A Season With Penn State...

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Penn State’s Terence Hairston is brought down on the Michigan State three yard line after a 67 yard reception. Dan Reid would score on the next play on a three yard run to give the Nittany Lions a 10-3 halftime lead. Penn State would go on to win 20-10 and clinch the Big Ten East Division title for the fifth consecutive season.

PENN STATE CLINCHES DIVISION WITH 20-10 VICTORY AGAINST MICHIGAN STATE

Press Clippings from Coach Duane's post-game presser...


On the game overall…

“That was just an old fashioned slugfest. Their front was physical and created problems for our running game all day long but luckily we did a good job of moving the ball through the air. We had a couple of big passing plays on O but it was tough. That said, our defence was lights out again today. Jon Jackson with that pick six was a game changer.”

On Terence Hairston’s 67 yard reception on 3rd and 20 late in the 2nd quarter…

“We were backed up and just looking to get some yardage. We called a weak flood and Terence just blows by their guys and makes a big play. We would have loved to see him score as he got tackled on the three but Reider did on the next play so it was all good. Terence is a playmaker and he showed you just how dangerous he can be on that play. That was a huge play as the score was 3-3 at the time. Now we go into the half with a 10-3 lead.”

On SS Jon Jackson’s 26 yard pick six in the third quarter which gave Penn State a 20-3 lead…

“I love JJack. He’s such an old school player. You walk into his room on the road the night before a game and he’s watching The NFL Network’s Top 10 Safety’s. I think he has it on a loop or something. That was a big play obviously. He sat there in Cover 3, jumped the out and away he went. It blew the game open for us and allowed us to work the clock a little more on offence.”

On QB James Madsen, who was 22 for 26 for 290 yards…

“He was our offence today. We could not run the ball at all and it was up to James to move the chains and he did what he could. He didn’t have much time today – I think he got sacked four times – and they had a lot of heat on him for the most part. I mean we had the 67 yarder to Hairston and a 32 yarder to Tykiem Moore. That’s 99 yards on two plays. Now do the math. 20 of 24 for 191 yards. There were a lot of checkdowns because of the pressure.”

On the three interceptions by Penn State…

“JJack’s was the biggest but that’s our defence – they are so aggressive to the ball. On Kellen Smith’s interception, we get great pressure from Bentram Sullivan to flush the quarterback to his right and he throws off his back foot across the field. On Clint Brown’s we’re in Cover 3 and he comes over the top help on the streak. These guys just have a nose for the ball.”

On clinching the Big Ten East Division for the fifth straight year…

“It’s testament to the quality of student-athlete we have here. It hasn’t been easy, we’ve had to overcome adversity on a lot of occasions but I think the one common denominator with all of our teams has been that we expect to win every game we play in. We play with confidence and it shows in tight games. We don’t panic when something goes sideways – we remain focused on what we have to do win.”

Michigan State Spartans at Penn State Nittany Lions
Nov 18, 2034 1 2 3 4 F #12 MSU (8-2 5-2) 3 0 0 7 10 #1 PSU (10-0 7-0) 0 10 10 0 20 Top Performers PASS: Madsen, 22-26 ATT, 290 YDS - RUSH: Reid, 23 ATT, 50 YDS, 1 TD - REC: Moore, 5 REC 93 YDS -	Team Stats Comparison MSU PSU First Downs 15 14 3rd Down Efficiency 5-15 6-15 4th Down Efficiency 2-3 0-0 Total Yards 380 397 Passing Yards 270 290 Rushing Yards 51 35 Penalties-Penalty Yards 5-40 0-0 Turnovers 3 0 Time of Possession 15:36 24:24

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THE LIONS DEN
PSU Football News and Notes

INJURY UPDATES

CB Scott Hollins (FR RS; New Martinsville, VA) will return to the lineup against Indiana after suffering a strained hamstring.

HB Threston Kennedy (JR RS; Chambersburg, PA) has a torn tricep and is listed as questionable for Indiana.

DT Richard Breedlove (SO RS; Whitehall, OH) tore his Achilles tendon and is done for the season.

RECRUITING UPDATE

Penn State University football would like to announce that the following players have committed to PSU…

3* WR Marcus Walters (6-4, 200; Robinson, PA). Ranked #79 overall WR.

3* HB Ken Garrison (6-1, 190; Wayne, NJ). Ranked #41 overall HB.

Rivals.com has Penn State’s recruiting class ranked third in the country, behind only Alabama (#2) and Navy (#1).

