The Letter Ninety-Seven Years Is a Long Time Follow Us on to Wait for a Win

Click here to view the mobile version

VOLUME 77 ISSUE 8 Penn State vs. Maryland November 3, 2014

The Letter Ninety-seven years is a long time Follow us on to wait for a win. Twitter and That’s how long Maryland alumni Check out the new and fans had to wait for the Football Letter Terrapins to defeat the Nittany Blog Lions in Pennsylvania. The two border rivals have met in State College 22 times since the PSU 367 319 MARYLAND0701320 series was inaugurated in 1917 with a 57–0 victory by Penn State on New Beaver Field—built on the northwest corner of campus in 1909—before the Nittany Lion Inn, CONTENTS Recreation Hall or the Lion Shrine ever existed. The Letter State’s gridders won four more times on that field, before the all-steel Notes from the Cuff stands were dismantled into 700 pieces after the 1959 season and moved Other Sports one mile to the east end of campus, where they were reassembled as the News of Note nucleus of the then 46,000-seat Beaver Stadium. Game Photos Statistics After 16 more Penn State wins in the stadium that has since grown to a capacity of 106,572, the Terrapins finally galloped past the Lions in the last minute Saturday for a 20–19 triumph in front of a crowd of 103,969 PAST ISSUES and an ESPN2 television audience.

