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Penn State-Temple Game Notes

PENN STATE at TEMPLE


Saturday, Sept. 5 - 3:30 p.m. ET
Lincoln Financial Field | Philadelphia
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Game Notes: Penn State | Temple
Statistics: Penn State | Temple


INSIDE THE NUMBERS
PSU
TU
20.6Scoring*23.1
19.11st Downs*15.1
101.9Rushing*107.8
233.4Passing*200.6
335.3Total Offense*308.4
15/11Fumbles/Lost25/11
74/600Penalties/Yards78/653
77/36.6Punts/Avg,74/37.5
40%3rd Down %23%
37%4th Down %50%
31Sacks27
16Interceptions11
33/40Red Zone29/42
31:16Time of Possession26:48


* - Per Game Statistics | All Statistics from 2014 Season

Aug. 31, 2015

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State will face one of its most familiar foes to open its 129th year of football, opening its season at Temple for the first time since 1978.

This will be the 44th meeting between the Nittany Lions and Owls on the football field, with Penn State looking to continue its 39-game winning streak in the series that dates back to 1943. Penn State most recently defeated Temple in Beaver Stadium last season, 30-13, and traveled to Philadelphia in 2011 for a 14-10 victory.

The Blue and White enter the 2015 season opener with eight returning starters on offense and and seven from its vaunted defense which ranked amongst the best in the nation last season. Senior defensive tackle Anthony Zettel leads the group, garnering both preseason All-America and All-Big Ten honors.

Junior quarterback Christian Hackenberg enters the season poised to re-write the Penn State record books. He needs just 12 completions to tie Matt McGloin for second all-time in the category. He will be supported by talented and deep running back corps led by junior Akeel Lynch, who finished the 2014 season on high note becoming the team's leading rusher. DaeSean Hamilton will be among his top targets, as the sophomore enters 2015 off a spectacular and record-setting freshman campaign.

Joining Hackenberg and Zettel as team captains are senior center Angelo Mangiro, senior safety Jordan Lucas and junior linebacker Von Walker. Mangiro will look to anchor the offensive line, while Lucas, who is moving from cornerback to safety this season, is the unquestioned leader of the secondary.

Temple cannot be overlooked, as it will open the 2015 season with an experienced group. Twenty-one players have numerous starts, and 10 starters return to the defense, including leaders in tackles, sacks and interceptions. The offensive side returns seven starters, including at quarterback and running back. Signal caller P.J. Walker will have new targets though, with the loss of his top-two pass catchers.

After traveling across the Atlantic to open the 2014 season, the Nittany Lions will remain in-state for its first six games, as the Temple game will be followed by five consecutive home games.

Temple Head Coach Matt Rhule
Matt Rhule owns a 8-16 record and enters his third season as the head coach at Temple. This is Rhule's second stint with the Owls, spending six years as the offensive coordinator from 2006-11.

He was the offensive line coach with the New York Giants during the 2012 season and has 17 years of collegiate coaching experience on his resume.

The State College native played linebacker at Penn State from 1994-97, earning Academic All-Big Ten honors as a senior. Rhule earned a Penn State degree in political science.

Scouting the Owls
Temple returns 47 letterwinners from the 2014 squad that sported a 6-6 overall record. The Owls reached bowl eligibility in the final game of the season, a 10-3 victory at Tulane, and marked the first time since 2011 they earned bowl eligibility.

Temple had a four-win improvement from 2013 to 2014 and have a host of experience returning this season. Of the 47 Owl letterwinners, 21 of them have extensive starting experience.

The defense returns 10 starters, including leading tackler Tyler Matakevich. The senior linebacker piled up 117 stops in 12 games, good for 9.8 stops per game. Praise Martin-Oguike, the 2014 sack leader for the Owls, returns after notching 7.5 sacks and 10.0 tackles for loss among his 37 stops. Defensive back Travon Young led the team with four interceptions and nine pass break up last season and returns for his senior season.

Seven offensive starters return, including quarterback P.J. Walker and running back Jahad Thomas. Walker logged 2,317 yards passing and 324 yards rushing and accounted for 16 total touchdowns. He threw 15 interceptions to 13 touchdown passes and completed 53.3 percent of his passes. Thomas gained a team-best 384 yards on the ground.

Though the passing game lost its top two pass catchers, Thomas made the most of his 14 receptions, averaging 26.0 yards per catch. His 364 yards ranked second on the squad. John Christopher caught 23 passes a season ago for 194 yards.

Most Common Opponent
Penn State and Temple have met 43 times on the gridiron, with the Nittany Lions owning a 39-3-1 overall record. The 43 meetings rank fifth in the PSU record books.

The only opponents Penn State has met more often are listed below.

Last Meeting: Penn State 30, Temple 13

TeamMeetingsRecord
Pitt9650-42-4
Syracuse7143-23-5
West Virginia5948-9-2
Penn4718-25-4
Temple4339-3-1


November 15, 2014 - Beaver Stadium
Penn State used complementary football with a stellar performances on both sides of the ball to post a 30-13 win over Temple to become bowl eligible for the first time since the 2011 season. The Nittany Lions rushed for a season-high 254 yards and the Nittany Lion defense forced five turnovers.

Akeel Lynch ran for 130 yards on 18 carries for an average of 7.2 yards. He also rushed for his first touchdown of the season and second of his career. Bill Belton added 92 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. The 254-yard team rushing total was the highest since a 289-yard afternoon against Purdue last season.

Penn State defense's five turnovers forced tied the season mark set against Rutgers. Adrian Amos and Jesse Della Valle, and Christian Campbell and Grant Haley - both true freshmen - each registered their first career interceptions on the day.

Haley returned his first career pick 30 yards for a touchdown. His touchdown was the first defensive touchdown by a true freshman since Paul Posluszny returned an interception against Indiana Nov. 15, 2003. It was also the first interception returned for a touchdown since Anthony Zettel's pick-6 against Ohio State in October.

