VOLUME 77 ISSUE 5 Penn State vs. Northwestern September 29, 2014

The Letter The previously undefeated Nittany Follow us on Lions ran out of Twitter and miracles Saturday. Check out the new Football Letter After raising hopes of Blog Penn State fans to unrealistic levels by winning games against PSU 0 3 3 0 6 their two toughest NW 14 0 0 15 29 opponents with exciting comebacks in the final CONTENTS three minutes of each contest, their luck and The Letter their pluck ran out against an unrespected Northwestern squad that Notes from the Cuff nailed them 29–6 and ruined a Homecoming that was perfect all week— Other Sports except for the three­and­one­half hours the Old Grads spent in Beaver News of Note Stadium. Game Photos Statistics Actually, even that had a few highlights: a career­long 51­yard catch that DaeSean Hamilton wrestled away from two defenders in mid­air; a crunching tackle by linebacker Mike Hull to stop a threatened three­ PAST ISSUES touchdown first quarter lead on Northwestern’s fake run from

View past issues the PS 3­yard line; and a nostalgic halftime performance by the alumni and student Blue Bands, climaxed by a special presentation to retiring Director O. Richard Bundy for his 48 years of service to Penn State. The weekend started with the magnificently warm blue­and­white­sky weather that encouraged returning grads to take long and leisurely strolls across one of the most beautiful campuses in the country and through the model college town to the south. And they still had time to meet old friends and gorge on tasty Berkey FAN ZONE Creamery ice cream at the Hintz Family Alumni Center, before grabbing a