View past issues The Terps have won the same number of times in Maryland, where Penn State holds a series margin of 14–1–1. That Terrapin victory came in 1961—so long ago that this reporter was still a senior undergraduate who arose before dawn and drove to College Park, Maryland, to be among the 34,000 at Byrd Stadium for the pre-television era kickoff at 1 p.m. and cover the game for The Daily Collegian. The man who led Maryland to that exciting 21–17 triumph was an outstanding quarterback from Dauphin, Pa., named Dick Shiner. Saturday FAN ZONE it was an outstanding quarterback from Cranberry Township, Pa., recruited by James Franklin leading Coach Randy Edsall’s Terrapins to the Football Schedule one-point victory over Coach Franklin’s team led by a Palmyra, Va., Team Roster quarterback recruited by Bill O’Brien. GoPSUSports.com Radio/TV Listings Franklin was offensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Maryland Big Ten Football TV under Ralph Friedgen, when he recruited C.J. Brown—who has since Schedule moved into the record books as one of the Terps’ best running and Big Ten Standings passing QBs. Big Ten Schedule and Results When Friedgen was fired after the Penn Staters in the Pros 2010 season, new Maryland Athletic Director Kevin Anderson brought Edsall from UConn, and For advertising info, Franklin moved on to become a contact: Angelo Scialfa very successful head coach for 609-259-1910 three years at Vanderbilt. Last [email protected] January, he was hired by Penn State, where sophomore Christian Hackenberg is well on his way to owning most of the Nittany Lions’ passing records. In Saturday’s tight defensive struggle, during which Penn State led for 38 minutes, the Lions could not hold on in the final minute and suffered their fourth straight loss, after four straight wins to open the season. State has not won a game since Sept. 20—six weeks ago. In five Big Ten games to date, the Lions have scored only six touchdowns and 11 field goals. That’s already two more field goals than in all 12 games last year, but the offense is averaging only 13.6 points in Big Ten games. Saturday it was C.J. Brown, unrelated running back Wes Brown and speedy wideout Stephon Diggs who paced the new Big Ten Terrapins to their historic win, sealed by a 43-yard field goal by Brad Craddock with just 51 seconds left in the game. That was the 20th consecutive three- point conversion by Craddock, including all 14 of his attempts this year. “I’m just so happy for our young men,” said Coach Edsall, who called this the biggest win in his time at Maryland. “You don’t know what this means to our program … and recruiting,” said the man who competes every day against Franklin in trying to nab top-level high school players from Maryland and Pennsylvania. “Let the rivalry begin now,” added Edsall. “There should be a trophy for this game. It’s a bordering state. Let’s have some fun. Let’s really make it competitive.” The game was indeed competitive right down to the second field goal booted by Craddock, who had nailed a 25-yarder earlier in the fourth quarter to take the first bite out of Penn State’s nine-point lead at the end of three periods. And if, as some people contend, it takes a little confrontation and fire to turn an annual opponent into a team’s most bitter rival, the Maryland players provided that at the outset Saturday. As the Nittany Lions made their traditional entry out of the south tunnel and dashed in front of their benches on the east side of the stadium, the Terrapins made a simultaneous entry from the visitors’ northwest tunnel and dashed across the field, bumping into and confronting several Penn State players. Since most of the Maryland players were not even born when the Terps last entered Beaver Stadium in 1992, it might be excusable if they thought their benches were on the east side, where visitors are seated in most stadiums so they have to look into the sun. But at Penn State, Coaches Rip Engle, Joe Paterno, Tom Bradley, Bill O’Brien and James Franklin have for 54 years allowed the visitors to sit on the shady west side. However, at the ceremonial coin toss in the center of the field, the Maryland captains refused to shake hands with the Penn State captains. And the referee assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The Lions, who had won the coin toss and initially chosen to defer their choice until the second half, changed their choice to receive to take advantage of the 15-yard penalty on Maryland. In addition to perhaps setting the stage for a “real rivalry,” it allowed Penn State to start at one of its most advantageous field positions of the season, when Grant Haley returned Craddock’s 60-yard kick-off 14 yards to the PS-34. Though the opening drive eventually stalled at the MD-30, Sam Ficken tallied the contest’s first points on a 47-yard field goal. After the game, Coach Edsall apologized to the Penn State fans, team and university. “That is not who we are. Our emotions got the best of us, and we have got to be above that,” he said. He noted that Athletic Director Anderson talked to the Penn State athletic director and president as well. Eventually though, the Terrapins’ emotions carried them to the one-point last-minute victory and Edsall explained, “Our kids wanted to make a statement … They did the things necessary to get a win.” In the battle that went back and forth for more than 59 minutes, Penn State’s defense, ranked No. 3 in the nation, held the visitors to just 194 yards of total offense—slightly more than half of their season average of 373.9. Meanwhile, the Maryland defense allowed the Lions only 219 yards—the fewest compiled against the Terps in nine games this fall. They had entered Beaver Stadium next to last in the conference in total defense, having allowed more than 500 yards in four of their first eight contests. But five of Penn State’s 18 possessions ended with negative yardage and 13 gained less than 20 yards each. The offense committed four turnovers—three fumbles and an interception. Maryland turned the ball over twice on fumbles. Maryland punter Nathan Renfro averaged 44.3 yards on 11 punts. State’s Dan Pasquariello averaged 36.8 on eight boots—a loss of seven-and-a- half yards on each exchange of punts. The visitor’s average starting point on its 18 possessions was the MD-34. The home team’s average drive started at the PS-26—again, an eight-yard difference. The Terrapins’ two touchdown drives started at the PS-43, after a 24- yard Pasquariello punt, and at the PS-24, after Grant Haley coughed up a fumble on a 23-yard kickoff return. Their first field goal drive started at their own 45-yard line and was their longest advance of 48 yards, until the Lions stopped them at the PS-7. After that, Craddock split the uprights with a 25-yarder. Their game- winning three-point drive started at the PS-42, after Stephon Diggs returned Pasquariello’s 37-yard punt 15 yards. Five plays netted only 17 yards, but that was enough for Craddock, who booted the 43-yard winner. Penn State’s opening drive covered 36 yards on nine plays, before Ficken kicked his 47-yard field goal. After Maryland tallied its first touchdown to take a 7–3 lead, a 13-play 49-yard Lion drive from the PS-43 stalled at the MD-8, before Ficken booted a 25-yarder. The Lions’ next possession began at the MD-45, after their defense stuffed the Terps for minus 18 yards on three plays, thanks in part to the first of Deion Barnes’ two sacks of C.J. Brown. The offense could gain only 16 yards on seven plays, so Ficken booted a 46-yarder to give the home team a 9–7 halftime lead—with all Penn State’s points coming off his strong right foot. State’s third-quarter touchdown drive, which increased the Lion lead to 16–7, covered 51 yards in eight plays, culminating in Hackenberg’s eight- yard pass to tight end Jesse James in the back right corner of the end zone. Maryland retook the lead, 17–16, with its second touchdown and field goal early in the fourth quarter. But Ficken countered with the game’s longest field goal of 48 yards, to put State back on top, 19–17, with 6:52 on the clock. Six minutes later, Maryland responded with Craddock’s 43-yard boot. Hackenberg could complete only one pass—a nine-yarder to James— on Penn State’s final possession, which ended when Hack fumbled the snap on fourth-and-one at the PS-28 with just 23 seconds left. In the 20–19 nailbiter, C.J. Brown completed only 18 of 38 passes for 161 yards and one touchdown—a two-yarder to tight end P.J. Gallo. He also ran for 52 yards on eight carries, but was sacked six times for losses totaling 48 yards, giving him a net of only four on the ground. Wes Brown scored a TD but netted only 24 yards on 10 carries after being stopped twice for 16 yards in losses; and Diggs was the leading Terp receiver with six catches for 53 yards. Sophomore Akeel Lynch started his first game at tailback for Penn State and was the game’s leading rusher, netting 51 yards on 21 carries. Hackenberg had State’s longest run on a 17-yard scramble around left end, but five sacks for 40 yards in losses left him with a net of minus 22. He started the game completing six of his first seven passes for 53 yards, but ended with 18 completions in 42 attempts for 177 yards and one touchdown with one interception. Geno Lewis was the game’s leading receiver with 54 yards on five catches, while James added 48 yards on five nabs and DaeSean Hamilton got 42 on five receptions. Lewis had the longest reception of the game—33 yards. He also got behind the Maryland defense for a potential long TD toss in the second quarter, but it was underthrown by Hackenberg, allowing Terp corner Sean Davis to catch up and knock it away. Another long Hackenberg pass in the first quarter ended up in the arms of Maryland’s interception leader, William Likely, on the MD-8, after Hamilton cut toward the goalpost when Hack was expecting him to continue on a “go” pattern. Hamilton said the problem resulted from the two making different defensive reads before the pass. Coach Franklin told reporters his team is “having an issue playing field possession games” and is “having a hard time swinging field possession on special teams.” “The only way to get out of things like this is by working hard,” Franklin said. “Tough times don’t last, tough people do, and we’re going to work through this.” State’s next opportunity to break its longest losing streak in a decade is next Saturday at Indiana, where the Hoosiers last year beat Penn State for the first time in the 17 meetings between the two teams. The game will kick off at noon and be televised by the Big Ten Network. For the Glory,