Linebacker Mike Hull had his sixth double-digit tackles performance of the season with 10 stops, including a half-tackle for a loss. Austin Johnson recovered his second fumble of the season and made four tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage. Anthony Zettel recorded his sixth sack of the year with a stop for a 2-yard loss.

Sam Ficken connected on three field goal attempts on the day, including a 50-yard attempt. It was the second make of Ficken's career from beyond 50 yards, joining his 54-yard make against Kent State in 2013.

Penn State Season Openers
The 2015 season marks the 129th in Penn State history, with the Nittany Lions owning a record of 95-20-2 in opening games.

  • The 2015 opener will be the third consecutive away from home for the Lions. It will also be the first time the Lions have opened the season with a true road game since opening at Minnesota in 1994.
  • It will be the first time Penn State has opened three consecutive seasons away from Beaver Stadium since the 1971-73 seasons. The Blue and White defeated Navy, 56-3, in Annapolis in 1971, lost to Tennessee, 28-21, in Knoxville in 1972 and defeated Stanford, 20-6, in Palo Alto in 1973.
  • Penn State played its second straight season opening game away from home when they defeated UCF, 26-24, in Dublin, Ireland in 2014. The Lions topped Syracuse, 23-17, at MetLife Stadium in 2013.
  • The next four season openers (2016, Kent State; 2017, Akron; 2018, Appalachian State; and 2019, Idaho) will all take place in Beaver Stadium.
  • The Lions have won their last two openers and 12 out of their last 13.
  • Penn State's longest streaks of winning their season openers are: 12 (1919-30), 11 (1893-1903), 10 (1973-82; 2002-11), 9 (1909-17), 7 (1942-48).
  • Penn State has only lost consecutive season openers twice in school history; 1964-65, 1989-90, 2000-01. They have never lost three consecutive season openers.
  • The Nittany Lions went unbeaten from 1909-30, winning 20-of-21 season openers. They tied Wissahickon Barracks, 6-6, in 1918 and the streak was stopped by Waynesburg, a 7-0 setback, in 1931.

Nittany Lions In NFL Venues

  • In 2015, Penn State will take on Maryland at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Super Bowl XLVII Champion Baltimore Ravens, to mark the eighth current NFL stadium the Blue and White have played in. Penn State also will travel to Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles, to face off with Temple in the season-opener.
  • The Nittany Lions have also played in current homes of the Miami Dolphins (Sun Life Stadium), New Orleans Saints (Mercedes-Benz Superdome), New York Giants/New York Jets (MetLife Stadium), San Diego Chargers (Qualcomm Stadium), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Raymond James Stadium) and Washington Redskins (FedEx Field).
  • The first documented Penn State game in a professional stadium was in 1921 when the Nittany Lions defeated Georgia Tech, 28-7, in front of 30,000 fans at the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan in New York City.
  • Excluding bowl games, the Lions have played 38 regular season games in 13 different stadiums with permanent NFL tenants.
  • Four regular season games were played in NFL venues in 1983, as the Lions played in Giants Stadium twice (Nebraska and Rutgers), Veterans Stadium (Temple) and Sullivan (Foxboro) Stadium (Boston College.)

Coaching Staff Connections

  • Temple head coach Matt Rhule played linebacker at Penn State (1994-97) and earned his degree in political science in 1997.
  • Penn State cornerbacks coach Terry Smith coached the Temple wide receivers in 2013.
  • Penn State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop hired Temple linebackers coach Mike Siravo as his linebackers coach at Columbia while he was the head coach for the Lions. They also worked together at Boston College from 1999-2000.
  • Temple defensive line coach Elijah Robinson was a defensive lineman at Penn State from 2004-08 and served as a graduate assistant for the Nittany Lions 2007-11. He was the player development and NFL liaison from 2012-13.

PSU-Temple Connections

  • Penn State redshirt freshman running back Mark Allen and Temple freshman defensive lineman Deandre Kelly played together on DeMatha Catholic's (Hyattsville, Md.) 2013 conference championship team. Junior tight end Brent Wilkerson, Allen and Kelly were all on the DeMatha Catholic team in 2011.
  • PSU freshmen offensive lineman Ryan Bates and linebacker Jake Cooper both briefly played with redshirt junior Colin Thompson at Archbishop Wood in Philadelphia.
  • PSU sophomore linebacker Jason Cabinda and Temple defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis played on the 2011 conference champion Hunterdon Central H.S. team.
  • PSU junior quarterback Christian Hackenberg and Temple redshirt senior defensive linemen Nate D. Smith and Hershey Owen all attended Fork Union Military Academy in 2010, where they won a State Championship.
  • Senior defensive end Carl Nassib and Temple redshirt junior Thomas Rumer played together at Malvern Prep.
  • Freshmen Antoine White (PSU defensive tackle) and Ryquell Armstead were classmates at Millville (N.J.) High School.

Wins Leaders
Entering its 129th season of varsity football, Penn State has amassed 849 victories to rank No. 8 in the nation. The Nittany Lions are one of just 10 programs with 800 wins and enter the 2015 season with an official all-time mark of 849-376-42.

Forty Lettermen Return
Penn State returns 40 lettermen from last year's New Era Pinstripe Bowl championship squad -- 20 on defense, 17 on offense and three specialists. Additionally, three lettermen return from the 2013 squad after missing 2014. Of the 40 lettermen returning, 29 have starting experience -- 15 on offense, 13 on defense and the starting punter. The Nittany Lions lost the services of 18 letterwinners -- 10 on defense, seven on offense and the starting placekicker.

