Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Pittsburgh Panthers The Records: Penn State (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten); Pitt (1-0, 0-0 ACC). The Coaches: Penn State: James Franklin, third season, 39-27 overall, 15-12 at Penn State; Pitt: Pat Narduzzi, second season, 9-5 overall, 9-5 at Pitt. The Game: For the first time in 16 years, Penn State and Pitt will battle on the gridiron. The last time these in-state rivals played, Rod Rutherford quarterbacked the Panthers to a 12-0 victory at Three Rivers ... Read More
After 16 years, Penn State and Pitt take their rivalry to the gridiron
Penn State University and the University of Pittsburgh haven't squared off on the gridiron since 2000. Now, 16 years later, as the two football teams are gearing up to face each other, the rivalry is more intriguing than ever before. Pitt and Penn State are natural rivals — Pennsylvania's version of Alabama vs. Auburn — yet hardly any of the action has taken place on the field. Saturday, that changes as the Nittany Lions head to Heinz Field for the Keystone Classic to take on a Panthers team ... Read More
Pitt vs. Penn State by position: Coaching
Leading up to Saturday's Pitt-PSU game, our beat reporters looked at key position battles: linebackers and defensive backs; linemen; and running backs and receivers. In the final battle, they took a look at the coaching matchup. Daniel Greenwald, Pitt beat reporter: Penn State head coach James Franklin went from being a decent coach at Vanderbilt to being an average coach with the Nittany Lions. Franklin’s first two years at PSU haven’t exactly been barn burners. The Nittany Lions have gone ... Read More
Defense, special teams shine for Penn State in opener
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, the defense shined the brightest for the Penn State Nittany Lions as they cruised to a 33-13 victory over the Kent State Golden Flashes in their season opener. As a unit, the defense of the Nittany Lions allowed only six points while the offense gave up seven as the result of a Trace McSorley fumble returned for a touchdown in the second quarter. The Nittany Lions got two touchdowns through the air from McSorley with DaeSean Hamilton hauling in a first-quarter ... Read More
Cheers and Jeers: Lights out second half defends helps Penn State win season opener
The Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the Kent State Golden Flashes 33-13 Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium. Here's what the Nittany Lions had to cheer about and what they had to jeer about from the game. Cheers Forcing turnovers, something Penn State wanted to improve on from last season, played a major part in the Nittany Lions having success on defense. Marcus Allen forced and recovered a Kent State fumble in the second quarter leading to Saquon Barkley touchdown run. On the first ... Read More
Results are necessary for Franklin in Year 3
James Franklin begins his third year at the helm of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team on Saturday. Since the day Franklin was introduced, he has talked the talk about continuing the Success With Honor culture former head coach Joe Paterno instilled during his tenure. Franklin inherited a program with a quarterback Christian Hackenberg, who was coming off the best year a quarterback has had since the Nittany Lions were quarterbacked by future NFL quarterback Kerry Collins. Franklin ... Read More
Penn State takes on Kent State in season opener
Kent State Golden Flashes vs. Penn State Nittany Lions The Records: Kent State (Last year: 3-9, 2-6 MAC). Penn State (7-6, 4-4 Big Ten). The Coaches: Kent State: Paul Haynes, fourth season, 9-26 overall record. Penn State: James Franklin, third season, 38-27 overall, 14-12 at Penn State. The Game: The Saturday match-up is the season opening game for both Kent State and Penn State. The Golden Flashes look to get back to winnings ways in head coach Paul Haynes fourth season at the helm ... Read More
Penn State counting on experienced linebackers, secondary
As the offense was tasked to find a new coordinator, so to was the defense this season after former defensive coordinator Bob Shoop left for the Smoky Mountains and University of Tennessee. Head coach James Franklin promoted from within and named Brent Pry the new defensive coordinator for the Penn State Nittany Lions. The odds are stacked against Pry in what looks to be the weakest year for the defensive unit in recent history. Pry, an Altoona native, is tasked with replenishing a defensive ... Read More
Penn State to commemorate 50th Anniversary of Paterno debut
Hidden deep in a release yesterday highlighting promotions for the upcoming Penn State football season was a tidbit of information announcing the university's plans to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the late Joe Paterno's first game as head coach of the Nittany Lions. The former head coach, fired as a result of fallout from the arrest of former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, passed away in 2012 after a lengthy battle with cancer. The commemoration will be the first time the ... Read More
Penn State position group preview: Offense
The Penn State Nittany Lions' offense will look completely different for the James Franklin-led squad in 2016. Gone is record-setting quarterback Christian Hackenberg. Gone is offensive coordinator John Donovan. Gone is offensive line coach Herb Hand. Trace McSorley will inherit the Penn State offense left behind by Hackenberg, this after Franklin named McSorley the starter Wednesday. For the first time in the three years Franklin has been the head coach, he'll be able to play a ... Read More