A Season With Penn State...

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THE LIONS DEN
PSU Football News and Notes

NITTANY LIONS LOSE SCOTT TO INJURY
Defending Thorpe winner out for Big Ten Championship game versus Minnesota

INJURY UPDATES

CB Justin Scott (SR; Brentwood, PA) sustained a wrist injury against Indiana and will not play.

DE Otis Mayo (SO; Medina, OH) sustained a MCL injury against Indiana but is listed as probable for Minnesota.

LB Kellen Smith (SO; Austin, MN) suffered a rib injury against Indiana and will not play.

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

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 player has committed to PSU…

3* WR Marcus Hayes (6-2, 192; Cliffside Park, NJ). Ranked #126 overall WR.


Rivals.com has Penn State’s recruiting class ranked fourth in the country, behind only Texas (#3), Alabama (#2) and Navy (#1).

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BIG TEN TITLE ON THE LINE

Matchup Preview *|* December 2, 2034
	@
#4 Minnesota Golden Gophers (10-2 8-1, Away)		#1 Penn State Nittany Lions (12-0 9-0, Home)

*Penn State finished its regular season schedule with a 34-3 win at home versus Indiana.

*Minnesota wrapped up its schedule with a 35-27 win at Maryland.

*Penn State won the last meeting between the two teams on Sep. 13, 2031 in which the Nittany Lions won 38-7 at Beaver Stadium.

*KC Duane is 2-2 lifetime against Minnesota with the two losses coming in his first two seasons (2024 and 2025) while at Penn State.

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Penn State Head Coach KC Duane accepts the Big Ten Championship trophy after the Nittany Lions shutout the Minnesota Golden Gophers 19-0 to win their fifth straight Big Ten title.

PENN STATE WINS FIFTH STRAIGHT BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP WITH 19-0 WIN OVER MINNESOTA
Press Clippings from Coach Duane's post-game presser...

On the game overall…

“There was nothing fancy about it. It old school grind-it-out football. It was a physical game with a lot of intensity. Their defence was tough but in the end ours was tougher. Playoff games are so much more intense because of everything that is on the line and you can see it on the field, you can feel it on the sidelines. Man, you can even smell it in the air. It’s just different.”

On PSU’s defence, which limited Minnesota to 10 first downs and 126 yards of total offence…

“In my 23 years as a head coach, I have not seen a defence that is this good. They are like sharks with blood in the water, they just get into a frenzy and swarm. It’s downright scary. We didn’t have Justin Scott in the lineup and we didn’t miss a beat. Tell me how any teams can lose a Thorpe winner and not miss a beat.”

On the defensive game plan…

“It was simple yet effective – be aggressive. Minnesota’s option attack racked up the yardage during the season but their passing game was suspect. Our plan was simple – take away what they do best – that is run the ball. We brought extra players into the box, we run-blitzed a lot…if we were going to get beat it was through the air and it was a risk we were willing to take.”

On WR J’Wuan Murphy’s 56 yard TD reception to make it 10-0 in the second quarter…

“We had one of three options on that play and we went with four verticals. We rarely run that play because we find it a low risk play but this time it paid off. Murph got behind the defender and he was off to the races. Strange, it’s usually the D that comes up with the big play that is a turning point in a game – today it was the offence's turn.”

On HB Threston Kennedy’s return to the lineup and his 89 yards rushing on 23 carries…

“It was so nice to have Threston back after being out for a month. We decided to start him despite the layoff because we knew this was going to be a physical game. Not to say that Dan Reid isn’t physical, it’s just that Threston is a grinder and he thrives on games like today where you are just pounding the ball between the tackles.”

On LB Albert Ingram’s first-ever start which saw the true freshman record five tackles, four of which were TFL’s…

“There is a reason this guy was a four star recruit. He’s a player and with the loss of Kellen Smith to injury we needed Albert to step up and he did big time. He was explosive today, had some great reads and had a huge game. With Ahmad Stanford graduating after the season, Albert and Mario Boyd are going to get more playing time and I can’t wait to see what they can do.”