Fifteen Starters Are Back In The Fold
The Nittany Lions return 15 starters -- eight on offense and seven on defense. Fourteen additional players have starting experience -- seven on offense, six on defense and a punter. Among the returning starters are All-American defensive tackle Anthony Zettel, Freshman All-Americans DaeSean Hamilton and Andrew Nelson, along with four others that received honorable-mention All-Big Ten honors: defensive tackle Austin Johnson, cornerback Jordan Lucas, center Angelo Mangiro and cornerback Trevor Williams. That group also includes Big Ten All-Freshman Team honorees safety Marcus Allen, wide receiver Chris Godwin and punter Daniel Pasquariello.

Hackenberg, Lucas Lead Lions In Career Starts
Junior quarterback Christian Hackenberg and senior safety Jordan Lucas lead the team with 25 career starts each, as both have started every game the past two seasons. Senior cornerback Trevor Williams and redshirt junior linebacker Nyeem Wartman-White follow with 20 starts each, while four Lions are tied with 15 starts apiece.

Nittany Lion Position Changes
Among the Penn State players who played new positions during the spring are: Koa Farmer (LB to S), Jack Haffner (RB to LB), Charles Idemudia (LB to TE/H), Jordan Lucas (CB to S), Brendan Mahon (T to C/G), Dom Salomone (FB to TE/H) and Chasz Wright (T to C/G).

Penn State Number Changes
Several Lions are wearing new numbers, including Mark Allen (8), Brandon Bell (11), Torrence Brown (19), Gregg Garrity (19), Troy Reeder (42), Javon Turner (28), Kyle Vasey (96) and Daquan Worley (4).

Six Bowl Teams Highlight Schedule
The Nittany Lions will face six teams that participated in a bowl game during the 2014 campaign, with the contingent compiling a 4-3 record in those games.

In Beaver Stadium, Penn State will face:

  • Rutgers beat North Carolina, 40-21, in the Quick Lane Bowl.
  • San Diego State suffered a one-point loss, 17-16, against Navy in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.
  • Illinois fell to Louisiana Tech, 35-18, in the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl.

Penn State will travel to:

  • Ohio State earned the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff and defeated Alabama, 42-35, in the Allstate Sugar Bowl and toppled Oregon, 42-20, in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
  • Maryland dropped a 45-21 decision to Stanford in the Foster Farms Bowl.
  • Michigan State bested Baylor, 42-41, in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

Five In A Row At Home
The Nittany Lions will host five consecutive home games for the first time since 1922 and the third time in program history when they welcome Buffalo (Sept. 12), Rutgers (Sept. 19), San Diego State (Sept. 26), Army West Point (Oct. 3) and Indiana (Oct. 10) to Beaver Stadium.

Penn State last played five consecutive home games in 1922, going 5-0 with wins over St. Bonaventure (54-0), William & Mary (27-7), Gettysburg (20-0), Lebanon Valley (32-6) and Middlebury (33-0).

The Nittany Lions also hosted five-straight home contests in 1920. Penn State also was perfect in those games with wins over Muhlenberg (27-7), Gettysburg (13-0), Dartmouth (14-7), North Carolina State (41-0) and Lebanon Valley (109-7). The 109 points scored against Lebanon Valley still stand as the program's game scoring record.

Zettel Named Preseason All-America
Senior defensive tackle Anthony Zettel garnered preseason All-America honors from a pair of publications, highlighted by a first-team selection to Phil Steele's Preseason All-American Team. Zettel also took home second-team preseason All-America honors from Athlon Sports.

After moving from defensive end to defensive tackle in 2014, Zettel enjoyed his most productive season en route to fourth-team All-America honors by Athlon Sports and an All-Big Ten first-team pick by both the coaches and media. Zettel logged career-best totals with 17 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks. His 16.0 career sacks rank tied for No. 15 in Penn State history and his 27.0 career TFLs are just five shy of entering the top 15 in the Penn State record books.

Zettel was the only FBS player to rank among the national leaders in sacks and interceptions per game in 2014. The athletic defensive lineman nabbed three interceptions, the most by a Penn State defensive lineman since at least 1959, to tie for the team lead in the category and added one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and eight pass deflections.

Three Earn Preseason All-Big Ten Honors
Three Penn State players were selected first-team preseason All-Big Ten by national preview publications. Senior defensive tackle Anthony Zettel earned first-team all-conference recognition from Phil Steele, Lindy's and Athlon, while redshirt sophomore wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton was named first-team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele, Athlon and Sporting News. Senior safety Jordan Lucas rounded out the list of first-team preseason all-conference selections with a berth on Phil Steele's team.

Additionally, Hamilton was a second-team selection by Lindy's and Lucas claimed a second-team berth from Athlon. Redshirt junior linebacker Nyeem Wartman-White, redshirt junior defensive tackle Austin Johnson and redshirt junior running back Akeel Lynch also garnered preseason second-team all-conference accolades.

Hackenberg Building Impressive Resume
Quarterback Christian Hackenberg is moving into elite territory among PSU passers.