Football Schedule spot along the route of the Homecoming Parade that exceeded all the Team Roster previous 94, according to veteran parade observers. GoPSUSports.com From there they migrated to the Shrine to watch Radio/TV Listings Distinguished Alumna, widow and 17­time grandmother Sue Paterno Big Ten Football TV dance like a teenager with students and the Lion mascot. They also Schedule listened to her tale of surreptitiously painting the statue the night before Big Ten Standings her husband’s first Homecoming game as head coach 49 years ago in Big Ten Schedule and Results order to ignite school spirit. Penn Staters in the Pros “Whether or not we had anything to do with raising fan base support for our football team or making our stadium more alive, I don’t know,” she For advertising info, said. “But we eventually became the greatest show on Earth, and we’re only going to get better and better.” “I started at Penn State in 1958, and I have loved this place from the time I came here. And I will always love this place.” State College Mayor Elizabeth Goreham called the weekend “a family reunion for alumni and the whole town and gown community.” She said, “At Homecoming, we’re all together in a very positive way.” All of Penn State’s other fall sports teams won all of their contests during Homecoming Week. The defending national champion women’s volleyball team swept the same Wisconsin team they beat in the 2013 title match, then disposed of another Big Ten power—Minnesota—both on the road. The undefeated men’s soccer team toppled Penn at home and Michigan away. The No. 8 women’s soccer squad defeated Bucknell, Northwestern and Illinois in six days. And the seventh­ranked field hockey team turned back Lock Haven, Michigan State and Ohio State in the same time span. Saturday morning a large “Huddle With the Faculty” crowd filled the Ballroom to witness a moving performance by the Essence of Joy singers directed by Anthony Leach, professor of music and former University Laureate. And as Saturday’s beautiful weather even exceeded Friday’s, tailgaters throughout the eastern side of campus savored their pre­game repasts and jovially chatted about the impending blowout they anticipated. But none expected it to be unheralded 1–2 Northwestern upsetting 4–0 Penn State in convincing fashion. (Even the media that reports on the Wildcats regularly had picked the Lions by a couple of touchdowns.) That two­touchdown advantage quickly became Northwestern’s, as its no­huddle offense marched down the field at will, until Mike Hull’s crunch halted their scoring ’til the fourth quarter. At the same time, the ’Cats defense forced four three­and­ outs for just three yards in Penn State’s first five possessions, while the Lions laid an egg bigger than any in Beaver Stadium since the 6–4 Homecoming loss to Iowa a decade ago. Numerous times the Lions seemed primed to reverse the momentum by picking up the egg and casting it to the cow pastures surrounding the stadium. But each time they dropped it and let it crack, until the resulting omelet was devoured by the feisty Wildcats, who stalked their prey relentlessly until they could make the kill. In the end, it was obvious the visitors wanted the game more than the home team. Though Coach James Franklin has assiduously insisted to the players since his coming that there is no game on the schedule except the coming Saturday’s, their plethora of mistakes would lead one to believe the Lions took Northwestern too lightly and looked past this game to the expected week of rest following it. Give Northwestern the credit they deserve, said an austere Coach Franklin in his post­mortem with the media. “They were the better team today. They were well­coached. They played hard and did not make a lot of mistakes,” said the young mentor, who absorbed his first loss in his last 10 times on the gridiron. “We weren’t ready to play today,” he said, but he also guaranteed that “we will get it fixed.” “Nobody cares more than our players and coaches, and the bye week could not come at a better time for us to work at fixing it,” he declared. “The same issues keep popping up,” he pointed out. “We’ve started slow in some games, and we’ve been able to come back and rally late in games. You can only do that so many times before it comes back to haunt you … You have to be able to start strong. You have to establish a running game and protect the quarterback,” he explained. “We’ve been able to get by with this by playing smart, playing hard, playing with tremendous effort and persevering. Let’s be honest, we haven’t played pretty all year long, and it caught up to us today against a good, solid, well­coached, hard­nosed team.” Penn State has been too one­dimensional on offense. Disregard the Massachusetts game and the yardage gained by quarterback Christian Hackenberg scrambling when he couldn’t find a receiver to throw to, and the Lions have rushed an average of only 67 yards per game. Saturday the NW defense exploited all Penn State’s vulnerabilities, while its offense tested State’s heretofore trusty defense. And the Lions’ special teams faltered again. With an opportunity to showcase their talents before the largest day­ game crowd (102,910) since the Nebraska contest in 2011 and a national BTN television audience, the Lions gave up the first points in an opening quarter in their last eight games and scored the fewest points in the Northwestern series since it began in 1993, while losing to the Wildcats for the first time since 2004. The 23­point margin was the biggest allowed in a home game since the 33–7 loss to Miami in 2001. The 50 rushing yards are the fewest by Penn State since the Ohio State game in 2012. Northwestern started strong in the first quarter, gaining 166 yards on 25 plays, while scoring 14 points and should have tallied 10 more. At the same time, the ’Cats surrendered only 31 yards on 12 plays by the befuddled Lions and kept them caged inside their own 33­yard line, while pushing them back on one series from the PS­15 to the PS­12, from where Chris Gulla shanked a punt just 17 yards. Hackenberg was pressured on each of his six passes and could complete only three for 29 meaningless yards, while losing three yards on two scrambles. NW passer Trevor Siemian connected on 11 of 15 first­ quarter attempts for 150 yards, including a 28­yarder to Mike McHugh on third­and­eight and an 18­yarder to Tony Jones on third­ and­10. Both set up one­yard sneaks by Siemian for touchdowns. (He would score the Wildcats’ third offensive TD on a one­yard sneak halfway through the final frame.) Miles Shuler’s 42­yard return of Penn State’s first punt by Daniel Pasquariello set the stage for Northwestern’s first TD on a short 31­yard drive. The visitors’ other touchdown was tallied by linebacker Anthony Walker, who jumped a well­known route to intercept a Hackenberg throw for a 49­yard Pick­6 on the first play of the fourth quarter. On the first play of the Lions’ next possession, Hack was sacked for a loss of 10 yards and fumbled the ball, which NW recovered on the PS­15. The ’Cats moved to the PS­7 and Jack Mitchell kicked a 23­yard field goal. State could convert only three of 17 third downs and three times in the second half Northwestern stopped the Lions on fourth­and­short, forcing them to turn the ball over on downs—once on the PS­28, setting up a short drive to the visitors’ final touchdown. The Wildcats’ 15 fourth­quarter points were scored on or set up by Lion miscues—an , a and a turnover on downs. Hackenberg posted his worst stats of the season, completing just 22 of 45 passes with one interception and four sacks for 20 yards in losses. He threw some into the ground or behind or over the head of open receivers, who also dropped their fair share of aerials that were on the mark. A couple of nice gains were nullified by holding or clipping penalties. DaeSean Hamilton became the Big Ten’s leading receiver with six catches for 100 yards, including a career­long 51­yarder that he snared away from two defenders. Bill Belton was the team’s leading rusher with a net of 25 yards on eight carries. He had the Lions’ longest run of 13 yards to account for more than half of his total. The Penn State defense tightened up after the first quarter, allowing only 195 yards and 10 points through the final three frames. And those points came off an eight­yard drive set up by a fumble recovery and a 28­yard advance, after Northwestern stopped Bill Belton for a loss of two yards on a fourth­and­one at the PS­ 30. Senior co­captain Mike Hull posted his career­high of 16 tackles, 10 of which came in the first half and helped keep Penn State in the game. He leads the Big Ten with 32 solo tackles and is No. 2 with an average of 10.6 tackles per game. Deion Barnes tied his career­high with six tackles, including an 18­yard sack of Siemian in the third quarter. All six of the home team points were scored by Sam Ficken, who kicked field goals of 42 and 36 yards, after having a low attempt of 32 yards blocked at the scrimmage line. His 42­yarder came with just five seconds left in the first half to culminate a 10­play 55­yard Lion drive, on which Hackenberg completed five of eight passes for 45 yards and ran for five more. His 36­yarder early in the third quarter came after a five­play 11­yard drive set up by Jesse Della Valle’s career­long punt return of 41 yards to the NW­30. The test now will be how the Lions respond to their first loss of the season. This kind of a game can build character. And that’s what is needed in two weeks, when they play in the first ever prime­time conference contest in the Big House in Ann Arbor against an angry Michigan team, reeling from three losses in five games with a trip to Rutgers next Saturday. For the Glory, VOLUME 77 ISSUE 5 Penn State vs. Northwestern September 29, 2014