[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]

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 77 ISSUE 8 Penn State vs. Maryland November 3, 2014

Notes from the Cuff The annual NCAA study showed that Penn State’s football team had a Follow us on Graduation Success Rate of 87 percent, while both the men’s and Twitter and women’s basketball teams earned a perfect GSR of 100 percent, placing Check out the new all three teams at least 15 percentage points higher than the national Football Letter average for their sport for the fifth consecutive year. Penn State’s GSR for Blog all varsity teams is 89 percent compared to the 82 percent average for all Division I institutions … Senior co-captain Sam Ficken, who is on the dean’s list and was selected PSU 367 319 as an Academic All-Big Ten performer in 2012 and 2013, has been MARYLAND0701320 nominated for Academic All-American honors. He also is a candidate for the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame’s Scholar Athlete Fellowship CONTENTS and the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy won last year by State’s John Urschel as the nation’s premier college football student athlete. The Letter Coach Franklin says Sam “has done everything right both on the field and Notes from the Cuff off the field.” … Other Sports News of Note Ficken’s four field goals in four attempts Saturday tied his career-high set Game Photos in the season opener against Central Florida and give him a career total Statistics of 47, moving him past Brett Conway into a tie for third place with Travis Forney. He is State’s first kicker to make three field goals of more than 45 yards in a game since at least 1982. His 48-yarder in the fourth PAST ISSUES quarter was the second longest of his career, after his 54-yarder against

