On a wet and rainy Saturday afternoon, the Penn State Nittany Lions overcame a sloppy first half to beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers 29-26 in overtime. Here are the game's “Cheers and jeers.” Cheers Charles in charge— Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley found Irvin Charles for an 80-yard touchdown with just under 10 minutes left in the third quarter to cut the Minnesota lead to three. The reception was not only Charles' first touchdown as a member of the Nittany Lion, but it was also his ... Read More
Barkley leads Penn State to victory in overtime
The recipe for victory in overtime for the Penn State Nittany Lions was simple: a single shot of Saquon Barkley and a 25-yard rush to the end zone for six points. Barkley had 38-yards on the ground through four quarters of football early Saturday evening, but his 25-yard touchdown on Penn State's first play in overtime gave the Nittany Lions the score they needed to beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers 29-26. “I think this is something our players needed. Everybody needed,” said head coach ... 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
Franklin, PSU still trusting process despite injuries
There isn't a team in the country quite like the Penn State Nittany Lions — for a multitude of reasons. This year marks the first year since 2013 Penn State has had a full 85 scholarship allotment due to NCAA sanctions as a result of the 2012 child sex abuse scandal. For the past two seasons, the Nittany Lions had a reduced number of scholarships (75 in 2014 and 80 in 2015). Now, for the first time in his tenure at Penn State, third-year head coach James Franklin is on equal footing with ... Read More
Cheers & Jeers: Penn State gets Big Housed by Michigan
The Penn State Nittany Lions got routed by the No. 4 Michigan Wolverines, 49-10, Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor, MI. Here are the game's “Cheers and Jeers.” Cheers Gillikin's Island— Freshman punter Blake Gillikin was the standout player of the game for the Nittany Lions, especially in the first half. As a result of the Nittany Lions having a severe problem moving the football, Gillikin was called upon early and often. Gillikin finished the game with six punts and 270 yards for an average of ... 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
Next-man-up mindset helps push Penn State over Temple
Depth has been a recurring issue for the Penn State Nittany Lions football in each of James Franklin's first two seasons at the helm. This year, in Saturday afternoon's game, the Nittany Lions overcame losing four defensive starters to defeat Temple 34-27 at Beaver Stadium. “At one point, we had seven starters out on defense,” Franklin said of his depleted defense. “I love how the defense handled it. It was next-man-up. Very proud of that.” Next-man-up: Defense The next-man-up mantra ... Read More
Cheers and Jeers: Aerial attack pushes Penn State past Temple
Penn State withstood a strong second half from the Temple, and the Nittany Lions beat the Owls 34-27 in front of 100,420 fans at Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Here are the game's “Cheers and Jeers.” Cheers Special teams stand out— Throughout Penn State's first three games, no unit has shown as much improvement as special teams, which was especially evident in the successes Penn State had against the Owls. Blake Gillikin continued his masterful punting, kicker Joe Julius put multiple ... 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
Cheers and Jeers: Penn State’s comeback falls short against Panthers
The Penn State Nittany Lions fell in an instant classic Saturday afternoon to the Pittsburgh Panthers 42-39 at Heinz Field. Here's what the Nittany Lions had to cheer about and what they had to jeer about from the game. Cheers Resiliency- Pitt took the ball 99 yards on its opening drive to the end zone and Penn State never could recover. The Panthers went up 28-7 early in the first half, but the Nittany Lions grinded them out and nearly pulled off the improbable comeback. Penn State may ... Read More