Notes from the Cuff The 50th anniversary of the Blue Band’s famous “Floating Lions” drill Follow us on at the beginning of every home Twitter and contest was celebrated Saturday Check out the new with the band’s last retired Football Letter director, Ned C. Diehl, in Blog attendance to lead the alumni band. Dr. Diehl recalled sitting at PSU 0 3 3 0 6 his kitchen table a half century NW 14 0 0 15 29 ago, after his young child had gone to bed, and using little lead toy soldiers to plot out the movements of each band member in the drill. And then cutting a stencil, hoping that the yard lines and hash marks wouldn’t CONTENTS tear the stencil, because he had to then crank out mimeographed copies The Letter for each marcher since there were no computers to design the Notes from the Cuff movements or copiers to print them. But the drill that stirs the heart of Other Sports every alum and student has become an abiding tradition … News of Note In addition to retiring Blue Band Director Dick Bundy being honored, Sue Game Photos Sherburne was recognized at halftime for her 18 years as adviser to the Statistics national champion Lionettes Dance Team … Place kicker team co­captain Sam Ficken has been named as one of the PAST ISSUES candidates for the 2014 National Football Foundation and College Hall of

View past issues Fame’s Scholar­Athlete Fellowship and the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy for the nation’s premier student­athlete. Both awards were won last year by Penn State’s Academic All­American guard John Urschel. Ficken, an Academic All­Big Ten selection in 2012 and 2013, has been nominated for Academic All­America consideration. He is on the dean’s list and has been inducted into Spiritus Leoninus honor society for outstanding performance in athletics, academics, leadership and community service …

