We are Penn State: A Nittany Lions Dynasty (NCAA 14)

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2014 NCAA Season Preview

---The conference realignments mentioned above truly shake up some divisions.

--Back-to-Back Heisman winner QB Johnny Manziel leads defending National Champion Texas A&M, team is #3 in nation in preseason rankings

--#10 Nebraska Cornhuskers seem to be a champioship contender. Can they live up to the hype?

--#8 Florida's defense is championship caliber.

--The Big 10's Ohio State is ranked #1 in the nation.

---Week 1's Biggest Games

Week 1 provides some quality games to welcome the fans back to football:

#4 Virginia Tech at #2 Notre Dame- A battle of two top ten teams sees the team that won the ACC Championship Game last year, Virginia Tech, take on the team that fell to Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M in the National Championship, Notre Dame.

Rivalry Game- Penn State vs. Temple

(National TV)
Penn State has been playing Temple frequently since 1931. Temple has not beaten Penn State since 1941, and Penn State holds a 31–3–1 record in the series (38-3-1 including games removed from the NCAA due to the child sex abuse scandal), after last defeating Temple 24-13 at Beaver Stadium in 2012.[57][58] The current series will continue every season except the 2013 season through at least 2016.[59] Penn State's 30-game winning streak over Temple is currently the longest active streak in college football.

#19 Georgia at Ole Miss in an SEC showdown

#1 Ohio State at Navy

#15 Wisconsin at Washington State

Chick-fil-a- Kickoff Game: West Virginia at #11 Alabama

California at Northwestern

Florida Atlantic at #10 Nebraska

(Bold denotes game involving Big 10 )

Not Too Bad: Penn State Ranked #43 in the Nation Opponent Temple Ranked #91


Penn State is ranked fourth in Big 10 East behind Michigan and newcomer Maryland, and #8 in Big 10.

Three-Peat for Manziel?

TAMU Junior QB Johnny Manziel

Ohio State Senior QB Braxton Miller

Marshall Senior QB Rakeem Cato

Nebraska Senior HB Ameer Abdullah

Michigan Senior QB Devin Gardner

Penn State Gets Recognition

LE CJ Olaniyan has been named to the Preseason All Big 10 First team

HB Zack Zwinak has been named to the Preseason All Big 10 Second team. For both seniors, this certainly helps their preseason draft stock.

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2014 Week 1: Temple Owls at Penn State

(Now using Matt10's sliders)

Penn State has been playing Temple frequently since 1931. Temple has not beaten Penn State since 1941, and Penn State holds a 31–3–1 record in the series (38-3-1 including games removed from the NCAA due to the child sex abuse scandal), after last defeating Temple 24-13 at Beaver Stadium in 2012. The current series will continue every season except the 2013 season through at least 2016. Penn State's 30-game winning streak over Temple is currently the longest active streak in college football. (Wikipedia)

Today, Penn State kicks off 2014 at home against Temple in what should be an easy win.


Penn State, led by sophomore quarterback Christian Hackenberg, started an offense. Hackenberg's favorite target, senior Allen Robinson, caught a pass for a first down. Zack Zwinak ran for a first down, but then Temple intercepted Hackenberg on an awful throw downfield in traffic. Temple could not capitalize, as senior quarterback Clinton Granger went 0/3 passing, forcing the Owls to punt.

Zack Zwinak ran for another Lions first down, but then Allen Robinson dropped the ball. Hackenberg was 1/4 passing. When passing the ball was not working, Hackenberg scrambled for a first down. Tight end Breneman was stopped on the goaline, but Zwinak capped off the drive with a one yard touchdown run, much to the delight of the fans.

The All Big 10 First Team member CJ Olaniyan dropped an interception, and then recorded a tackle for a loss the ensuing drive. However, Temple receiver Jalen Fitzpatrick burned the secondary for a big first down catch on third down. Clinton Granger was 3/9 passing, and Temple would miss a field goal. Penn State drove downfield with a first down run by Zwinak and a first down catch by Kyle Carter. Allen Robinson caught another pass for a first down, and then Zwinak took a screen pass twenty two yards for a touchdown. After one quarter, Penn State led 14-0.

Temple drove downfield with a first down run by senior Kenneth Harper, who then caught a pass for a first down. Ultimately, Temple settled for a field goal to get on the board. Hackenberg ran for a first down on the option, and then found Alex Kenney for a first down. Kyle Carter would catch a pass for a first down, but the Lions missed a field goal. Temple would be forced to punt, so ultimately the missed field goal was unimportant. With 90 seconds in the half, Hackenberg took the field. The sophomore looked beyond his age, driving his team downfield. Hackenberg found Kyle Carter for a one yard touchdown pass, to end the half with Penn State up 21-3.


Temple was driving to start the second half, but a big Ben Kline tackle for loss stopped their momentum. Clinton Granger found Robbie Anderson for consecutive first downs, but senior DT Kyle Baublitz blew up the pocket and sacked Granger. Temple missed a field goal, their second miss on the day. Zwinak ran for a first down run, and then Kyle Carter caught a pass for a first down. Zack Zwinak seemingly put the team on his back, running for a first down and then catching a pass for a first down. Christian Hackenberg scrambled for twenty two yards, but was sacked twice resulting in a Penn State field goal. The Nittany Lions led 24-3 after three.

