Sept. 15, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A pair of defensive standouts in Penn State's 13-10 win at Rutgers have been recognized for their efforts.
Junior cornerback Trevor Williams (Baltimore) was selected Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after grabbing two interceptions against the Scarlet Knights. Athlon Sports named junior defensive tackle Anthony Zettel (West Branch, Mich.) the conference's Player of the Week.
Williams and Zettel were instrumental in helping Coach James Franklin's Nittany Lions win their conference opener and improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2009. Penn State is 3-0 for the first time since 1978 when playing two of its first three games away from Beaver Stadium.
Rutgers came into the game averaging 39.5 ppg and 446.5 ypg and was held to 10 points and 294 yards by the Penn State defense, which grabbed five interceptions. In the second half, the Nittany Lions allowed just three first downs and 95 yards and limited the Scarlet Knights to 1 of 7 on third down conversions.
Penn State's five interceptions are the most by any team nationally this season.
Williams collected the first Penn State interception of the season in the first half. The former Calvert Hall College High School standout then made a leaping third quarter interception for the first multi-interception game of his career and his fourth career pick. His second interception ignited a 72-yard drive that led to a Sam Ficken field goal, cutting the Rutgers lead to 10-3 late in the third period.
Williams' two interceptions were the most by a Nittany Lion since All-America linebacker Michael Mauti grabbed two in a win at Illinois on Sept. 29, 2012. It was the first multi-interception game by a Penn State defensive back since safety Nick Sukay collected two in a win over Temple in 2010.
A starter in every game this season, Williams has made seven solo tackles, is tied for first in the Big Ten with two interceptions and has one pass break-up.
A trio of former Calvert Hall College HS products play in the Penn State secondary: senior safety Adrian Amos, junior cornerback Da'Quan Davis and Williams, who began his Nittany Lion career as a wide receiver in 2012.
Williams joins placekicker Sam Ficken (UCF) and freshman wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton (UCF) as Penn State's Big Ten Player of the Week honorees so far this season.
Zettel was a disruptive force all game, tying his career-high with three tackles for loss for minus-11 yards against the Scarlet Knights. He recorded four solo tackles and had a sack for eight yards on the final Rutgers final possession, which ended with a Ryan Keiser interception.
In his first season at tackle after two seasons at defensive end, Zettel leads the Big Ten with seven TFL (2.33 average) and is tied for fourth nationally in TFL. He also is averaging 1.0 sacks per game, good for a tie for third in the conference and 28th nationally.
The former Ogemaw Heights High School standout ranks fourth on the team with 13 tackles (nine solo) and leads the squad with 7.0 TFL (minus-26) and 3.0 sacks (minus-18). He also has a fumble recovery and one pass break-up.
The Nittany Lions play their next two games in Beaver Stadium, starting with Saturday's "Band Day" contest with Massachusetts, which will kick at 4 p.m. The Unrivaled Band Jam will be held at 2 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center and admission is free. Public and Penn Statestudent tickets for the UMass game are available for as little as $40.
More than 6,000 new Penn State football season tickets and 65,000 single game and group sale tickets have been sold for this season. Ticket purchases and information are available at www.PSUnrivaled.com or by calling 1-800-NITTANY, weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Pre-paid single game parking passes for the general parking lots for all home games also are available at www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets. Penn State Football is on Twitter (@PennStateFball) and Facebook.