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
Penn State Edges Boston College in Cinderella Bowl Win
James Franklin likes to say that there are “no moral victories” in college football, and that turned out to be true as the Penn State Nittany Lions topped the Boston College Eagles by a final score of 31-30 at Yankee Stadium for their first bowl win since 2010. The first half was uneventful; neither team could mount any kind of sustainable offense. The only scoring opportunities came in the first quarter. Penn State drew first blood after sophomore quarterback Christian Hackenberg completed a ... 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
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