Michigan November 23, 2015

VOLUME 78 ISSUE 11 Penn State vs. Michigan November 23, 2015

The Letter The sky was blue and the fans wore white, but the Nittany Lions Follow us on were unable to provide a Twitter and storybook ending to the final game Check out the new in Beaver Stadium this year. Football Letter The warm sun, crisp air and bright Blog colors on a beautiful Happy Valley tailgating day (which contrasted with the weather in most Big Ten PSU 3 7 0 6 16 U of M 7 7 7 7 28 venues Saturday) may have meant that God is still a Penn State fan. But neither that nor the White Out crowd translated into a victory against a stronger, more effective and CONTENTS more motivated Michigan team that was focused on its goals in the The Letter conference and national battles. Notes from the Cuff New Wolverine coach Jim Harbaugh, a former AllAmerican quarterback Other Sports beloved by Michigan fans, became the sixth former player to take the News of Note reins at his alma mater and has revitalized the program that leads the Game Photos nation in total gridiron victories. And the contingent of maize and blue Statistics supporters in the upper deck Saturday made the trek east to see this fall’s 8–2 resurgence continue for the 14thranked Wolverines. Even though the visitors came bearing gifts in the form of 13 penalties for 117 yards, an interception and a fumble by QB Jake Rudock, and a blocked punt, it still was not enough for the home team to pull out a win against one of the best defenses in the country. PAST ISSUES The visitors dominated the line of scrimmage both offensively and defensively and traded field goals for touchdowns in the red zone, while View past issues constructing their 28–16 triumph over the Lions.