View past issues UCF last year. His 13 points against Maryland moved him past Curtis Enis and Robbie Gould into sixth place on Penn State’s all-time scoring list with 239 points. Sam has been successful on 17 of 19 field goal attempts this fall … Penn State’s chapter of Uplifting Athletes has reached $1 million raised for kidney cancer research. Under the guidance of president Ben Kline, a currently injured linebacker, the chapter raised a record $151,990 this past year and is the largest private donor to the Kidney Cancer FAN ZONE Association …

Football Schedule Penn State’s chapter was founded in 2003 when the father of football Team Roster player Scott Shirley was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Shirley and his GoPSUSports.com teammates put on the first Lift for Life event, and Penn State’s action Radio/TV Listings sparked a movement that has grown nationwide to 25 chapters, including Big Ten Football TV half the schools in the Big Ten and at least one chapter in each major FBS Schedule conference. Shirley is now executive director of the Uplifting Athletes Big Ten Standings national non-profit organization that aligns college football with rare Big Ten Schedule and diseases through outreach, research, education and advocacy … Results Penn Staters in the Pros Penn State’s chapter has now launched a new November Touchdown Pledge Drive, sponsored by the American Automobile Association (AAA). Its Southern Pennsylvania office has agreed to donate $500 for each For advertising info, touchdown the Nittany Lions score during November. Alumni, students contact: Angelo Scialfa and fans can also support this effort by making a donation through the 609-259-1910 Nittany Lions’ Touchdown Pledge Drive site at [email protected] https://www.pldgit.com/campaign/832700379551499844 … The injury to Donovan Smith, Penn State’s only veteran offensive lineman, early in the fourth quarter of the Ohio State game forced the Lions to move freshman right tackle Andrew Nelson to the left side, move versatile center Angelo Mangiro to right tackle and insert backup Wendy Laurent at center. Smith could not practice all week, so the coaches were forced to use the same lineup Saturday … Two-year starting guard Miles Dieffenbach, who tore an ACL in spring practice, is still hoping to get back in action before the season’s end, but joined State’s co-captains for the coin toss in street clothes … After 2,000-yard runner Zach Zwinak was lost for the season last week, and Bill Belton struggled against the Buckeyes, Akeel Lynch got his first career start at tailback against Maryland, while sophomore Cole Chiappialle backed up Belton but did not play … Sophomore Wendy Laurent at center and freshman Mike Gesicki at tight end joined Lynch to bring the total of first-time starters to 13 this season—11 on offense and two on defense. Only four seniors started Saturday—all on defense for the second youngest FBS team in the country … Freshman Marcus Allen made his second start at safety since the loss of senior co-captain Ryan Keiser. He tied his career-high with another 11 tackles, but also cost the Lions 45 yards with three personal foul penalties on his aggressive play … Safety Troy Apke became the ninth true freshman to play this fall, when he appeared on the kick coverage team. True freshmen Grant Haley and Christian Campbell were the gunners on the punt coverage team that held the Big Ten’s leading punt returner, William Likely, to minus seven yards on four returns—way below his average of 16.1 ypr … After holding Maryland’s runners to a season-low 35 yards on 30 carries, Penn State continues to rank No. 1 in the nation in rushing defense at 77.1 yards per game. Limiting the Terrapins to 196 yards of total offense—the lowest in a Big Ten game since allowing Minnesota only 138 in 2009—State remained third nationally in total defense at 273.4 ypg. After holding the Terps to their second fewest points of the season, the Lions are still ninth in scoring defense, allowing just 17.8 points per game … Mike Hull posted his fourth career fumble recovery and remains the Big Ten’s leading tackler with 11.5 stops per game. He has been named to the Watch List for the Bednarik Award as the nation’s top defensive player. Regarding the loss to Maryland, Hull told reporters, “In the grand scheme of things, four losses are really nothing compared to what we’ve been through the last few years.” … DaeSean Hamilton continues to lead the Big Ten in receptions at 7.8 per game and is second in receiving yards at 91 per game. His 42 receiving yards against Maryland raised his season total to 728, breaking the school record for a freshman previously held by Deon Butler for his 691 yards in 2005 …

[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION] Click here to view the mobile version