FAN ZONE Penn State two­time All­America linebacker Shane Conlin will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame at a Dec. 9 black tie event in New Football Schedule York … Team Roster GoPSUSports.com Coach James Franklin and his staff were among coaches across the Radio/TV Listings nation wearing Coach to Cure MD patches on Saturday to raise awareness Big Ten Football TV and funding for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. Fans can donate Schedule online at www.CoachtoCureMD.org or contribute $5 by texting CURE to Big Ten Standings 90999 … Big Ten Schedule and Results An annual floral memorial for was placed at the former site Penn Staters in the Pros of his statue. Bouquets formed “JVP” and “409” to remember his legacy … Seniors Kevin Bunce and Kenya Crawford were chosen from the 10 members of the Court to be Homecoming king and queen … Angie and Angel Bonilla are not Penn State alumni but came all the way from Puerto Rico to attend Homecoming because their daughter Claudia, a senior studying business, is the executive director of Homecoming 2014 and was responsible for all the plans and events since last year’s celebration … Penn State Army ROTC cadets, dressed in camouflage fatigues, took shifts watching over the Lion shrine like the Buckingham Palace guards or those guarding America’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier … Northwestern Coach Pat Fitzgerald was an All­American linebacker under the tutelage of Ron Vanderlinden, when he played on the 1995 and ’96 Wildcat teams that went 15–1 in Big Ten contests. (That one loss was to the Nittany Lions by a 34–9 score in Beaver Stadium in 1996.) Fitzgerald told his players at practice last week, “This is a tough place to play. This is a great student section, and this is one of those cathedrals of college football.” … Walk­on Von Walker from Lock Haven started in place of Nyeem Wartman at outside linebacker Saturday, while Wartman walked the sideline with his right arm in a sling. Coach Franklin, who won’t talk about injuries, said he expects Wartman to be available for the Michigan game. Jason Cabinda became the eighth freshman to burn his redshirt year, when he came in at linebacker and posted eight tackles, second only to Mike Hull … The players Saturday wore “throwback” jerseys without names on the back to honor tradition at Homecoming … Northwestern sacked QB Christian Hackenberg four times for 20 yards in losses, hit or hurried him several other times and forced him to scramble on numerous occasions, when he didn’t have time to find a receiver. But Hack still posted his 13th career 200­yard passing performance to rank fifth on State’s all­time list. His 216 passing yards Saturday raised his career total to 4,432 and moved him past current Lettermen’s Club director Wally Richardson into ninth place. His 22 completions gave him 344 for his career and pushed him past into ninth place in that category. His 221 yards of total offense also lifted him past John Hufnagel and Richardson into 10th place with 4,398 yards. Hackenberg has eight completions of 40 yards or longer this season and 22 in his career … DaeSean Hamilton’s 36 catches and 502 receiving yards are tops in the Big Ten. He has had at least 100 yards receiving in three of his five games … Sam Ficken’s two field goals raised his career total to 40 to tie Massimo Manca for fifth on State’s career list. He is eighth all­time at Penn State with 213 points … posted his sixth career interception and second in 2014 in the third quarter … Penn State’s rushing defense, which was the best in the nation before Saturday, slipped to second at 60.2 yards per game. Total defense is 10th at 288.8 ypg and scoring defense 12th at 14.6 points per game … The Lions hold a 68–22–5 record in Homecoming games and are 22–5 since starting Big Ten play. They lead the series with Northwestern, 13–4 … A number of targeted recruits were on the sidelines Saturday …

For the second game in a row, all the points were scored in the south end zone in front of the 21,000-seat student section, and the entire first quarter was played in the shadow of the Penn State goal posts. VOLUME 77 ISSUE 5 Penn State vs. Northwestern September 29, 2014

News of Note HUDDLE WITH THE FACULTY Alumni and friends can catch light refreshments and some food for Follow us on thought at “Huddle with the Faculty,” the popular free lecture series Twitter and hosted by the Penn State Alumni Association each home football Saturday Check out the new at The Nittany Lion Inn. Football Letter Blog The next two presentations in the 22nd annual Huddle series are: All “Huddle with the Faculty” programs start promptly at 9:00 a.m. and include free parking at the Nittany Parking Deck. The Huddle series, PSU 0 3 3 0 6 NW 14 0 0 15 29 presented by the Alumni Association, is sponsored by The Village at Penn State and supported by the The Nittany Lion Inn and Penn State Press.