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KANSAS STATE REGAINS #1 RANKING

NCAA Football Rankings - BCS Rankings - Updated: Nov 20, 2034
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	2	KANSAS STATE (W 48-28 @ #13 TEXAS)	11	0	1.000
2	1	PENN STATE (W 20-10 V #12 MSU)	11	0	.995
3	4	NORTH CAROLINA (W 43-27 V MIAMI)	11	0	.989
4	6	FLORIDA (W 35-7 @ MIZZOU)	10	1	.984
5	7	NOTRE DAME (W 54-21 @ UCONN)	9	2	.979
6	10	MINNESOTA (W 42-17 V PUR)	9	2	.964
7	11	WASHINGTON (W 38-28 @ OREG)	9	2	.964
8	9	IOWA STATE (W 33-30 OT V OK ST)	9	2	.963
9	3	NAVY (L 20-28 V #17 HOU)	10	1	.958
10	12	UCLA (W 59-17 @ USC)	9	3	.949

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PENN STATE PROFILE:
JON JACKSON, SS
SO; 6-1, 189; FORT MILL, SC

Jon Jackson was frustrated after graduating from high school.

He was a star player in Fort Mill, South Carolina, so much so that he was ranked as high as the 7th best graduating strong safety in the class of 2033.

So you could understand why he was puzzled when no one really recruited him that hard. Yes, there was interest from some schools, but it’s not like a program was spending a lot of time pursuing him. The knock on Jackson was that he was a physical player but lacked cover skills.

For Jackson – or JJack as he’s known to teammates – it was crushing.

Jackson was a gamer, a student of the game who studied film of the great players to play the position. Whether it was Ronnie Lott, Troy Polamalu or Jamal Adams, Jackson studied them all in an attempt to get an edge. Yet it appeared that the dream of playing football at the NCAA level was going to die.

Then Penn State came calling.

The more PSU Head Coach KC Duane saw of Jackson, the more he liked him.

The Nittany Lions staff loved Jackson’s nose for the football and his ability to compete. Jackson was eventually offered a scholarship by PSU and no one has been disappointed.

Jackson showed great promise as a freshman in 2033 with 25 tackles, 4 TFL’s, one pick and one sack in being named a Freshman All-American.

Given a starting role in the new 4-2-5 defence in 2034, Jackson has been a force despite missing time with broken ribs. Through 11 games, he has recorded 28 tackles, 6 TFL’s, a sack and a pick six against Michigan State which was the turning point in a 20-10 victory.

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WEEK 14 PREVIEW

Matchup Preview *|* November 25, 2034
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Indiana Hoosiers (4-7 2-6, Away)		#2 Penn State Nittany Lions (11-0 8-0, Home)

Penn State clinched the Big Ten East title last week with a 20-10 win at home against Michigan State.

Indiana lost 38-28 versus Ohio State at home to extend their losing streak three games.

Penn State won last year's meeting 38-17 at Indiana.

Coach KC Duane is 10-0 lifetime against Indiana while at PSU. The Nittany Lions have dominated the Hoosiers outscoring them 383-131 - for an average victory of 38 to 13.

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Penn State CB Scott Hollins climbs the ladder for his second interception of the game in the final minute of the second quarter. Penn State would finish their BIG 10 schedule with a 34-3 win at home versus Indiana.

NITTANY LIONS CONTINUE DOMINATION AGAINST INDIANA WITH 34-3 WIN

Press Clippings from Coach Duane's post-game presser...

On the game overall…

“The 34-3 score flattered us as a team. Defensively, we were excellent as usual. We followed the process on the defensive side of the ball. Offensively, we were subpar. We scored two touchdowns with short fields off of turnovers. We couldn’t sustain any long drives or rhythm. Tell you what, we play like this against Minnesota next week, we won’t like the result.”

On CB Scott Hollins two interceptions…

“It seems like every game, things are kind of tight, then we get a turnover on defence – in which they score or our offence comes out and scores a major to really turn the game in our favor. Same thing today, Scott gets a pick in the flat – instant field position on their 40. We score and it’s 17-3. Then he gets another one with 36 seconds left to go in the half which gives us the ball on their 26. We score and now it’s 24-3 at the half. Tell you what, the guys on offence better be buying the pizza and pops tonight.”