  • Hackenberg has completed 501-of-876 career passes (57.2 percent), for 5,932 passing yards and 32 touchdown passes in 25 career starts.
  • He is closing in on Matt McGloin's 6,385 yards from 2009-12 for No. 2 on the career list, and Zack Mills' 7,212 yards from 2001-04 for the all-time record.
  • He is just the eighth player in Penn State history to surpass the 5,000-yard passing mark and one of 10 to eclipse the 4,000-yard passing mark.
  • His 501 completions rank third in school history, just 12 behind McGloin for second all-time and 105 behind Mills' school record 606.
  • The third-year signal caller owns the freshman passing yardage record with 2,955 yards through the air in 2013, and the sophomore passing record with 2,977 yards last season. Zach Mills previously held both the rookie record (1,669) and the sophomore mark (2,417)
  • He owns the overall, freshman and sophomore single game passing records.
  • Set the freshman single game record twice in 2013. He threw for 340 yards at Indiana on Oct. 5 after a 311-yard effort against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 7. Zack Mills twice threw for 280 yards (USU & Southern Miss) in 2001.
  • His 454 yards passing vs. UCF in the 2014 season opener broke Mills' school & sophomore record of 399 yards vs. Iowa in 2002.
  • Hackenberg threw for 773 yards in his first two games of 2014 to break the Penn State consecutive game passing record. He eclipsed Zack Mills' record of 686 yards from 2002.
  • Hackenberg compiled 454 yards vs. UCF and 319 against Akron.
  • Mills threw for 399 yards vs. Iowa and 287 at Wisconsin.
  • His nine games with at least 200 yards in 2013 broke Mills' freshman record of five from the 2001 season.
  • Hackenberg has 15 200-yard passing games, which ranks fourth in school history and trails only McGloin (18), Collins (16) and Mills (16).
  • His eight 300-yard passing games (25 games played) put him atop the list of only four quarterbacks in PSU history to post multiple 300-plus yard passing games.
  • Hackenberg's 55 passing attempts at Indiana in 2013 and 50 attempts against Boston College in the 2014 Pinstripe Bowl marked just the fourth and fifth times in PSU history a signal caller amassed 50 passing attempts in a game. Hackenberg surpassed Collins' school record of 54 in 1992 at BYU.
  • Eleven of his 32 scoring strikes are 40 yards or longer, including a career-long 79-yard touchdown pass to Geno Lewis in the 2014 season opener vs. UCF. Hackenberg has thrown for at least 250 yards in 10 of his 25 career games, including seven 300-yard efforts and one 400-yard contest.
  • He had 14 completions of 40-plus yards or longer in 2013, which tied for eighth nationally and tied for tops among freshman quarterbacks in the NCAA (Winston, FSU).
  • On the awards front, Hackenberg is a preseason candidate for the Maxwell, O'Brien, Walter Camp and Manning Awards.

Hackenberg Among NCAA Best in Crunch Time
Junior signal caller Christian Hackenberg enters the season ranked third in the NCAA among active players for game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime. He most recently led a game-winning drive in overtime of the 2014 Pinstripe Bowl, and led a game-winning drive in last year's opener vs. UCF in the final 1:13.

The complete list of NCAA game winning drive leaders is below. (Compiled by Navy Sports Information) No. - Name (School)
1. 6 - Braxton Miller (Ohio State)
6 - Keenan Reynolds (Navy)
3. 5 - Christian Hackenberg (Penn State)

Putting The "D" In Defense
Whether it was the Wild Dogs, "Linebacker U." or the #NoFlyZone, the Penn State defense was up to the task throughout the 2014 season. Penn State was among the top defenses in the FBS, ranking among the Top 10 in nearly every major statistical category.

  • Penn State ranked in the Top 10 in the FBS in fewest first downs allowed (2nd, 190), pass efficiency (2nd, 101.14), total (2nd, 278.7 ypg), rushing (3rd, 100.5 ypg), third down (6th, 30.2) and scoring defense (7th, 18.6 ppg).
  • The Nittany Lions and Wisconsin were the only FBS teams ranked in the Top 5 in rushing, total, scoring and pass efficiency defense.
  • The Nittany Lions led the Big Ten in total, scoring and pass efficiency defense and fewest first downs allowed, were second in rushing defense and third in third down defense.
  • Penn State's No. 2-ranked total defense average (278.7 ypg) was its second-best average in the Big Ten era (since 1993), topped only by the 2009 squad (274.5 ypg).
  • Penn State's No. 3-ranked rushing defense average (100.5 ypg) was its best since 2009 (89.8 ypg).
  • Penn State's 18.6 scoring defense average was its best since the 2009 team allowed 12.2 ppg.
  • The Nittany Lions were No. 3 in the FBS in yards allowed per play (4.27), their best mark since 2005 (4.2). In 2013, Penn State permitted 5.3 ypp.

Seven Lions Have Penn State Heritage
Seven members of the 2015 Penn State football squad have ties to current or former Nittany Lion players, coaches or staff.

  • Redshirt sophomore guard Evan Galimberti is the son of Mark Galimberti, who was a manager for the Nittany Lion football program and graduated in 1988.
  • Junior wide receiver Gregg Garrity's father, Gregg (1980-82), and grandfather, Jim (1952-54), lettered at Penn State. Gregg Sr. made one of the iconic plays in Penn State football history with his diving TD catch to help beat Georgia in the 1983 Sugar Bowl for the Nittany Lions' first National Championship. The youngest Garrity changed his number to 19 during spring practices to honor his father.
  • Redshirt senior offensive lineman Kevin Reihner joins the Nittany Lions this season after graduating from Stanford in March. He is the son of George Reihner, who was an offensive and defensive tackle at Penn State (1974-77) and played for the Houston Oilers. Additionally, Reihner's uncle, John, was a kicker for the Nittany Lions (1972-75). Kevin Reihner will don the number 68 in honor of his father.
  • Freshman safety John Petrishen's great grandfather, Pop Ellwood (lettered in 1923), and great uncle, Bill Ellwood (lettered 1937-38), played football at Penn State.
  • Freshman wide receiver Tyler Shoop is the son of defensive coordinator Bob Shoop.
  • Redshirt sophomore safety Brian Tomasetti is the son of Rich Tomasetti, who played for the Nittany Lions.
  • Chappie Hill, a letterman on the 1956 Penn State football team, is the great uncle of freshman tackle Sterling Jenkins.

Lynch Leads Running Backs
Junior running back Akeel Lynch will look to fill the void left by the graduation of Bill Belton and Zach Zwinak as the leader of the running back group.

  • Lynch ultimately led the Nittany Lions' ground attack with 678 rushing yards on 147 carries (4.6 ypc) finished the 2014 season in impressive fashion with 393 yards and three touchdowns during the final four contests.
  • The Toronto, Ontario, Canada native has four career 100-yard rushing efforts, including back-to-back games over the century mark against Temple (11/15) and at Illinois (11/22). He is among the 31 Nittany Lions with four or more career games of 100-plus rushing yards.
  • He surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for his career against Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl, rushing for 77 yards to total 1,036 in his first two seasons.

