During the press conference following Saturday’s win against Temple, Franklin’s praise for Hull neared gushing. “I love Mike Hull. I have a man-crush on Mike Hull, you’ve heard me say that before. I love the guy, his leadership. He’s one of the most high-production, low-maintenance guys all over the field that I’ve ever been around. He’s everything you want, he’s a blue-collar, hard-nosed, athletic, humble, ... Read More
Bowl eligibility is within reach for Penn State
For the first time since 2012, Penn State has the chance to go to a bowl game. In September, the NCAA announced that, in light of Penn State’s tremendous efforts to correct their poor reporting measures and make sure that the appropriate resources were available to students, faculty, and fans, the university would be given the chance to play in a postseason game two years earlier than the sanctions originally dictated. Given that Penn State was on its way to a 4-0 start at the time, the ... Read More
Penn State travels to Indiana to try to snap losing streak
The Penn State Nittany Lions (4-4, 1-3 Big Ten) will travel to Bloomington to take on the Indiana Hoosiers (3-5, 0-4 Big Ten) on Saturday for the second year in a row. Penn State is seeking redemption after narrowly losing 20-19 to Maryland last week and will look to kicker Sam Ficken and quarterback Christian Hackenberg to lead the offense. Ficken has connected on 17 of his 19 attempts this season, including three from behind the 45-yard line. Ficken is the first player from Penn State to ... Read More
Penn State strong despite struggles
Penn State is not used to losing. From volleyball to wrestling to soccer, most NCAA Division 1 athletics at Penn State are wildly successful, but none more than football. Two national championships and 44 postseason appearances for a school above the Mason-Dixon Line is nothing to bite your thumb at. As such, Penn State fans have come to expect winning seasons. Joe Paterno, as taboo as his name may be, created a culture of success, technically winning 409 games during his tenure as head ... Read More
Maryland reprimanded and fined after ‘Handshakegate’
The Big Ten publicly reprimanded and fined Maryland for its pregame actions against Penn State on Saturday. Conference officials announced on Monday that wide receiver Stefon Diggs was to be suspended for one game (November 15 against Michigan State) and university fined $10,000 after violating the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy following a scuffle on the sidelines and a refusal to shake the Penn State captains’ hands. Diggs was involved in the skirmish on the sidelines before the game ... Read More