Minnesota Golden Gophers at Penn State Nittany Lions
Dec 2, 2034 1 2 3 4 F #4 MINN (10-2 8-1) 0 0 0 0 0 #1 PSU (12-0 9-0) 0 10 3 6 19 Top Performers PASS: Madsen, 13-20 ATT, 144 YDS, 1 TD - RUSH: Kennedy, 23 ATT, 89 YDS - REC: Whitlock, 4 REC 31 YDS -	Team Stats Comparison MINN PSU First Downs 10 11 3rd Down Efficiency 2-12 7-17 4th Down Efficiency 0-1 0-0 Total Yards 179 352 Passing Yards 57 148 Rushing Yards 69 110 Penalties-Penalty Yards 3-25 1-5 Turnovers 1 0 Time of Possession 15:24 24:36

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BCS CHAMPIONSHIP PITS PENN STATE AGAINST FLORIDA

NCAA Football Rankings - BCS Rankings - Updated: Dec 5, 2034
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	PENN STATE (W 19-0 V #4 MINN)	13	0	1.000
2	2	FLORIDA (W 47-14 V AUB)	12	1	.995
3	3	NOTRE DAME	10	2	.989
4	5	NAVY (W 45-7 V UCF)	12	1	.984
5	7	OHIO STATE	9	3	.976
6	6	UCLA	9	3	.976
7	9	ECU	10	2	.968
8	10	TEXAS	9	3	.959
9	11	MICHIGAN STATE	9	3	.955
10	12	KANSAS STATE (W 45-16 V ISU)	12	1	.942

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THE LIONS DEN
PSU Football News and Notes

JON JACKSON RULED ACADEMICALLY INELIGIBLE

Penn State Athletics has announced that starting strong safety Jon Jackson (SO; Fort Mill, SC) has been declared academically ineligible for the BCS Championship game and that his academic status will be reviewed prior to next season.

INJURY UPDATES

CB Justin Scott (SR; Brentwood, PA) is dealing with a wrist injury and is listed as probable.

LB Kellen Smith (SO; Austin, MN) is coming off a rib injury and is listed as probable.

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

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Nittany Lions Win National Awards

State College, PA –

The NCAA national player award winners have been released and five Penn State Nittany Lions have been recognized.

The biggest winner was Linebacker Ahmad Stanford. The senior linebacker from West Chester, Pennsylvania, won the Chuck Bednarik Award, The Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Linebacker of the Year Trophy. Stanford leads the nation in tackles with 73 and has also racked up 17 TFL’s, 5 forced fumbles, 4 sacks and an interception.

Defensive Tackle Bentram Sullivan was named the winner of the Rotary Lombardi Award as the nation’s best defensive lineman. The senior tackle from West Orange, NJ leads the NCAA with 12 sacks.

Free Safety Clint Brown captured the Jim Thorpe Award as the country’s top defensive back. Brown, a senior free safety from Kent, Ohio, has recorded 56 tackles (good for 3rd in NCAA), has four interceptions, seven pass deflections, has forced four fumbles and has a fumble return for a touchdown.

Tackle Kevin Cruz won the Outland Trophy as the NCAA’s top interior lineman. Cruz, a senior tackle from Dormont, Pennsylvania, has seven pancake blocks to his credit in leading an offensive lined that produced 34.8 points per game.

Kicker Tra Parker, a senior from Fort Washington, Maryland, was named the recipient of the Lou Groza Award as college football’s best kicker. Parker set an NCAA record for field goals by hitting 32 of 39 attempts with his longest coming from 52 yards. He has also been perfect on 51 PAT’s as well as piling up 64 touchbacks on 95 kickoffs.

PAST WINNERS AT PSU DURING KC DUANE’S TENURE
HEISMAN TROPHY
2031- Anthony Hogan (SR; Philadelphia, PA)
2027- Matthew Robinson (JR; Baldwin, PA)

CAMP AWARD
2031- Anthony Hogan (SR; Philadelphia, PA)

WALKER AWARD
2031- Anthony Hogan (SR; Philadelphia, PA)

BEDNARIK AWARD
2033- Takeo Henry (SR; Beaver Falls, PA)
2032- Freddie Galloway (SR; Van Wert, OH)
2031- Freddie Galloway (JR; Van Wert, OH)
2028- Calvin Wood (SR; Kingsville, TX)
2027- Brandon Jackson (SR; Brandon, VT)
2026- Dwayne Bowen (SR: Northview, OH)

NAGURSKI TROPHY
2033- Josh Wilson (SR; Sherman, TX)
2032- James Underwood (SR; Scarsdale, NY)
2031- Freddie Galloway (JR; Van Wert, OH)
2028- Calvin Wood (SR; Kingsville, TX)
2027- Brandon Jackson (SR; Brandon, VT)

LINEBACKER OF THE YEAR
2033- Takeo Henry (SR; Beaver Falls, PA)
2032- Freddie Galloway (SR; Van Wert, OH)
2031- Freddie Galloway (JR; Van Wert, OH)
2028- Calvin Wood (SR; Kingsville, TX)
2027- Brandon Jackson (SR; Brandon, VT)