The Owls fought an, as Jalen Fitzpatrick caught a pass for a first down. Robbie Anderson caught a pass for a first down, and Kenneth Harper ran all the way to the one yard line before being stopped. Harper ran for a one yard touchdown, Temple's first in the game. Zack Zwinak was having a good, if not great game, rushing 21 times for 104 yards. When he needed a breath, Bill Belton ran for thirty-five yards. Hackenberg ran for another ten yards on an option play, and then found Kyle Carter for a two yard touchdown pass.

Temple turned the ball over on downs. Zwinak was running his team to victory, going 27/138. Hackenberg ran for a four yard touchdown, and then Dequan Davis intercepted an errant Granger pass. Penn State ran out the clock to win 38-10 at home.

Player of the Game: Zack Zwinak, senior HB


31 rushes for 154 yards, one touchdown catch, one touchdown run.

Next week, we'll look at recruiting, where the Lions have many needs with many seniors on the team.

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Mississippi upsets/dominates #22 South Carolina 44-10.

#17 Georgia travels, beats Ole Miss in SEC Clash.

Nebraska moves to #9 by holding off Florida Atlantic late rally in victory.

#7 Florida moves to #7 by holding off Idaho 24-17.

Notre Dame moves to #1 after victory over Virginia Tech 34-23, VT falls to #10

Northwestern beats Cal 35-14

Ohio state moves to #2 by beating Navy 45-14.

Washington State beats up Wisconsin 41-16.

West Virginia upsets Alabama in Chick-fil-a Kick Off Game 49-42, WV moves to #24, Alabama drops to #20.

Penn State moves to tied-for-first in Big 10.

Big 10 Players of the Week: Zach Zwinak, Penn State Senior HB (offense) and Dequan Davis, Penn State (defense)

Next, Penn State continues an easy start to the season, hosting Akron.

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2014 College Football Week 2

Week 2 offers even more marquee matchups than Week 1:

In the second Chick-fil-a Kick Off game, #15 Boise State faces Ole Miss, who is reeling after a home loss to Georgia.

#21 Iowa hosts Ball State.

Auburn at Missouri in an SEC clash

#12 Washington vs UCLA in a PAC-12 Showdown.

#20 Alabama, reeling after an upset loss to West Virgnina, at Vanderbilt in an SEC battle.

#1 Notre Dame, confident after a win over #4 Virginia Tech, hosts Purdue in the Game of the Week.

#13 Louisville at Marshall: Bridgewater vs. Cato

#8 Oklahoma vs Tennessee

#2 Ohio State vs Cincinnati

Utah at #18 Michigan

#22 USC at #23 Boston College

#5 Clemson at #7 Georgia in a big rivalry game

#7 Florida meets #3 Texas A&M in a SEC battle.

#11 Miami at #9 Nebraska

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2014 Week 2: Texas A&M move to #1 in Nation with Win over Florida

Johnny Manziel and the Aggies are off to a great start. A week 2 victory over Florida has moved TAMU to the #1 ranked spot in the nation. Florida drops to #10.

Akron Travels to and Beats Penn State 35-17

The Lions were shutdown on offense en route to being upset by Akron.


#6 Oregon falls at home to Wyoming. Oregon falls drops to #20.

Missouri collapses at home to SEC rival Auburn.

Ole Miss beats #15 Boise State in Chik-fil-a Kick-Off Game. Broncos drop to #23.

Oklahoma moves to #5 after defeating Tennessee.

#18 Iowa edges out Ball State 37-35.

Minnesota defense dominant in 23-9 win over Mid-Tennessee State.

Big 10 newcomer Maryland beats Temple 31-10.

#3 Ohio State flexes its muscles, beats Cincinnati 49-13.

#2 Notre Dame beats rival Purdue 41-13.

Nebraska moves to #6 with 37-23 win over Miami, Miami (Florida) falls to #14.

Big 10 new comer Rutgers falls on the road to Navy 35-21.

Illinois beats an FCS team 31-12.

#15 Michigan beats Utah 24-14.

Michigan State goes on the road and beats Memphis 34-14.

Indiana beats Louisiana Tech 14-6.

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2014 Week 3: Around the Big 10

#2 Notre Dame outguns Northwestern 43-34 on national TV.

Indiana beats Bowling Green 37-14.

Illinois falls on the road to Louisiana tech 14-31.

Iowa State wins Cy-Hawk Trophy with win over #18 Iowa 21-16.

Wyoming comes back to earth after upset over Oregon, loses at Michigan State 31-34.

#15 Michigan crushes Miami (Ohio) 49-7.

Minnesota embarrassed at home, lose 27-7 vs. San Jose State

National TV - #6 Nebraska easily beats the always tough Fresno State 45-17

Newcomer Maryland moves to #25 in the nation with 52-21 victory over Purdue.