Hamilton Starts Off Strong
Legendary college football announcer Keith Jackson sometimes uttered the phrase "check him for stick `em" when a wide receiver was having an exceptional game. There is no doubt that he would have uttered that phrase during redshirt sophomore DaeSean Hamilton's career as a Nittany Lion.

  • Hamilton led the Big Ten with 82 catches (6.3 rpg) and was fifth in the conference at 69.2 ypg, scoring two touchdowns.
  • Against Ohio State, Hamilton hauled in a school record 14 passes, breaking Freddie Scott's mark of 13 catches vs. Wisconsin in 1995.
  • His 126 receiving yards vs. Ohio State marked his fourth 100-yard effort of the season to extend his school freshman record.
  • His 82 catches shattered the PSU freshman standard for receptions in a season and ranked second in school history, trailing only Allen Robinson (97 in 2013). With the second of his seven catches at Michigan, Hamilton moved past Deon Butler's freshman mark of 37 catches in 2005.
  • Hamilton set the freshman single game record in Dublin, Ireland vs. UCF. He caught 11 passes for 165 yards, moving past Deon Butler's 125-yard effort vs. Wisconsin in 2005 and Maurice Humphrey's eight catch game against Northwestern in 2003.
  • Hamilton eclipsed Butler's freshman season record of 691 yards in 2005 when he caught a nine-yard pass in the second quarter vs. Maryland.
  • Hamilton became the first Nittany Lion freshman wideout to eclipse the 100-yard mark in a game - doing so in the first half - since Butler and Jordan Norwood both accomplished the feat in 2005.
  • He was just the fifth freshman to post a 100-yard receiving game; joining Butler (2005, R-Fr.), Jimmy Cefalo (1974, Fr.), Humphrey (2003. Fr.) and Norwood (2005, Fr.)

Father-Sons
Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop is not the only Penn State coach who's son is helping the team. Shoop's son Tyler is a wide receiver on the team, and Trey Hand, the son of offensive line coach Herb Hand, is serving as a team manager.

Uplifting Athletes Reaches $1 Million Raised for Kidney Cancer Research
One Cause. One Program. Together Uplifting Athletes and Penn State have stood the test of time.

  • Under the guidance of current Chapter President Ben Kline and his leadership team, the Penn State Chapter raised a record $120,000 this past year for kidney cancer research.
  • Thanks to the ongoing support of the Penn State and State College communities for the past 13 years, the Penn State Chapter has now raised more than $1.12 million. Penn State was the first Uplifting Athletes Chapter to reach the $1 million milestone.
  • Each of the last five Lift for Life events have raised in excess of $100,000.
  • As the single largest donor to the Kidney Cancer Association, the funds raised from the Penn State Chapter has helped bring eight new treatments to market in the last 13 years.
  • And what started at Penn State has sparked a movement that is growing nationwide, as 24 other college football programs have formed Uplifting Athletes Chapters -- including half the Big Ten, ACC and at least one chapter in each major FBS conference.

Now Pitching
No stranger to the stands at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for Penn State baseball games, head coach James Franklin threw out a pair of opening pitches at Major League Baseball games this summer. Most recently, he threw out the first pitch at Citzens Bank Park for a contest between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves on July 30. It was THON Night at the park, in which the Phillies donated proceeds raised from tickets purchased through a THON website. The New York Yankees honored Penn State's Pinstripe Bowl victory by having Franklin throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium on April 28 prior to a game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Red Land Little Leaguer Makes Franklin Do 30 Push-Ups
A common sight at the end of a Penn State football practice is head coach James Franklin ratcheting up the pressure on his kickers, challenging them to make pressure kicks. However, Red Land Little League player Braden Kolmansberger, age 13, proved he was mentally tough enough to stand up to Franklin's mind games.

Friday, Aug. 28, the Red Land Little League team visited Penn State football practice on their off day before the Little League World Series U.S. Championship game.During the visit, Franklin heard of Kolmansberger's kicking abilites and challenged him to kick a 30-yard field goal. The catch? If he missed, his teammates would have to do 30 up-downs. If he made it, Franklin would do 30 push-ups.

The Nittany Lions rallied around Kolmansberger, and erupted when his kick went right down the middle and over the crossbar, lifting him on their shoulders to celebrate. Franklin honored his end of the deal and did 30 push-ups to the delight of his players.

Red Land went on to win the U.S. Championship the following day on a walk-off hit. Kolmansberger scored the winning run.

Zettel Trending
Start typing "Anthony Zettel" into Google, and the search engine is likely to guess you want to search for "Anthony Zettel tree." While the first-team All-B1G made his presence known to opposing offenses last season, he made his presence known on social media this summer.

No Names. All Game.
The Penn State football program announced in July that it will remove the names from the backs of its jerseys beginning this season. In 2012, the Penn State coaching staff felt that something needed to be done to honor those student-athletes who kept their promise to play for Penn State after the NCAA handed down sanctions on the program, and decided to place the name of each player on the back of their uniform. It was something that had never been done in the 126-year history of the program, but was symbolic.

The decision to remove the names from the jerseys was made to pay homage to the history of Penn State football and return to the tradition that represented Penn State for 125 years.

Rivalry Renewed
Penn State has many long and storied rivalries on the gridiron. The Nittany Lions have played 18 teams 20 or more times in the 129-year history of the program.

