Dec. 3, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
Five Penn State football student-athletes have been named to the BTN.com Freshman All-Big Ten team, tied for the conference's highest total.
The Nittany Lion freshmen on the BTN.com team are: safety Marcus Allen (Upper Marlboro, Md.), tight end Mike Gesicki (Manahawkin, N.J.), wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton (Fredericksburg, Va.), offensive tackle Andrew Nelson (Hershey) and punter Daniel Pasquariello (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia).
The five All-Freshman selections for Coach James Franklin's squad were tied with Ohio State for most in the Big Ten. Michigan State was next with three.
Brandon Bell (Mays Landing, N.J.), quarterback Christian Hackenberg (Palmyra, Va.), defensive tackle Austin Johnson (Galloway, N.J.), running back Akeel Lynch (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) and linebacker Nyeem Wartman (Philadelphia).
On Sunday, senior linebacker Mike Hull (Canonsburg) and junior defensive tackle Anthony Zettel (West Branch, Mich.) were selected to BTN.com's All-Big Ten team. On Monday, Hull was named the Big Ten Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year and was joined on the conference's first-team by Zettel. Hamilton was a second-team All-Big Ten choice.
Allen has played in every game this season, starting the last six. The true freshman ranked third on the team with 52 tackles (33 solo), also recording 2.0 tackles for loss, one sack and three pass break-ups. The former Henry Wise High School standout ranked second among Big Ten freshmen for tackles in conference games with 48 in eight Big Ten games.
A true freshman, Gesicki has played in every game and made 11 receptions, good for No. 7 on the squad. His 11 catches were good for 114 yards and the former Southern Regional High School standout made a long catch of 30 yards against No. 10 Michigan State.
The Big Ten's leading receiver all season, Hamilton broke the Penn State freshman records for receptions and receiving yards in his first career game, with 11 catches for 165 yards, to launch a superb redshirt freshman season. Over the next 11 games, he has added the school record for receptions in a game with 14 vs. Ohio State, as well as the freshmen season receptions and yardage records, having made 75 catches for 848 yards (11.3) and one touchdown. His 75 catches (6.2 avg.) rank No. 3 in a season in Penn State history, trailing only All-American Allen's Robinson's 77 and 97 in 2012 and '13, respectively. The former Mountain View High School standout is the only FBS freshman averaging more than 5.7 receptions per game.
A redshirt freshman, Nelson has started every game this season, starting 10 games at right tackle and two contests at left tackle. The former Hershey High School standout helped the Nittany Lions to 511 yards of total offense, including a school record 454 yards passing by Hackenberg, in the 26-24 win over UCF in his first career start.
Pasquariello became the Nittany Lions' primary punter over the final five games, making his first career start against Maryland. He averaged 37.7 yards on his 41 punts, with 11 punts landing inside the 20-yard-line and only two touchbacks. The true freshman from Australia launched a team season-long 63-yard punt against Michigan State.
The Nittany Lions have concluded their regular season and are eligible to participate in their 45th bowl game all-time, with the Big Ten bowl selections announced the evening of Sunday, Dec. 7.
As a benefit of membership, Nittany Lion Club members can request bowl tickets by logging onto Account Manager at GoPSUsports.com/bowlcentral to review the listing of the Big Ten-affiliated bowl games the Nittany Lions could be selected to play in. Nittany Lion Club members can then select the bowls they are interested in purchasing tickets for. Credit cards will not be charged until Penn State's bowl destination and opponent are announced on Dec. 7.
Nittany Lion Club members can also call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., to request bowl tickets. NLC members have until 5 p.m. on Dec. 9 to request their bowl tickets. The ability to request tickets does not guarantee a Nittany Lion Club member will receive tickets from Penn State's allotment.
Should any tickets from Penn State's bowl allotment remain available after the Nittany Lion Club sale, the public can purchase bowl tickets starting at 10 a.m. on December 10 at GoPSUsports.com/bowlcentral or 1-800-NITTANY.
Penn State season ticket renewals also are underway for the 2015 campaign. There will not be any increase in the price of Penn State football season tickets or Nittany Lion Club donation levels for next season. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2015 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays, 10 a.m-6 p.m..
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