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
Pitt squanders late lead in 37-36 loss to UNC
The Pittsburgh Panthers led the University of North Carolina Tar Heels for 59 minutes and 58 seconds of the ball game Saturday afternoon. However, a UNC score and a made extra point with two seconds left was what mattered in the end, and the Tar Heels won, 37-36. Pitt (2-2) dominated for most of the afternoon — the Panthers held the ball for 40:09 compared to the Tar Heels' 19:51 — and had a 13-point lead with less than seven minutes to play. But the Tar Heels overcame the long odds to stave ... 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
10 momentum-swinging plays from Pitt-Oklahoma State
It was a wild shootout of a game, but, despite things clicking offensively, the Pitt Panthers couldn't overcome the Oklahoma State Cowboys, and the Cowboys won, 45-38, in wild fashion. While the game had a ton of key moments, here are the 10 plays that had the biggest impact on the game's momentum. 1. Oklahoma State came out flying right out of the shoot. After a botched kickoff return, the Cowboys were pinned at their own 9-yard line. No matter, they launched a long ball on their first play. ... 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
Multi-dimensional offense powers Panthers
A knife, a screw driver and a can opener are all great tools. However, each is specifically crafted to perform a singular purpose. Hence, the beauty of the Swiss Army knife, which contains all three — and more. None of those tools is equipped to cover the entire spectrum of what you might need it for individually, but the Swiss Army knife's versatility increases its usefulness. Much like a Swiss Army knife, the key to a balanced football offense is versatility. Having dynamic players ... 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