  • Penn State owns a winning record against 14 of the 18 team's that they have met 20 or more times.
  • Seven of those 18 teams are on their 2014 schedule; including Temple (43 meetings), Maryland (37), Ohio State (30), Michigan State (28), Army West Point (25), Rutgers (25) and Illinois (22).
  • Six of those 18 teams are current members of the Big Ten: Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Ohio State and Rutgers. Eight teams are among the opponents on the 2015 and 2016 schedules.
  • Penn State has played since 2012 or has a future meeting scheduled meeting with 11 of the 18 teams (all of the FBS teams except Navy). Those opponents include: Army (2015), Illinois (2014-15, '18), Iowa (2016-18), Pitt (2016-19), Syracuse (2012), Temple (2014-16) and West Virginia (2023-24), while the Nittany Lions will meet yearly with Big Ten East Division opponents Maryland, Michigan State , Ohio State and Rutgers.
  • Thirteen of the 18 programs are currently members of NCAA Division I FBS. Bucknell, Lehigh and Penn are among NCAA Division I FCS, while Gettysburg and Lebanon Valley are Division III programs. Kline Rhodes Scholar Nominee
    Redshirt senior linebacker Ben Kline has been nominated for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. Kline is presently taking graduate level courses in the Smeal College of Business after graduating in December 2014 with a degree in finance. The Rhodes Scholarships are the oldest and most celebrated international fellowship awards in the world. Each year 32 Americans are selected as Rhodes Scholars, through a decentralized process representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Penn State University has produced two Rhodes Scholars in its history.

Cap and Gown
Returning seniors Kyle Carter, Ben Kline, Angelo Mangiro and Matt Zanellato all earned their undergraduate degrees prior to the Pinstripe Bowl last year. Scranton, Pa., native Kevin Reihner also has a degree, as he is joining the team for one season after graduating from Stanford, where he appeared in 10 games.

51 Nittany Lions Compile 3.0 or Higher GPA During Spring Semester
The Penn State football team produced a record-setting academic performance during the 2015 spring semester with 51 squad members earning at least a 3.0 grade-point average. This marks the first time in program history that the Nittany Lions have had more than 50 student-athletes with a 3.0 or better in the spring semester. The 51 Nittany Lions with a 3.0 or higher tie for the second-highest total in program history.

A total of 18 Nittany Lions earned Dean's List recognition in the spring semester with a 3.5 or higher GPA with at least 12 credit hours. Overall, 44 football student-athletes own a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher after the spring semester with 19 posting a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher.

The 51 football student-athletes with 3.0 semester GPA or higher trails only the record 55 honorees from the 2008 fall semester and ties the mark set in the 2015 fall semester. The mark is also an improvement from the 46 student-athletes with a 3.0 or higher GPA in the 2014 spring semester.

Ryan Keiser, who was a 2014 CoSIDA Academic All-District® selection, posted a perfect 4.0 GPA in the spring while working on his graduate degree. Fellow CoSIDA Academic All-District® selection, Tyler Yazujian notched a 3.90 GPA in the spring to bring his cumulative GPA to an impressive 3.86.

Among the Nittany Lions to make the Dean's List in the spring semester were: Keiser, Yazujian cornerback Kyle Alston, Gordon Bentley, wide receiver Saeed Blacknall, long snapper Sean Corcoran, guard Evan Galimberti, wide receiver Gregg Garrity, tight end/h-back Mike Gesicki, kicker/punter Chris Gulla, linebacker Ben Kline, center Angelo Mangiro, linebacker Troy Reeder, fullback Dom Salomone, fullback Brandon Smith and running back Johnathan Thomas.

Sixteen First-Team Academic All-Americans In Past Nine Years Penn State has earned a nation's-best 18 Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-Americans® over the past nine years, with 16 first-team honorees.

In 2013, guard John Urschel become the 11th Nittany Lion to attain first-team Academic All-America honors twice.

Penn State has had 63 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans® all-time, to rank No. 3 nationally among Football Bowl Subdivision programs.

The Penn State football team has had at least one first-team Academic All-American® in 10 of the past 13 seasons (19 overall first-team selections since 2002).

In 2014, defensive end Brad Bars, safety Ryan Keiser and kick snapper Tyler Yazijian Academic All-District® selection.

The three selections for the Nittany Lions were second-highest among the FBS and FCS institutions in the six states the comprise District II. Penn State led all District II FBS and FCS institutions with nine CoSIDA Academic All-America® nominations.

Graduation Success Rate

  • Penn State's 87 percent graduation success rate was second-highest in the Big Ten and tied for No. 13 overall among the nation's 128 FBS institutions, according to 2014 NCAA data. The figure was tied for the football program's second-highest graduation rate (with 2011);
  • The Nittany Lions' GSR was also tied for No. 5 among all public FBS institutions. It was 16 points higher than the 71 percent FBS average and was second to Northwestern among Big Ten institutions, according to the NCAA.

End of an Era
Just six players - Kyle Carter, Ben Kline, Angelo Mangiro, Carl Nassib, Matt Zanellato, and Anthony Zettel - remain on the Penn State roster that played under all three permanent head coaches from 2011 to today. All six redshirted as true freshmen in 2011.

Futbol?
Many of the Nittany Lion kicking specialists vying to replace Sam Ficken (a former soccer player himself) have strong soccer backgrounds, with two earning opportunities to play Division I soccer.

  • Redshirt freshman Robby Liebel earned multiple soccer scholarship offers from top Division I programs, received invitations to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy from 2011-14 and was rated as the top goalkeeper in the state of Florida, but elected to walk-on at Penn State. Liebel did not receive any formal instruction in football kicking until after his senior season of high school, but served as both a kicker and punter at IMG Academy during his final two prep campaigns.
  • Redshirt freshman Joey Julius turned down a Division I soccer scholarship to walk-on as a kicker at Penn State. Julius kicked for the Lower Dauphin H.S. football team, earning all-state honors twice, but also played for a travel soccer team for four years.
  • Unlike Julius, redshirt sophomore Tyler Davis did not play a snap of football in high school, as the former soccer standout at St. Charles (Ill.) North High School and two-year member of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy was a highly-touted recruit and even named the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year after his junior year. He went on to play at Bradley University, appearing in 12 contests as a freshman in 2013, scoring the game-winning, golden goal in his first career game.
  • Redshirt freshman Nick Boumerhi was a three-year letterwinner in soccer at Philipsburg-Osceola High School, but kicked for the football team as a junior and senior. He was only the full-time kicker during his senior season and garnered first-team all-conference honors.

