Penn State category, Page 60
Penn State, other Big Ten teams adapt to return of noisy crowdsVideo
MADISON, Wis. — Big Ten teams spent the opening week of the season getting reacquainted with an unfamiliar sound. Authentic crowd noise. After playing in empty stadiums throughout the pandemic-delayed 2020 season, teams across the country welcomed spectators back and many stadiums were packed on the first big weekend of...
Georgia jumps to No. 2 behind Tide in AP Top 25; Penn State climbs to No. 11
Georgia jumped three spots to No. 2 behind Alabama in The Associated Press Top 25 released Tuesday, giving the Southeastern Conference the top two teams in the country for the 30th time in the 85-year history of the college football poll. It is the second time in the past three...
Tim Benz: Twitter shame-police are making me defend Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly
So it’s come to this. Twitter has fallen so deep into the ninth circle of hell that it has forced me to side with the head coach of Notre Dame football. And, yes, that head coach is still Brian Kelly. I need a shower and I haven’t even gotten to...
The Penn State defense steals the show in Wisconsin winVideo
The ability of the Penn State defense to hold a late lead in big games has been the source of frustration for fans over the past several years, but Saturday was not one of those occasions. The Nittany Lions held off two late fourth-quarter Wisconsin drives to seal a bruising...
Gateway grad Brisker, Ji’Ayir Brown come up with big plays to preserve Penn State’s win over WisconsinVideo
MADISON, Wis. — Penn State’s defense continually stood tall, and Wisconsin kept stubbing its toe whenever it approached the end zone. That made the difference Saturday when the 19th-ranked Nittany Lions outlasted No. 12 Wisconsin, 16-10, to end the Badgers’ 25-game winning streak in home openers. Gateway grad Jaquan Brisker...
No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 19 Penn State eager for fresh starts
MADISON, Wisc. — Wisconsin and Penn State believe they are ready to contend for Big Ten titles again after struggling through uncharacteristically inconsistent seasons amid unusual circumstances last year. Both should have plenty of motivation heading into Saturday’s season-opening Big Ten matchup between the 12th-ranked Badgers and 19th-ranked Nittany Lions....
How Penn State’s Jaquan Brisker is fulfilling his late brother’s wish
Mijohni Brisker knew something was going to break. She’d told her boys time and time again that playing with the football was for outside, so she had no choice but to take it from them to prevent the inevitable from happening. But that didn’t stop her son Jaquan from finding...
Penn State WR Jahan Dotson still focused on improvementVideo
UNIVERSITY PARK — When he lines up to cover teammate Jahan Dotson, Penn State cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields goes through a mental checklist. Dotson is faster now. He is stronger. He has always been intelligent. And after an offseason fueled by last season’s disappointment, Dotson believes he has improved in all...
Ravens sign former Penn State QB Trace McSorley to practice squad
The Baltimore Ravens officially signed Trace McSorley to their practice squad, the team announced Wednesday afternoon. The former Penn State quarterback didn’t stay away from the Ravens for long. The Ravens waived McSorley during roster cuts Tuesday, but Baltimore signed him back to its 16-man practice squad Wednesday, according to...
Big Ten wastes no time getting down to business with openers
There will be no easing into the season for most Big Ten teams. Four conference games — and good ones, too — are on the schedule in Week 1. A fifth was played in Week Zero. The usual games against Group of Five or FCS opponents will come just a...
Penn State to use rotation at left guard to open season
Penn State will split time at left guard between redshirt senior Anthony Whigan and senior Eric Wilson, the Harvard transfer, when the 2021 season opens at Wisconsin on Saturday, coach James Franklin said Tuesday afternoon. “Both have shown some really good things,” Franklin said over Zoom during his weekly news...
Penn State names 6 captains, including 3-timers Sean Clifford, Jonathan Sutherland
Quarterback Sean Clifford and safety Jonathan Sutherland, both redshirt seniors, became the first three-time captains in Penn State history Tuesday when coach James Franklin named six players to the position for the 2021 season. Joining Clifford and Sutherland as captains are senior safety Jaquan Brisker, senior defensive tackle PJ Mustipher,...
