The Washington and Jefferson Presidents lived to play another week as a record-setting performance from their defense helped them advance to the second round of the Division III playoffs. No. 19 W&J set a school record by intercepting eight passes as that was plenty enough to help the Presidents defeat No. 12 Wittenberg (9-2) 41-25 in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. The win moves W&J (10-1) into the second round of the playoffs where No. 3 Mount Union awaits. ... 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
Syracuse vs. Pitt: Preview, Prediction, Analysis and more
It has been a struggle for the Pitt football team as of late, losers of three in a row and six of seven overall. But Pitt’s bowl hopes are still mathematically alive, having to win out to become bowl eligible. That all starts this weekend when a familiar foe comes to Heinz Field in Syracuse. The Panthers and Orange have played every year since 1955. The last couple meetings between the two former Big East foes have been nail biters, including last season when Pitt became bowl eligible ... Read More
Pitt must get defensive with bowl hopes on the line
Entering the 2014 season, the one thing on paper that you could have pointed to that could cost the Pitt Panthers in a major way was their defense, in particular their secondary, which was dinged up by injuries, defections and suspensions. Yet on paper halfway through the season it looked as if the Panthers defense was playing particularly well as they were ranked as one of the better all-around units in the nation. But sometimes numbers lie and this was certainly one of those ... Read More
W&J, Waynesburg, dominate 2014 All-PAC football selections
The Presidents Athletic Conference announced their all-conference teams this week and as expected quite a few local players dominated the list. Highlighted by six first-team selections, the Washington & Jefferson football team placed 18 players on the All-PAC football teams and head coach Mike Sirianni earned his third-consecutive Coach of the Year award. Sirianni holds a winning percentage of .815 in his 12th season as head coach. W&J wasn't the only successful team to get some ... Read More
Pitt’s T.J. Clemmings accepts Senior Bowl invitation
Not much has gone well for the Pitt Panthers this season, but for offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings, the 2014 season has been an eye opener for NFL scouts. Clemmings, who was voted a captain before the season began, has seen his stock soar as a draft prospect and on Monday accepted an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl. The senior is a three-time ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week this season and some project him early on as high as a second-round draft pick in this springs ... Read More
Loss to Waynesburg costs W&J home playoff game
The W&J football team saw its dream of a perfect season end Saturday with a loss at Waynesburg, but that loss proved to be more damaging than simply just losing a game. It also means that the Presidents won’t be hosting a playoff game this week. The Division III playoff brackets were released Sunday night and as expected, the Presidents will have to take to the road. W&J (9-1, 7-1 PAC) drew Wittenberg (Ohio), as the two teams will open the tournament with a noon kickoff at ... Read More
Waynesburg stuns No. 11 Washington & Jefferson
The Waynesburg University football program has done a lot over the past 11 years, including earning bids to five Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) bowl games and a share of the 2012 Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) title. However, one thing has eluded the Yellow Jackets over that stretch … a win over rival Washington & Jefferson. The Yellow Jackets have not been able to solve the Presidents since a victory in 2003. That all changed on a cold, clear Saturday afternoon at ... Read More