Lasch Renovation Plan Unveiled
Plans to renovate the Louis and Mildred Lasch Football Building have been unveiled by Penn State Athletics. The Lasch Renovation, a multi-phased project, will allow Penn State football to provide the resources it needs to recruit and support the nation's most talented student-athletes. The first two phases of this renovation include the addition of a nutrition bar, as well as upgrades to the team auditorium, lobby, locker room, hydrotherapy room and an expanded equipment room.

The Lasch Lobby will have a 21st century design that will be powerful and progressive in a clean, classic Penn State way. The lobby will feature an awards area that will recognize the history and accomplishments of the Penn State football program, while the team auditorium, will showcase the Penn State football core values and team imagery displayed throughout the room.

The locker room concept will continue the classic Penn State theme and feature a new ceiling design with an integrated logo, new carpet, new multi-functional lockers, multi-tiered lighting controls and a video wall.

Another Sellout for Penn State's Unrivaled Student Section
The Penn State Student Section presented by The Apartment Store sold out more than 21,200 tickets, highlighted by an eight-minute sellout of the sophomore allotment. The sophomore and freshmen combined to sell out their allotments in 25 minutes, respectively. The Penn State Student Section presented by The Apartment Store has consistently sold out for four decades, showing the passion and dedication of Penn State students year-in and year-out.

Penn State's proud and enthusiastic student section in Beaver Stadium is the nation's second-largest full season student ticket section of any school, for any sport.

ESPN's College Gameday and ESPN The Magazine ("The Nation's No. 1 Student section") are among the national media accolades for the Nittany Lions' loud and impactful student section.

Attendance Rises in 2014
Penn State fans again demonstrated why they are regarded as the best in the nation and their excitement for Coach James Franklin and his squad as they flocked to Beaver Stadium during the 2014 season. Nittany Lion fans boosted the Beaver Stadium average attendance by more than 5,000 per game to keep Penn State No. 5 nationally in average home attendance, according to the NCAA.

  • Penn State supporters kept the Nittany Lions in the top five nationally in average home attendance for the 24th consecutive season.
  • Led by an electric sellout throng of 107,895 for the primetime, double overtime game with Ohio State, the Nittany Lions drew a total of 711,358 for an average of 101,623 per game during the 2014 season, resulting in an average increase of 5,036 fans per game (5.0 percent) in 2014. Penn State fans bought a total of 35,000-plus more tickets over seven home games.
  • The Nittany Lions' average increase was third-highest among schools in the top 25 in average home attendance whose stadiums did not expand prior to the 2014 season, according to the NCAA. Florida State (6,790 avg.), UCLA (6,365 avg.) and Penn State (5,036 avg.) led the way.
  • Beaver Stadium hosted four crowds in excess of 100,000 last season, topped by the energetic Penn State White Out sellout crowd for the Ohio State clash.
  • The Big Ten Conference broke its single-season record for total attendance during the 2014 football season with 6,359,218 fans attending home games. In addition, nine Big Ten schools produced increases in average attendance this year compared to 2013.

The Voice Lives On
The 2015 season will be the first without Fran Fisher. The legendary, long-time radio voice of the Nittany Lions passed away in May at the age of 91. Fisher began his five-decade association with Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics in 1966, joining the Penn State Football Radio Network as an analyst, and calling some of the Nittany Lions' most memorable football victories, including the 1983 Sugar Bowl. He was promoted to the Nittany Lions' play-by-play voice from 1970-82 and returned to the booth from 1994-99, working alongside analyst/sidekick George Paterno for the final six seasons. He had continued to do voice for radio and television commercials and voice-overs into 2015.

Ham Honored
The accomplishments of legendary Penn State football linebacker Jack Ham continue to standout in the annals of college football history, as the Football Writers' Association of American (FWAA) named the Hall of Famer and current Penn State Sports Network broadcaster to its 75th Anniversary All-America Third Team in August.

The team celebrates the FWAA's All-America teams from near the end of World War II through the 2014 season. The FWAA, which was founded in 1941, has picked an annual All-America team since the 1944 season, making it the second-longest continuously selected team in major college football.

As a senior co-captain, Ham earned All-America honors in 1970 after making 91 tackles and intercepting four passes. He still shares a pair of defensive records for blocked punts: four in his career, three in his final season. Ham had 251 career tackles (143 solo).

Ham is the only Penn State product in both the college and professional football halls of fame.

Penn State in 23rd Big Ten Season
After 106 years as an independent in football, Penn State began play in the Big Ten Conference in 1993 and is playing its 23rd season in the conference. The Nittany Lions were Big Ten Champions in 1994, beating Oregon to win the 1995 Rose Bowl, and played USC in the 2009 Rose Bowl.

The Nittany Lions begin Big Ten play against division foe Rutgers for the second straight season, hosting the Scarlet Knights on the Big Ten Network Sept. 13, and finish the regular season once again against Michigan State, this time traveling East Lansing for the Nov. 28 game. Penn State will also play divisional opponents Indiana (Oct. 10) and Michigan (Nov. 21) and non-divisional opponent Illinois (Oct. 31) at home.

The road schedule features divisional opponents Ohio State (Oct. 17) and Maryland (Oct. 24), while Penn State also travels to face non-division opponent Northwestern (Nov. 7).

This is the final season of the Big Ten playing an eight-game schedule. The conference will move to a nine-game slate starting in 2016.

Nine Game Big Ten Slate in 2016
Big Ten teams will play eight conference games this season, but a nine-game conference schedule starts in 2016.