FAN ZONE State’s leading rusher, Saquon Barkley, galloped 56 yards the first time he touched the Football Schedule ball. Saed Blacknall caught a 25yard Team Roster touchdown pass from Christian Hackenberg in GoPSUSports.com the second quarter, and Chris Godwin caught a Radio/TV Listings pass across the middle that he carried 38 yards Big Ten Football TV Schedule to the MI-3 in the third frame. But except for Big Ten Standings those three chunk plays, the Penn State offense Big Ten Schedule and could muster only 14 yards on the ground and Results 74 through the air. And on each of three trips Penn Staters in the Pros inside the Michigan 20-yard line the Lions had to settle for field goals instead of TDs. For advertising info, Meanwhile, the steady and efficient Michigan offense tallied one touchdown contact: Angelo Scialfa in each quarter. Rudock marched his troops 89 yards for a first quarter TD 6092591910 and 70 yards for another in the last two minutes of the first half. After [email protected] halftime, the visitors capitalized on a Penn State fumble on its own nine yard line for a touchdown in three plays, plus a 55yard kickoff return that led to a fiveplay, 40yard touchdown with just 5:12 left in the game. The first TD drive took 3:21, the second only 1:06, the third just 1:21 and the fourth 2:41—a total of eight minutes and 29 seconds for 28 points. The last time the Lions saw Rudock he was playing for Iowa. But he graduated from there after last season and transferred to Michigan, where he has utilized his final year of eligibility to power the visitors’ greatly improved passing attack. The Hawkeye turned Wolverine completed 25 passes in 38 attempts for 256 yards—the most allowed by Penn State this season. Two of his throws resulted in the visitors’ first two scores—a 25yard touchdown by tight end Jake Butt and an 11yard TD by wide receiver Amara Darboh. The Penn State defense limited Michigan to just 87 net yards rushing on 30 attempts, but two of those were oneyard touchdown dives by fullback Sione Houma and tailback De’Veon Smith. Penn State students filled their section in the south end zone rather than going home on the first day of their Thanksgiving vacation and provided enthusiastic support for the Lions, who remained within one touchdown of victory until the last five minutes of the game. The Beaver Stadium faithful were thankful for Barkley’s first run of 56 yards to the MI9, and for Tyler Davis’ 23yard field goal for the first score of the contest. Again Penn State fans were thankful that the Lions regained the lead, when Blacknall hauled in Hackenberg’s pass in the end zone to conclude a 43yard drive set up by Van Walker’s block of a Michigan punt in the second quarter. Lion supporters were thankful for Chris Godwin’s Herculean effort in carrying three Wolverine defenders as extra baggage for the last 15 yards of his 38yard pass reception that set up Davis’ 24yard three pointer at the outset of the fourth quarter. And for Davis’ 18yard boot that pulled State within five points of the visitors late in the fourth quarter. But their final thanks will have to be held until Turkey Day on Thursday, because the Lions could not deliver victory in the final five minutes. Just as happened at Northwestern two weeks ago, the Lions could not sufficiently capitalize on opportunities to pull an upset over a ranked team. Thus, each loss this season has come to one of the top 25 teams in the country. Ohio State (10–1) is ranked eighth, Michigan (9–2) 12th, Northwestern (9–2) 17th and Temple (9–2) 25th. Saturday’s loss was the first this year in Beaver Stadium, where Penn State had won 79.2 percent of its 342 contests—a figure that ranked seventh among all 128 FBS teams. It also ruined Senior Day for the Lions, who honored 19 senior players and their families before the opening kickoff. Several of those 19 were fifthyear players, who stayed rather than transfer when the NCAA levied sanctions against Penn State in 2012. One of those seniors, Carl Nassib, the national leader in sacks and tackles for loss who is a finalist or semifinalist for several national awards, was unable to play Saturday, after being injured late in the contest at Northwestern two weeks ago. Another was safety Jordan Lucas, who had started more games for Penn State than any current player except Hackenberg but was declared lost for the remainder of the season, after his latest injury in Evanston. Junior Malik Golden started in his place and wore Lucas’ No. 9 in his honor. Offensive tackle Andrew Nelson, who returned from injury to play sparingly at Northwestern, started and played the full game Saturday. But tight ends Mike Gesicki and Brent Wilkerson were wearing wraps around their shoulders after the contest. The Lions averaged 3.2 yards per carry, which was better than Michigan’s 2.9 because the Wolverines’ longest run was only 20 yards on an end around by wide receiver Jehu Chesson, compared to Barkley’s 56yard romp. State’s average yards per pass completion of 10.5 was also better than Michigan’s average of 10.2. But the Wolverine defense allowed Hackenberg to complete only 13 of 31 attempts for 137 yards—barely more than half of Rudock’s numbers. Penn State’s challenging finish to the regular season continues Saturday in East Lansing, where the Lions face 6th ranked Michigan State, which brought a dramatic lastminute end to the 23game winning streak of defending national champion Ohio State in Columbus Saturday and took over the top spot in the Eastern Division of the Big Ten. The Spartans will be playing for a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis on Dec. 5. Saturday’s contest will kick off at 3:30 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN.

For the Glory, VOLUME 78 ISSUE 11 Penn State vs. Michigan November 23, 2015

Notes from the Cuff Having snapped its threegame losing streak in Beaver Stadium, Follow us on Michigan now leads the series with Twitter and Penn State, 12–7. The series has Check out the new been one of streaks. Penn State Football Letter won three games in a row from Blog 1994 through 1996; Michigan captured nine in a row between PSU 3 7 0 6 16 1997 and 2007; and Penn State U of M 7 7 7 7 28 won four in a row between 2008 and 2013. Michigan has now taken the last two … CONTENTS The Lions were seeking their first unbeaten season in Beaver Stadium since 2008 … The Letter Notes from the Cuff Michigan was the fifth opponent this season held to less than 100 rushing Other Sports yards by the Penn State defense … News of Note Penn State had not allowed more than 300 yards in total offense to its Game Photos last 10 home opponents until Saturday … Statistics The Lions have recorded at least one quarterback sack in 33 consecutive games—their longest streak since sacks became an official statistic in 2000 … The Lions forced their 18th fumble of the year—the most of any squad since 1991 …

PAST ISSUES The pass interception and 25yard return by linebacker Brandon Bell was the second of his career and his first since the 2014 game at Rutgers. View past issues Bell’s stripsack of Jake Rudock was the fourth fumble that he has forced in his career and the first that he recovered … FAN ZONE Safety Marcus Allen led the Lions in tackles Saturday with 12—a career

