Dec. 2, 2013
VIDEO: Highlighting the 2013 All-Big Ten Honorees
Complete All-Big Ten Team (PDF)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., December 2, 2013 -- Three Penn State Football student-athletes have been selected first-team All-Big Ten in voting by the conference coaches and media.
Junior Allen Robinson (Southfield, Mich.) leads the Nittany Lions' contingent, as he was selected the Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year for the second consecutive season. The record-setting All-America candidate also was named first-team All-Big Ten for the second straight year by the coaches and media.
Senior guard John Urschel (Williamsville, N.Y.) was selected first-team All-Big Ten by the coaches for the second consecutive season and by the media for the first time. The 2012 CoSIDA first-team Academic All-American also was selected Penn State's Big Ten Sportsmanship recipient.
Senior defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (Johnson City, N.Y.) earned first-team All-Big Ten accolades from the coaches and second-team from the media. Jones and Urschel were among Penn State's co-captains that were elected last week.
Nine Nittany Lions earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten recognition, seven of whom return for 2014: junior cornerback Adrian Amos (Baltimore), senior linebacker Glenn Carson (Manahawkin, N.J.), junior placekicker Sam Ficken (Valparaiso, Ind.), freshman quarterback Christian Hackenberg (Palmyra, Va.), senior center Ty Howle (Wake Forest, N.C.), sophomore tight end Jesse James (Glassport), sophomore cornerback Jordan Lucas (New Rochelle, N.Y.) junior defensive end C.J. Olaniyan (Warren, Mich.) and sophomore tackle Donovan Smith (Owings Mills, Md.).
The All-Big Ten teams and several position awards were announced this evening live on BTN. Additional awards will be announced Tuesday at 6 p.m. on BTN, leading up to Saturday's Big Ten Football Championship Game in Indianapolis.
Penn State has had 41 first-team All-Big Ten selections since 2005 and 26 second-team honorees, for a total of 67, over the past nine seasons.
Senior DaQuan Jones |
Under the direction of head coach Bill O'Brien, the Nittany Lions defeated No. 14 Wisconsin last Saturday to finish with a 7-5 record. Penn State posted its first on-field victory over a top 15 team since beating No. 13 LSU in the 2010 Capital One Bowl. The Nittany Lions have won 15 of their last 22 games under the second-year coach.
A semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award, Robinson earns his second Richter-Howard Receiver of the Year in its third year of being awarded. The honor is named for Pat Richter (Wisconsin) and Desmond Howard (Michigan). Robinson is the first player to lead the Big Ten in receptions and receiving yards in consecutive years since at least 1985. He joins All-American Bobby Engram (1993-95) as the Penn State wide receivers who have earned multiple first-team All-Big Ten recognition.
Robinson broke the Penn State season records with 97 receptions for 1,432 yards this year, snaring six touchdown catches. He is ranked No. 3 in the nation in receiving yardage (119.3 ypg) and is eighth in receptions (8.1). The former Orchard Lake St. Mary's Prep standout averaged a team-high 14.8 yards per catch and his 65-yard touchdown catch at Ohio State was the team's second-longest play from scrimmage this season.
Robinson delivered his school record eighth 100-yard receiving game this season with 122 yards in the win at Wisconsin. He moved into third place on the Penn State career receiving yards charts with 2,474 yards, trailing only Deon Butler (2,771 yds; 2005-08) and Bobby Engram (3,026 yds; 1991, 93-95) on the all-time charts. A starter in 23 games the past two seasons, Robinson has 10 catches of 40 or more yards and 17 catches of 20 or more yards this year.
"It's a great honor to be able to come back this year and to have another good season is an honor," said Robinson. "That's something I worked hard for in the off-season with my teammates. I feel I came into this season as a much better player than I was last year. I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates and the coaching staff for helping me do that."
Jones led Penn State with 11.5 tackles for loss (minus-42 yards). He was fifth on the squad with 56 tackles (33 solo), recorded three sacks (minus-21) and had a fumble recovery. A starter in 23 games over the past two seasons, Jones led all Big Ten defensive tackles in hits this season.
The former Johnson City Senior HS standout is the 13th different Nittany Lion defensive lineman to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors since 1998 under the tutelage of defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
"It means a lot to be part of the rich history and tradition of all the great players at Penn State," said Jones. "This shows how far I've been able to come over the last year. And I could not have grown without the help of the rest of the defensive line and the defense. I've always worked hard because I wanted to leave a mark on the program. To join the group of all of the great defensive linemen is awesome. It's something that you can't even describe. It is a great feeling."
Senior John Urschel |
Urschel has started all 24 games at right guard the past two seasons. He was instrumental in helping Hackenberg break several school freshman and all-time game and season passing records and Zach Zwinak and Bill Belton combine to rush for 1,792 yards this season. Urschel joins Jeff Hartings (1993-95) and Stefen Wisniewski (2009-10) as the Nittany Lions' offensive linemen to earn multiple first-team All-Big Ten accolades.
Urschel was the recipient or co-recipient of the offensive line's player of the game honor in 10 of 12 games this season. He graded out at nearly 90 percent for the season. Urschel graduated with undergraduate and master's degrees in Math with a 4.0 grade-point average. A finalist for the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell Trophy, the former Canisius High School standout also is among 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award for college football.
"To be able to contribute to the team and to be an All-Big Ten player means a lot to me," said Urschel. I'm honored to have been able to play in this conference for five years. To go out as an All-Big Ten player means a lot. Saturday was a great way to finish our season and to finish our careers as seniors. Just to be able to go out as winners and finish the year right and give the Penn State community a win to finish the 2013 season meant a lot."
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing 2014 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets or call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Penn State returns 16 starters for the 2014 season (8 offense, 7 defense, 1 specialist).
Penn State Athletics is on Twitter (http://www.gopsusports.com/ot/twitter.html) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pennstatenittanylions).
For the complete All-Big Ten teams, click here.