The Nittany Lions will play their six East Division rivals and three West Division teams that rotate starting in 2016.

Penn State and all East Division teams will have five Big Ten home games in 2016 and in even-numbered years thereafter. Penn State Sports Network Airs All Nittany Lion Games & Coaches Show
Nearly 60 radio stations across Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Ohio will carry Penn State football to fans throughout the Northeast this season on the Penn State Sports Network.

Steve Jones and Jack Ham will team up for their 16th season as the play-by-play voice and color analyst, respectively, on the Penn State Sports Network.

The football broadcasts begin 90 minutes before kickoff with the one-hour "Dietz & Watson Tailgate Show" with host Roger Corey, along with Jones and Ham. "The Penn State Bookstore Kickoff Show," a 20-minute conversation with Head Coach James Franklin follows, before Jones and Ham bring listeners the starting lineups, health reports, field conditions and late-breaking news in the final minutes leading up to kickoff.

The broadcasts conclude with the "Pennsylvania Propane Gas Association Postgame Show" featuring locker room interviews, game statistics, stars and plays of the game, as well as scores from around the nation.

All Penn State Sports Network broadcasts also can be heard via the Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics website: www.GoPSUsports.com.

The Penn State Sports Network is syndicated by Penn State Sports Properties, a property of Learfield Sports, one of the country's largest syndicators of college sports.

The network will also carry "The Penn State Coaches Show Presented by Pepsi" every Thursday throughout the season. The program also will be carried live on GoPSUsports.com via Penn State All-Access.

The one-hour program will take place at LettermanS on East College Ave. in State College every Thursday at 6:05 p.m. from late August through mid-march.

For a complete listing of Penn State Sports Network affiliates, go to: http://www.gopsusports.com/ot/radio-tv.html

33 Nittany Lions in NFL Training Camps
A total of 33 Penn State football alumni are populated the training camp rosters of 21 National Football League teams. The Nittany Lions annually are among the top 20 programs nationally in producing players in the NFL.

The Jacksonville Jaguars boast a league-high four former Nittany Lions, including nine-year veteran and 2013 Pro Bowl linebacker Paul Posluszny and 2014 second-round pick Allen Robinson. Veterans Jared Odrick (Miami) and Stefan Wisniewski (Oakland) signed with Jacksonville during the offseason as free agents.

The Atlanta Falcons have three Nittany Lions on their training camp roster, while seven teams - Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks - each have two PSU alums.

Seven players from Penn State's 2014 squad are vying to make NFL squads as rookies: Adrian Amos (Chicago), Brad Bars (New York Giants), Mike Hull (Miami), Deion Barnes (New York Jets), Miles Dieffenbach (Pittsburgh), Jesse James (Pittsburgh) and Donovan Smith (Tampa Bay).

Penn State has had 39 NFL Draft picks since 2006, including 17 in the first three rounds, and at least three NFL Draft picks 17 times since starting Big Ten Conference competition in 1993. A total of 338 Nittany Lions have been selected all-time in the NFL Draft. Eleven-year veteran and Chicago Bears All-Pro placekicker Robbie Gould is Penn State's elder statesman in the NFL. Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro linebacker Tamba Hali, who is entering his 10th professional season, is second in longevity, followed by Posluszny (nine years) and seven-year professionals Jordan Norwood (Denver) and Cameron Wake (Miami).

For the 44th time in the Super Bowl's 49-game history, at least one Penn State alumnus was a member of one of the participating teams (18 times in last 20 years). Thirty-six former Nittany Lions have earned a total of 53 Super Bowl rings, most recently Jordan Hill and since-retired running back Michael Robinson with Seattle in 2014. A total of 105 Nittany Lions have been on Super Bowl rosters.

Arizona Cardinals: Glenn Carson (2), A. Q. Shipley (6)
Atlanta Falcons: Mickey Shuler (6), Nathan Stupar (4), Evan Royster (4)
Baltimore Ravens: John Urschel (2)
Cincinnati Bengals: Devon Still (4)
Chicago Bears: Adrian Amos (1), Robbie Gould (11)
Dallas Cowboys: Jack Crawford (4), Sean Lee (6)
Denver Broncos: Jordan Norwood (7)
Green Bay Packers: Andrew Quarless (6)
Jacksonville Jaguars: Jared Odrick (6), Paul Posluszny (9), Allen Robinson (2), Stefen Wisniewski (5)
Kansas City Chiefs: Tamba Hali (10)
Miami Dolphins: Mike Hull (1), Cameron Wake (7)
Minnesota Vikings: Gerald Hodges (3), Michael Mauti (3)
New York Giants: Brad Bars (1)
New York Jets: Deion Barnes (1)
Oakland Raiders: Matt McGloin (3)
Pittsburgh Steelers: Miles Dieffenbach (1), Jesse James (1)
San Diego Chargers: Johnnie Troutman (4)
San Francisco 49ers: Navorro Bowman (6)
Seattle Seahawks: Garry Gilliam (2), Jordan Hill (3)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Donovan Smith (1)
Tennessee Titans: DaQuan Jones (2)

Ten Former Lions on NFL Coaching Staffs
Ten former Nittany Lions are patrolling the sidelines as part of NFL coaching staffs in 2015.

Gary Brown (Dallas, running backs)
Bobby Engram (Baltimore, wide receivers)
Sam Gash (Green Bay, running backs)
Ron Heller (New York Jets, assistant offensive line)
John McNulty (Tennessee, quarterbacks)
Mike Munchak (Pittsburgh, offensive line)
Jeff Nixon (Miami, running backs)
Paul Pasqualoni (Houston, offensive line)
Darren Perry (Green Bay, safeties)
Mike Wolf (Cleveland, assistant strength and conditioning)

Also, former Penn State quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell is in his second season as the head coach of the Detroit Lions.