Football Schedule high for him. Malik Golden had a careerhigh eight stops … Team Roster Von Walker’s punt block in the second quarter was the first by a Nittany GoPSUSports.com Lion since Mike Hull blocked one for a touchdown against Ohio State in Radio/TV Listings 2012 … Big Ten Football TV Schedule Redshirt freshman kicker Tyler Davis booted a careerhigh three field Big Ten Standings goals … Big Ten Schedule and Results Christian Hackenberg threw the 46th touchdown pass of his career to tie Penn Staters in the Pros Matt McGloin on Penn State’s career list … For advertising info, Hackenberg became the first Nittany Lion to surpass 8,000 career passing contact: Angelo Scialfa yards and also passed Zack Mills for the top spot on State’s career list for 6092591910 total offense with 7,818 yards. Twice he scrambled for first downs [email protected] Saturday—the longest was for 17 yards. Sacks of Hack have now surpassed 100 in three years … Penn State was able to convert only three of 14 first downs, raising its season total to 42 of 152, less than 28 percent … Sophomore Chris Godwin passed Eddie Drummond (1998–01) to move into 20th place on State’s career receiving yardage list with 1,180 yards. He passed Joe Jurevisius (1997) and current assistant coach Terry Smith (1991) to move up to 13th place on the singleseason receiving yardage list with 859 … Talking about Michigan’s tough defense, Godwin said, “They man you up on the perimeter, put seven guys in the box and force you to make plays.” … Freshman tailback Saquon Barkley pushed his teamleading rushing yardage total to 904.

Part of your Penn State Alumni Association's mission is to strengthen the connection of alumni to the University and to provide valued services to members. The Football Letter is just one of the many benefits of membership provided to support that mission. VOLUME 78 ISSUE 11 Penn State vs. Michigan November 23, 2015

News of Note Pep Rally, Event Details for Michigan State Penn State visits East Lansing, Mich., next weekend for its final regular Follow us on season football game, and details are set for the alumni mixer and pre Twitter and game pep rally Friday, Nov. 27, and Saturday, Nov. 28. For all the info, Check out the new visit the Alumni Association’s website. Football Letter Blog And for alumni, students and fans on social media, use and share #PSUpeprally for everything trending about the 2015 Penn State pep rallies this season. PSU 3 7 0 6 16 U of M 7 7 7 7 28 Follow the Alumni Association on Social Media Stay updated on Alumni Association news and events by following us on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Also follow The Football Letter and The CONTENTS Penn Stater magazine on Twitter for more information on what’s The Letter happening at Penn State. Notes from the Cuff Join Penn State on LinkedIn Other Sports Looking for more ways to network with Penn State alums? Join the Penn News of Note State Alumni Association LinkedIn group. If you already have a LinkedIn Game Photos profile, the link will take you to our main page, where you can ask to join Statistics the group. You can also look for our group on the Penn State University Page. Our group is listed in the options on the righthand side. If you’re new to LinkedIn, the Alumni Association offers webinars to help you learn all about the platform and what it can do for you. To see our upcoming webinars, visit our website. Already a member of our LinkedIn group? Make sure you’re getting notifications about the group by checking your group settings to ensure that you have checked the daily digest and PAST ISSUES announcement options. View past issues Hintz Family Alumni Center Open House Hours A reminder to all visitors that the Hintz Family Alumni Center’s open FAN ZONE hours change during football season. On home football game days, the Alumni Center opens at 8:00 a.m., and closes one hour before kickoff. Football Schedule During away football weekends, the Alumni Center is open only on Team Roster Saturdays from 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. For questions, call the Alumni GoPSUSports.com Association at 8148656516. Radio/TV Listings Big Ten Football TV Schedule Published by Penn State Alumni Association Big Ten Standings Copyright © 2015 Penn State Alumni Association. All rights reserved. Big Ten Schedule and Results Part of your Penn State Alumni Association's mission is to strengthen the connection of alumni to the University and to provide valued services to members. The Football Letter is just one of the Penn Staters in the Pros many benefits of membership provided to support that mission.