Rutgers continues to struggle in its first season in the Big 10, falling 27-10 to Tulane.

Penn State had a bye week.

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2014 Week 4:

#10 Florida beats Ole Miss in SEC showdown.

In another SEC battle, #10 Florida beat Missouri 33-21.

Also, Auburn beat Mississippi State in SEC clash
South Carolina falls to 0-3 after 34-17 loss to #12 Georgia.

Iowa beat Pitt 47-14.

Indiana edged out North Texas 35-32.

National TV: Michigan State beat Northwestern 38-20.

National TV: Nebraska moves to #5 with 24-20 win over Rutgers. Rutgers 0-3.

Purdue beats Central Michigan 41-35.

National TV: Ohio State moves to #2 with 45-10 win over Minnesota.

National TV- Michigan moves to #11 with 31-10 win at Wisconsin.

Rivalry Game: #25 Maryland (2-0) at #20 West Virginia: Maryland wins 38-33, moves to #21

Illinois at Washington: Washington wins 28-14

Penn State bounces back from embarrassing loss, beats UMass 35-17.

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2014 Week 5: Penn State opens Big 10 Play, and first game on the road, at Iowa

Penn State is 2-1 and this win would be a huge boost for the Lions.

Second Half Shut-out, Turnovers, and Last Minute Drive Seal Victory for Iowa; Penn State Falls 24-17.

Penn State started on offense. Senior HB Zack Zwinak ran for a first down run. An eight yard catch by Kyle Carter was followed by a second first down run for Zwinak. A third first down run by Zwinak had the Lions driving. However, Penn State settled for a field goal.

Iowa HB Damon Bullock ran for a first down. A big tackle for loss by Mike Hull, and a sack by CJ Olaniyan on third down forced Iowa to punt. The Hawkeyes would force the Lions to punt by blowing up an HB screen. Iowa QB Cody Sokol scrambled for seventeen yards, but Iowa would punt again.

Zack Zwinak ran for thirty-eight yards, and Adam Breneman caught a pass for a first down. Christian Hackenberg finished the drive, finding Jesse James for a seventeen yard touchdown. For Iowa, Tevaun Smith caught a pass for a first down. Penn State senior Kyle Baublitz sacked Sokol, but Damon Bullock ran for 36 yards the next play. After one quarter, Penn State led 10-0.

Damon Bullock ran for another first down, and then Jacob Hillyer caught a pass for a first down. Penn State freshman Thad Hunter recorded his first collegiate sack, and Iowa was forced to settle for a field goal. Zack Zwinak ran for another first down, and consecutive first down catches by Alex Kenney gave the Lions some momentum. Zwinak continued to impress, already having recorded 99 yards on 10 carries. However, an errant Hackenberg pass was intercepted by Iowa's Travis Perry.

Deion Barnes sacked Sokol, but Tevaun Smith caught pass for a first down on third down. However, Iowa would punt. Alex Kenney caught another pass for a first down, and then Hackenberg found Kyle Carter for a 49 yard catch and run touchdown. Damon Bullock ran for another Iowa first down, and then Ray Hamilton caught consecutive passes for first downs. Damon Bullock ran for a first down, but Iowa had to settle for a field goal. At the half, Penn State led 17-6.

CJ Olaniyan recorded a tackle for a loss, but Ray Hamilton caught a pass for a first down on third down. Jacob Hillyer also extended the drive with a first down catch on third down, but another Olaniyan tackle for loss made Iowa pause. However, Bullock finished the drive with a one yard touchdown run. Iowa soon got the ball back with a Jordan Lomax interception, Hackenberg's second in the game. Allen Robinson was substituted out with a pectoral strain. With good field position, Iowa settled for a field goal.

With Robinson unhealthy, Alex Kenney was targeted often, and caught many of these passes. However, Hackenberg was sacked on third down, and Penn State punted. Deion Barnes sacked Sokol for the second time, and Jake Kiley deflected a pass, forcing Iowa to punt. Matt Zanellato caught a pass for a first down on third down, and the third quarter ended with Penn State still up 17-16.

Hackenberg was sacked again, forcing another Penn State punt. Linebacker Mike Hull recorded his third TFL, forcing Iowa to punt. Zack Zwinak and Bill Belton both ran for first downs. Zwinak ran for another first down, but a Bill Belton fumble on the goaline was recovered by Iowa. Penn State was inches from scoring, but Belton, a senior, fumbled. Damon Bullock ran for a first down, and Jordan Canzeri caught a pass on third down to keep the drive alive.

Derek Dowrey sacked Sokol, but Bullock ran for a first down. With fifteen seconds left, Iowa was down by one point. Already in field goal range, they could have run out the clock and kicked a field goal to win. However, the Hawkeyes were relentless, and Sokol found Jake Duzey for a touchdown pass. A second Lomax interception, Hackenberg's third, ended the game. Iowa won 24-17. Penn State was held scoreless in the second half, Bill Belton fumbled just as the Lions were about to score, and the defense broke, losing the game.