VOLUME 77 ISSUE 8 Penn State vs. Maryland November 3, 2014

News of Note HUDDLE WITH THE FACULTY Follow us on Alumni and friends can catch light refreshments and some food for Twitter and thought at “Huddle with the Faculty,” the popular free lecture series Check out the new hosted by the Penn State Alumni Association each home football Saturday Football Letter at The Nittany Lion Inn. Blog The next two presentations in the 22nd annual Huddle series are: Nov. 15 (Temple): “Personalized Medicine: A Look Into the Future,” featuring Marylyn D. Ritchie, director PSU 367 319 MARYLAND0701320 of the Center for Systems Genomics; associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology

CONTENTS Our ability to survey DNA variation in an individual’s genetic makeup has excelled in tremendous ways over The Letter the past decade. With these technological advances, we Notes from the Cuff have learned a great deal about how our DNA Other Sports contributes to our health and disease states. Find out News of Note how genetic variation at the DNA level may contribute to drug treatment Game Photos response, as pharmacogenomics has emerged as an important Statistics component of medical care and research. Marylyn Ritchie is a statistical and computational geneticist with a focus PAST ISSUES on understanding genetic architecture of complex human disease. She has expertise in developing novel bioinformatics tools for complex View past issues analysis of big data in genetics, genomics, and clinical databases, in particular in the area of pharmacogenomics, and has received several awards and honors. Nov. 29 (Michigan State): “Preserving Wealth and Relationships,” featuring Cathy Faulcon Bowen, professor and consumer issues specialist in the College of Agricultural Sciences FAN ZONE Spend an hour learning (or reviewing) key considerations for preserving your financial assets in Football Schedule retirement and beyond. Reduce the chance that your Team Roster children and close relatives will second-guess decisions GoPSUSports.com about protecting personal assets for future generations. Radio/TV Listings Participants will leave with ideas and tools to take action. Big Ten Football TV Schedule Cathy Bowen addresses perennial consumer issues such as budgeting, Big Ten Standings using credit, recordkeeping, consumer rights and responsibilities, Big Ten Schedule and Results teaching kids about money, and health insurance. Bowen earned a Penn Staters in the Pros bachelor’s degree from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, N.C., and completed her master’s degree and Ph.D. at The Ohio State University. For advertising info, All “Huddle with the Faculty” programs start promptly at 9:00 a.m. and contact: Angelo Scialfa include free parking at the Nittany Parking Deck. The Huddle series, 609-259-1910 presented by the Alumni Association, is sponsored by The Village at Penn [email protected] State and supported by The Nittany Lion Inn and Penn State Press. RALLY AWAY AT THE INDIANA GAME, Nov. 8 Penn State travels to Bloomington, Ind., Nov. 8, when the Nittany Lions battle the Hoosiers. Join 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 the local chapter. Friday Night Mixer: Meet at 6:00 p.m., Friday, Nov. 7, at the KRC Banquet Hall, 5660 W. State Road 46, in downtown Bloomington. Cost is $10 for Central Indiana chapter members, and $20 for non-members. Admission can be paid at the door, and proceeds benefit the Central Indiana Chapter Scholarship Fund. For more information, email chapter vice president Dan Hall at [email protected]. Game-day Pep Rally: Meet Penn Staters at Space 2–20, across from Bart Kaufmann Field, Indiana’s new baseball facility, located near Memorial Stadium. Note: This is a different location than previously advertised. Kickoff is TBA, with the pep rally tent opening three hours before kickoff, and the program beginning two hours prior to kickoff. The pep rally features the Penn State Pep Band, Nittany Lion, cheerleaders, some rallying words, and free refreshments. Click here for more information related to game day at Indiana, including parking maps, stadium restrictions and tailgating. PENN STATE MEN’S ICE HOCKEY HEADS TO NYC NOV. 29 Penn State men’s ice hockey will make its first appearance at Madison Square Garden later this month, when the Nittany Lions battle Cornell at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 29, as part of the Frozen Apple. Alumni Association chapters in the area will be coming out to support the team and hosting special events to cheer on our Nittany Lions. For specifics, check out the New York section of our affiliate group website here. To read the original release from Intercollegiate Athletics, click here, and for more information on purchasing tickets, visit ticketmaster.com.

[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]