No. 12 Wisconsin expects to show off offense vs. No. 19 Penn StateVideo
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin has plenty of reasons to believe its offense will bounce back from its ineffective 2020 performance. Quarterback Graham Mertz has more pass-catching targets now that Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor are healthy. Coach Paul Chryst is calling plays again. Chez Mellusi has arrived from Clemson to...
Former Central Catholic, Penn State OL Stefen Wisniewski retires from NFLVideo
Former Central Catholic and Penn State standout offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski is calling it a career. The 32-year-old from Pittsburgh announced his retirement from the NFL in a video and statement posted to social media Thursday. “After 10 seasons in the NFL, I’m retiring,” Wisniewski said in the video. “(I)...
Plenty of options for Penn State’s 3rd wide receiver
Penn State football has one of the best wide receivers in the country heading into the 2021 season. Senior Jahan Dotson is the type of dynamic playmaker who defenses have to keep track of at all times. Otherwise, they’re at risk of finding him trotting into the end zone, ball...
James Franklin wants more points, big plays from Penn State’s offense
Following the fifth day of Penn State’s preseason camp, Sean Clifford was asked a question about his 2020 season. The veteran quarterback, who a few days earlier was willing to discuss the highs and lows of his first two seasons as the leader of the Nittany Lions’ offense, made it...
ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 ‘competitors’ bond to form ‘groundbreaking alliance’
The joint news release from the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 said the three power conferences will “remain competitors.” Nonetheless, their three commissioners Tuesday announced what the ACC’s Jim Phillips described as a “groundbreaking alliance” that will allow all 41 schools from the three leagues to work together while dealing...
Penn State ‘sleeper’ candidates come in all different sizes
Penn State’s preseason list of top players is long. It must include wide receiver Jahan Dotson, who led the Big Ten in receiving yards a year ago. Then there is the list of most important players, and that’s where quarterback Sean Clifford comes in. Best young players? Another long list....
Penn State men’s basketball adds first top-150 recruit since 2016 class
Penn State men’s basketball added its first top-150 recruit since 2016 on Monday afternoon, as four-star combo guard Jameel Brown committed to the Nittany Lions. Brown is listed at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds and plays for Haverford School in Philadelphia. He is the No. 111 player in the country, No. 19...
Big Ten teams forfeit if unable to play because of covid-19
ROSEMONT, Ill. — The Big Ten is the latest Power Five conference to announce that a team must forfeit if it doesn’t have enough players available for a league game because of covid-19. The Big Ten said Monday the team that forfeits will be assessed a loss in the conference...
Iowa State, Notre Dame highlight AP preseason All-Americans
Notre Dame and Iowa State each had three players selected to The Associated Press preseason All-America team, led by Fighting Irish defensive back Kyle Hamilton and Cyclones running back Breece Hall. The preseason All-America team was released Monday, five days before the first games of the season kickoff. Penn State...
Penn State’s Juice Scruggs, healthy and ready to compete, looks to continue ‘special’ story
STATE COLLEGE — Rasheed Walker needed a roommate, and the Penn State offensive lineman knew he didn’t have to look far to find the right fit. Walker joined the Nittany Lions alongside fellow offensive lineman Juice Scruggs in the Class of 2018, and Walker watched how Scruggs navigated a career...
Penn State AD Sandy Barbour eager to welcome spectators back to Beaver Stadium
For decades, Penn State accepted and met the challenge of herding more than 100,000 people into Beaver Stadium for football games. That changed last season in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic, with no ticket, parking or concession revenue and an oddly silent atmosphere at games. But Penn State athletic...
Here are 5 Penn State football underclassmen who can step up in 2021
Penn State football’s roster has youth at several positions. The Nittany Lions have several players who can contribute this season despite their relative lack of playing time at the collegiate level. Let’s take a look at five young players in particular who could contribute at a high level this season...
Experience matters at defensive tackle, and Penn State is counting on 2 vets to hold down the middle
On paper, Penn State is expected to field one of its most inexperienced defensive lines in recent memory. The Nittany Lions must replace a pair of first-team All-Big Ten ends (Shaka Toney, Odafe Oweh). Stout tackle Antonio Shelton, a 2020 starter, is now with the Florida Gators. PJ Mustipher, a...