LOMBARDI AWARD
2033- Josh Wilson (SR; Sherman, TX)
2032- James Underwood (SR; Scarsdale, NY)
2031- Avery Carter (SR; Hoboken NJ)
2029- Jyreese Johnson (SR; Wilkes-Barre, PA)
2028- Prevan Peoples (SR; Uniontown, PA)

THORPE AWARD
2033- Justin Scott (JR; Brentwood, PA)
2032- Daniel Slaughter (JR; Carnegie, PA)
2031- Tyler Coleman (SR; Bossier City, LA)
2030- Tyler Coleman (JR; Bossier City, LA)
2029- Ramelo Harrison (SO; Philadelphia, PA)
2028- Talik Johnson (SO; Pottsmore, PA)
2027- Matt Smith (JR; Ottumwa, IA)
2026- Dwayne Bowen (SR: Northview, OH)

OUTLAND TROPHY
2030- Eric Gray (SR; Napoleon, OH)

REMINGTON TROPHY
2030- Eric Gray (SR; Napoleon, OH)

GROZA AWARD
2032- Tra Parker (SR; Fort Washington, MD)
2030- Andre Butler (SR; Crab Orchard, WV)
2027- Ed Holmes (SR; Whitehall, PA)

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2034 BCS TITLE GAME

PENN STATE VERSUS FLORIDA
@University of Phoenix Stadium

Matchup Preview *|* January 2, 2035
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#2 Florida Gators (12-1, Away)		#1 Penn State Nittany Lions (13-0, Home)

*Coach KC Duane has not faced Florida during his 11 seasons at Penn State.
*He did however face the Gators once during his 8 seasons at Wake Forrest as his Demon Deacons defeated the Gators 42-30 at BB&T Field on Nov.3, 2018.

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NITTANY LIONS GET BY GATORS 23-10 TO WIN BCS TITLE

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Penn State's Terence Hairston on his way to scoring on a 75 yard touchdown pass in the second quarter of the BCS Championship Game. Penn State would go on to win 23-10.

Glendale, AZ -

The Penn State Nittany Lions capped off an undefeated season by defeating the Florida Gators 23-10 Monday night at University of Phoenix Stadium to win their second BCS Championship in four years.

Penn State won their final game much like they did their 13 others – by riding a vicious defence that came into the contest only giving up 8.1 points per game.

The Nittany Lions held a Gators offence that was ranked 5th in the nation in scoring (40.1 points per game) to a paltry 10 points – and the Nittany Lions did it without all-world linebacker Ahmad Stanford, who left the game early in the second quarter due to a mild concussion.

‘What can I say, we found a way to win against a great team. It was a team effort. James Madsen saved his best game for last and I’m so happy for him. The kid missed basically all of last year and tried to come back in the BCS loss to Air Force. Tonight, he can leave Phoenix as a champion. He can leave Penn State as a champion,” said PSU Head Coach KC Duane, who improved to 2-2 in BCS Championship games during his 23 year head coaching career.

It appeared the Nittany Lions were going to open the scoring midway through the first quarter but a fumble by Madsen at the Florida 16 ended an impressive opening drive. The Gators picked up a first down on a nice 12 yard run by halfback Joe Clay but then were forced to punt.

Penn State got the ball on their 35 yard line and then moved the ball into Florida territory with wide receiver Stevie Smith making two big receptions of 26 and 18 yards.

The Nittany Lions had a first and goal at the six and eventually scored on fourth and inches when Madsen ran a sneak to open the scoring.

The start of the second quarter saw the Nittany Lions turn the ball over again, Madsen fumbling this time while he was getting sacked. The Gators got the ball on the PSU 40 and Clay rushed for 40 yards on the drive as Florida settled for a Josh Gipson 19 yard field goal with 8:38 left in the half.

Penn State did what they do best – respond. On their very first play after a touchback on the kickoff, Madsen executed a perfect play action pass to Terence Hairston. The speedy wideout evaded two tacklers en route to a 75 yard touchdown reception in giving the Nittany Lions a 14-3 lead.

The Gators would get back into the game when Wil Wilson intercepted a Madsen pass on Florida’s 35 and returned it to the Gator 47. The Gators drive appeared to have stalled but a key 21 yard reception by wide receiver Brian Lambert would give the Gators a first and goal from the PSU two. Three plays later Clay ran right to score and cut the Penn State lead to 17-10.

That was as close as Florida would get though.

