The Penn State offense picked up right where it left off last week with an 84-yard touchdown drive on the first series of the game en route to a 38-14 victory over Maryland. Up until Saturday's game, the Nittany Lions had struggled mightily in the first halves of games under head coach James Franklin. Following the victory against Minnesota, Franklin and his coaching staff instituted a “chaos” period in practices throughout the week to kick-start the offense against the Terrapins. The ... Read More
Cheers and Jeers: Barkley rushes Nittany Lions past Terrapins
The Penn State Nittany Lions scored on their first possession and never looked back as they cruised to a 38-14 victory over the undefeated Maryland Terrapins Saturday afternoon. Here are the game's “Cheers and jeers.” Cheers Dynamic duo of McSorley and Barkley— Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley and running back Saquon Barkley got the rushing game going early on as the duo combined for 221 yards in the first half alone and 435 total yards. Coming into the game, the Nittany Lions were ... Read More
Terrapins head to Happy Valley for Homecoming match-up
Maryland Terrapins vs. Penn State Nittany Lions The Records: Penn State (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten); Maryland (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten). The Coaches: Penn State: James Franklin, third season, 41-29 overall, 17-14 at Penn State; Maryland: DJ Durkin, first season as a head coach, 4-0 overall. The Game: It's homecoming in Happy Valley as Penn State welcomes alumni and Maryland to Beaver Stadium for the second game of a three-game home-stand during Big Ten conference play. Maryland comes to State ... Read More
Cheers and Jeers: McSorley, Barkley propel Penn State past Minnesota
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
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
Penn State heads to Pittsburgh for the Keystone Classic
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