CONTENTS Oct. 25 (Ohio State): “Should We Get Fit Together?,” featuring Jinger S. Gottschall, The Letter associate professor of kinesiology Notes from the Cuff Other Sports What is the ideal exercise routine for adults in News of Note order to preserve independence and prevent Game Photos disease? Group fitness is one practice typically Statistics promoted to meet physical activity recommendations, but is it effective? Explore the critical components of a regular exercise routine, PAST ISSUES as well as rationale as to why getting fit together may be the ideal format to maximize both health View past issues and retention while having fun! Nov. 1 (Maryland): “Touring America’s Religious Landscape,” featuring Roger Finke, professor of sociology and religious studies

Review the rich pluralism of American religions and how their unique histories are retold. The talk will focus on a variety of Christian groups, FAN ZONE including a small African­American Pentecostal Football Schedule church in Memphis, Joel Osteen’s mega­church in Team Roster Houston, and a Cowboy Church in western Texas. GoPSUSports.com In addition, Finke will share insights regarding Radio/TV Listings trips to the largest mosque in America, a small Big Ten Football TV Buddhist temple in San Francisco, and a synagogue in Brooklyn. Schedule Big Ten Standings Roger Finke’s two most recent books are: The Price of Freedom Denied: Big Ten Schedule and Results Religious Persecution and Violence, with Brian Grim (Cambridge Penn Staters in the Pros University Press, 2011), andPlaces of Faith: A Road Trip Across America’s Religious Landscape, with Christopher P. Scheitle (Oxford University Press, 2012). As the founder and director of the Association of Religion Data Archives, he works with students and colleagues to provide global access to the most comprehensive data on religion. All “Huddle with the Faculty” programs start promptly at 9:00 a.m. and include free parking at the Nittany Parking Deck. The Huddle series, presented by the Alumni Association, is sponsored by The Village at Penn State and supported by the The Nittany Lion Inn and Penn State Press. RALLY AWAY AT THE MICHIGAN GAME, OCT. 11 Penn State football is traveling to Ann Arbor, Mich., Oct. 11, when the Nittany Lions take on the Wolverines. Get together with other Penn Staters the weekend of the game to show your Penn State pride and spirit at events sponsored by the Penn State Alumni Association and its local chapter. Friday Night Mixer: Meet Friday, Oct. 10, at 6:00 p.m. at the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center. Co­hosted by the Penn State Alumni Association and the Michigan Chapter, enjoy the Penn State Pep Band, Nittany Lion, cheerleaders and more! A delicious buffet and non­alcoholic drinks are included, and a cash bar will be available. Early­bird special cost before Oct. 1 is $24.50 for adults and free for children under 12. After Oct. 1, cost is $26.50 for adults and $5 for children under 12. For more information or to purchase tickets for this event, visit the Michigan Chapter event website. Game­day Pep Rally: Meet Penn Staters in the large tent at Oosterbaan Fieldhouse, 1202 South State Street. Kickoff is 7:00 p.m. Featuring the Penn State Pep Band, Nittany Lion, cheerleaders, some rallying words, and free refreshments. The pep rally tent opens at 4:00 p.m. and the program begins at 5:00 p.m. Click here for more information related to visiting Michigan for the game, including parking maps, stadium restrictions and tailgating. JAMES FRANKLIN WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCE Each Tuesday during the regular season, James Franklin holds his weekly press conference at the Beaver Stadium media room. For a story and highlights from his Sept. 23 press conference, as well as a link for the full transcript, click here. UPGRADES TO GAMEDAY ADA FOOTBALL PARKING ANNOUNCED Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics announced upgraded accommodations for ADA parking and shuttle services for all home football games this season. Included in the upgrades are an additional 237 ADA parking spots, more shuttles and new shuttle post­game pickup locations, among other enhancements. Read the full story at GoPSUsports.com. REVISED UNIVERSITY BAG POLICY FOR ATHLETIC EVENTS Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics is advising fans to review the University’s bag policy prior to attending athletic events during the 2014–15 season. The University policy has undergone several revisions, many of which have changed what items are allowed in each of Penn State’s Athletics facilities. Read the whole story at GoPSUsports.com. “UNRIVALED: THE PENN STATE FOOTBALL STORY” SCHEDULE Penn State Athletics and Penn State Public Media are continuing their partnership this fall to produce “Unrivaled: The Penn State Football Story,” presented by Pepsi, a weekly preview show that chronicles Coach James Franklin’s Nittany Lions throughout the 2014 season. It includes a look at game week preparation, an all­access look at the coaching staff and visits with selected players on and off the field.

The program airs on WPSU-TV across the Commonwealth and in numerous markets in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. For a list of television affiliates broadcasting the show, click here.