It’s the time of year when people start giving thanks, reflecting on the good things in life, and moving on from the bad. Penn State fans should be especially thankful as the football season wraps up and the holiday season begins. This has been a great year for Penn State football; although the win-loss record isn’t exactly where fans would like it to be, the Nittany Lions have had more than their fair share of good tidings this year. Let’s start from the beginning: After Bill O’Brien ... Read More
Penn State falls to Illinois in final road game
Penn State (6-5, 2-5 Big Ten) dropped its final true road game of the year to Illinois (5-6, 2-5 Big Ten) by a score of 16-14 at Memorial Stadium. The Nittany Lions opened the game against Illinois with an 18-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Christian Hackenberg to freshman wide receiver Chris Godwin in the first quarter, but could not spark a sustainable offensive moment through the rest of the game. Penn State’s two costly mistakes in the first half gave Illinois the momentum to take ... Read More
Penn State looks to extend win streak in final away game
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
Penn State becomes bowl eligible with win over Temple
Penn State (6-4, 2-4 Big Ten) used an action-packed second half to top Temple (5-5, 3-3 AAC) in its 31st consecutive win over the Owls. With this victory, the Nittany Lions are bowl eligible. Penn State kicker Sam Ficken tallied six points in the opening 30 minutes, one from the 29-yard line in the first and one from the 50-yard line in the second quarter. With those two kicks, Ficken tied for second place on Penn State’s all-time career field goal list. He is one of only three players to ... Read More
Penn State hosts Temple in must-win game
The Penn State Nittany Lions (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) will host their final non-conference game of the season against the Temple Owls (5-4, 3-3 AAC) this weekend at Beaver Stadium. Penn State is riding its 13-7 win at Indiana last weekend, having snapped a four-game losing streak while holding the Hoosiers to the fewest amount of points at home since 2006. Bill Belton’s record-making 92-yard run for a touchdown drove the win, and the Nittany Lions will look to ride his confidence in the effort this ... 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
Record rushing touchdown lifts Penn State over Indiana
Penn State (5-4, 2-4 Big Ten) ended its four-game losing streak against Indiana (3-6, 0-5 Big Ten) with a final score of 13-6 on Saturday afternoon. Neither team scored in the first quarter, despite chances for both the Hoosiers and the Lions. The teams combined for a total of seven punts (averaging one every 2:14) in the first, but the inability to start any kind of sustainable offense plagued both teams through the game. It wasn't until the second quarter that the Hoosiers opened up 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