On the win being a costly one with injuries…

“Tough day. We lose three starters on the defensive side that we know of. Kellen Smith, who has done a great job as sophomore linebacker…looks like he has a rib issue. We won’t know the extent until we take X-Rays. Omar Mayo sprained his MCL but we think he should be able to go. The one that concerns me is Jason Scott. He’s one of our captains, he’s a shutdown corner and he’s the reigning Thorpe winner. He hurt his hand and it doesn’t look good. Overall, just a bad day with injuries.”

On RB Tazwell Smith getting into the game in the fourth quarter…

“One of the things we like to do during the last home game of the season is to get all of our seniors in the game. Tazwell is a depth guy for us so it was great to see him get in and pick up 37 yards on 10 carries. What was even nicer was his touchdown. His parents were here and after seeing his brother (Kellen) getting hurt, I’m glad the drive from Austin, Minnesota was worth it for his parents.”

On the two sacks by DT Bentram Sullivan…

“Not too many people were looking at Bentram at the start of the year. Everyone was talking about Chase Smith stepping up and trying to emulate what Josh Wilson did for us last year. Well, Bentram has shown that he’s a player. I don’t know what happened around the rest of the country but Bentram was in the top five in terms of sacks. I think with a couple today he might be in the lead when it’s all said and done. He’s been a huge part of our D.”

On this possibly being his last home game as head coach of PSU with the USC rumors not going away…

“Look, I’m focused on one thing and one thing only. Winning football games at Penn State. We have two left. That’s what my focus is, that’s what our team’s focus is. You guys can talk all you want about USC. That’s your prerogative. I’m not commenting on that or any question in which you can deduce anything from regarding that.”

Indiana Hoosiers at Penn State Nittany Lions
Nov 25, 2034 1 2 3 4 F IND (4-7 2-6) 3 0 0 0 3 #2 PSU (11-0 8-0) 3 21 3 7 34 Top Performers PASS: Madsen, 24-32 ATT, 209 YDS, 1 TD - RUSH: Reid, 22 ATT, 87 YDS, 2 TD - REC: Whitlock, 6 REC 48 YDS, 1 TD -	Team Stats Comparison IND PSU First Downs 11 20 3rd Down Efficiency 2-15 10-20 4th Down Efficiency 0-0 0-2 Total Yards 277 466 Passing Yards 138 221 Rushing Yards 35 162 Penalties-Penalty Yards 2-10 2-10 Turnovers 4 0 Time of Possession 13:16 26:44
Indiana Hoosiers Penn State Nittany Lions

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KANSAS STATE TUMBLES OUT OF TOP 10

NCAA Football Rankings - BCS Rankings - Updated: Nov 27, 2034
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	2	PENN STATE (W 34-3 V IU)	12	0	1.000
2	4	FLORIDA (W 47-13 @ FSU)	11	1	.995
3	5	NOTRE DAME (W 27-17 @ USC)	10	2	.989
4	6	MINNESOTA (W 35-27 @ TERPS)	10	2	.980
5	9	NAVY (W 51-14 @ TUL)	11	1	.979
6	12	OHIO STATE (W 44-28 @ #25 MICH)	9	3	.966
7	10	UCLA	9	3	.966
8	3	NORTH CAROLINA (L 28-40 @ #17 DUKE)	11	1	.963
9	11	ECU (W 55-48 OT @ #22 ARMY)	10	2	.958
10	13	TEXAS (W 31-17 @ WVU)	9	3	.944

*Kansas State’s 28-27 loss to Kansas (3-9) drops the Wildcats to #13.

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PENN STATE PROFILE:
KEVIN CRUZ
SR; 6-4, 294; DORMONT, PA

Back in Dormont, Pennsylvania, Shannon Archer was a god.

Archer was the native son who went to Penn State and starred for the Nittany Lions from 2028 through 2032.

A starter at Strong Safety, Archer was an All-American who was part of a National Championship team in 2031 and also won a Rose Bowl in 2032.

Archer also lives among Penn State legends for his role in the ‘Miracle at Michigan.”

So it was no surprise that Kevin Cruz wanted to follow his former high school teammate to State College.

Cruz started at right tackle as a freshman in 2031 and looks to end his college career the same way he started it – with a National Championship.

Cruz, a two-time All-American and projected first round NFL Draft pick, is the anchor of a very young offensive line that is looked upon to solidify the offence.

Cruz is known as a mauler, a lineman who uses his brute strength to pave the way for the Nittany Lions running game. College Football Numbers - a website that breaks down statistics – notes that 76% of the Nittany Lions running plays are to Cruz’s side.

If the Nittany Lions are to have success running the ball, Kevin Cruz will be a big part of it.