The Nittany Lions, who would come out of the first half with -5 yards rushing, abandoned the run with :52 seconds remaining in the half as Madsen caught fire. He went 5-5 for 57 yards to move the Nittany Lions into Tra Parker field goal range. Parker’s 36 yarder would end the half with Penn State up 17-10.

Penn State would add a 36 yard field goal from Parker on their opening drive of the second half to increase their lead to 20-10 after three quarters.

Florida’s last chance at victory was snuffed out on a fourth and seven at the PSU 40 with 3:55 remaining in the game. Gator quarterback Vince Green was sacked for the eighth and final time by Penn State – this time by defensive tackle Chase Smith.

Parker would add a 49 yard field goal with 2:08 remaining to close out the scoring.

Florida Gators at Penn State Nittany Lions
Jan 2, 2035	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#2 Florida Gators (12-1)	0	10	0	0	10
#1 Penn State Nittany Lions (13-0)	7	10	3	3	23

Team Stats Comparison
	FLA	PSU
Total Offense	208	412
Rushing Yards	57	73
Passing Yards	151	339
First Downs	14	18
Punt Return Yards	25	57
Kick Return Yards	53	30
Total Yards	286	499
Turnovers	2	3
3rd Down Conversion	6-17	3-10
4th Down Conversion	1-3	1-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2-1-1 (100)	4-1-2 (75%)
Penalties	4-25	0-0
Possession Time	19:17	20:43

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		FLA	PSU
2:45	(PSU) TD Madsen, 1 Yd run (Parker kick)	0	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		FLA	PSU
8:34	(FLA) FG Gipson, 18 Yd	3	7
8:25	(PSU) TD Hairston, 75 Yd pass from Madsen (Parker kick)	3	14
0:51	(FLA) TD Clay, 2 Yd run (Gipson kick)	10	14
0:00	(PSU) FG Parker, 35 Yd	10	17
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		FLA	PSU
5:34	(PSU) FG Parker 35 Yd	10	20
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		FLA	PSU
2:08	(PSU) FG Parker 49 Yd	10	23

Penn State Nittany Lions PASSING C/A YDS TD INT James Madsen 25/31 339 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Threston Kennedy 19 68 3.5 0 James Madsen 9 -7 -0.7 1 Dan Reid 2 12 6.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Terence Hairston 6 108 18.0 1 Tykiem Moore 6 70 11.6 0 Stevie Smith 4 78 19.5 0 J'waun Murphy 3 20 6.6 0 Marcus Whitlock 3 35 11.6 0 Threston Kennedy 2 23 11.5 0 Jason Flores 1 5 5.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Clint Brown 10 0 0 0 Ben Taylor 7 1 0 0 Otis Mayo 6 3 0 0 Mark Jackson 6 1 0 0 Damien Ashley 5 0 0 0 Kellen Smith 4 1 0 0 Chase Smith 3 1 0 0 Albert Ingram 3 0 0 0 Will Mullins 2 1 0 0 Cory Howard 2 0 1 0 Mario Boyd 2 0 0 0 Omanteez Andeson 2 0 0 0 Ahmad Stanford 1 0 0 0 Scott Hollins 1 0 1 0 Bentram Sullivan 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Tra Parker 3/5 2./2 11 49 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Nic Harris 2 76 38.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD J'Waun Murphy 1 30 30.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Terence Hairston 6 57 9.5 0

Florida Gators PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Vince Green 18/30 151 0 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Joe Clay 26 105 4.0 1 Vince Green 9 -38 -4.2 0 Josh Colvin 2 -1 -0.5 0 Charlie Williams 2 -9 -4.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Brian Lambert 4 53 13.2 0 Charles Medlock 4 39 9.7 0 Charlie Williams 3 29 9.6 0 Joe Clay 2 3 1.5 0 Josh Colvin 2 6 3.0 0 Jonathan Green 2 14 7.0 0 Joel Maxwell 1 7 7.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Seth McGuire 7 0 0 0 Nick Robinson 7 0 0 0 Derrick Lawson 7 0 0 0 Tye McDaniel 6 1 0 0 Ryan Hunter 6 0 0 0 Jeff Parham 4 0 0 0 Michael Callahan 4 1 0 0 Will Wilson 4 0 1 0 Dwayne Kelly 4 1 0 0 Dustin Hall 3 0 0 0 Tyler Davenport 3 0 0 0 Blake Weaver 2 0 0 0 Jeff Daniels 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jared Gipson 1/1 1/1 4 19 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Jimmy Woodward 7 308 43.9 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Joel Maxwell 2 53 26.5 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Joel Maxwell 2 25 12.5 0

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Last edited by Trojan32; 12-19-2017 at 01:08 PM.