Eastern Michigan September 9, 2013

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VOLUME 76 ISSUE 2 Penn State vs. Eastern Michigan September 9, 2013

The Letter The weatherman dialed up a Follow us on perfect day for football in Happy Twitter and Valley Saturday, and the Nittany Check out the Lions did their part to make fans in new Football Beaver Stadium enjoy the Letter Blog delightfully warm, sunny afternoon by running through, over and around Eastern Michigan, 45-7. PSU71072145 Penn State’s rushing attack, which EM70007 had been bottled up by a gambling Syracuse defense last week, broke loose for 251 yards and five CONTENTS touchdowns, powered by Bill Belton and Akeel Lynch—the first two Lions to rush for more than 100 yards in the same game since Evan Royster and The Letter Silas Redd did it against Northwestern three years ago. Notes from the Cuff News of Note Belton gained 108 yards on just nine carries for a 12-yard average and two Other Sports TDs—one of which was a 51-yard burst, the longest since Royster went 69 Game Photos yards to paydirt at Northwestern in 2009. Lynch likewise ran for 108 yards Statistics in 13 carries, including a 27-yarder, and his first career touchdown. Starter Zach Zwinak scored touchdowns on two of his seven carries for 43 yards. PAST ISSUES Meanwhile, heralded quarterback Christian Hackenberg made his Beaver Stadium debut, completing 23 of 33 attempts for a freshman record 311 View past issues yards and another TD. To top off the offensive fireworks, placekicker Sam Ficken broke Craig Fayak’s 1992 record by booting his 14th consecutive field goal.

At the same time, the Lion defense pitched a shutout, since the visitors’ only score resulted from the novice QB’s worst mistake in his two games—an unforced first-quarter fumble on his 11-yard line that EMU’s Hunter Matt picked up and carried into the end zone. It replicated the miscue by State’s other touted new signal-caller, JUCO transfer Tyler Ferguson, at MetLife Stadium last Saturday. Each of the newbies lost their concentration for a second and simply dropped the ball as they cocked their arm to throw. FAN ZONE But Hackenberg quickly bounced back, after completing only one of his first Football Schedule five passes, to connect on 22 of his next 28 to nine different receivers and Team Roster break Zack Mills’ mark of 280 yards set in 2001. GoPSUSports.com Radio/TV Listings Wideout Allen Robinson caught seven of Big Ten Football TV Hack’s passes for 129 yards, including a Schedule 45-yard touchdown, when the QB faked a Big Ten Standings run then sailed an aerial to the speedy Big Ten Schedule and junior, who had gotten behind the EMU Results secondary. Brandon Moseby-Felder hauled Penn Staters in the Pros in six passes for 56 yards, and tight end Jesse James caught two for 46. The Lions’ total offense of 574 was the most since they compiled 594 against Coastal Carolina in the 2008 season opener. Their 251 yards on the ground were the most since they gained 260 on the Northwestern defense in 2010. The 183 yards put up by Eastern Michigan were the fewest against the Penn State defense since it allowed only 170 by Indiana State in the first game of 2011.

And the 2-0 start to the 2013 season is the reverse of what the Nittanies suffered with a depleted roster last fall in their first year ever under NCAA sanctions. State’s performance Saturday was witnessed by more than 50 members of the undefeated 1973 team that returned for their 40th reunion. That squad—the first in Division I college football history to go 12-0—was captained by All-Americans Ed O’Neil and Randy Crowder, Academic All- American and National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Mark Markovich and Penn State’s only Heisman Trophy winner, John Cappelletti. Cappy, who dedicated his trophy to his young brother Joey, who was dying of leukemia, in the most moving Heisman acceptance speech ever, ran for 1,522 yards and 17 touchdowns in 1973. He also won the Maxwell Award and the Walter Camp, ABC-TV and UPI Player of the Year awards and, in 1993, was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. During a halftime ceremony honoring the team Saturday, Athletic Director Dave Joyner announced that Cappelletti’s No. 22 would be the first ever retired by Penn State. The ever-modest Cappy asked that it not be retired until the end of the career of its current wearer—redshirt freshman tailback Akeel Lynch, who promptly went out in the second half and rushed 11 times for 101 yards and his first TD. Defensive tackle DaQuan Jones tied his career high with nine tackles for the second consecutive game and leads the Big Ten conference in tackles for loss (five). Middle linebacker Glenn Carson had one more tackle than Jones, as the two seniors led the Lion defense, which allowed the Eagles only 44 yards and two first downs on 24 plays in the second half, including five three-and-outs. Junior defensive tackle C.J. Olaniyan had an 8-yard quarterback sack, Jones had a 7-yarder, and redshirt freshman Austin Johnson teamed up with Carson for a 3-yard dump of Eagle QB Tyler Benz. The defense can really only be charged with allowing 10 of State’s opponents’ 24 points this year, since 14 resulted from EMU’s return of Hackenberg’s fumble for a TD and Syracuse’s return of a Hackenberg interception to the 1-yard line for a quick punch–in. But the 18-year-old has made up for his four freshman mistakes by throwing three touchdown passes of 45 yards or longer and engineering 11 scoring drives in two games. He also executed the two-minute drill Saturday, moving the Lions 67 yards in 1:58 to culminate in Sam Ficken’s 39-yard field goal before halftime. Against Syracuse, he drove his team 41 yards to Ficken’s 35-yard three-pointer before intermission. After making his collegiate debut in one of the largest NFL stadiums in the country, he played his first game in Beaver Stadium, which is 25,000 seats larger than MetLife and called his experience “awesome.” “The fans were great,” Hackenberg said about the 92,863 in attendance. “It definitely lived up to all the hype that I have been hearing throughout my entire recruiting process … The student section was fantastic, and we really got after it in the second half.” Asked what Coach Bill O’Brien said to him after he misfired on four of his first five passes then gave up a fumble for the visitors’ only score in the first quarter, Hackenberg replied, “He just told me to calm down and get ready for the next play.” The freshman calmed down and guided his team to 42 points in the next 39 minutes of playing time. Sophomore Ferguson steered the home team to its final seven points by completing passes to Geno Lewis and Alex Kenney and handing off to Lynch on his five carries for 65 yards, including a 27-yard sweep around left end and an 18-yard TD run through the right side. Coach O’Brien said his offense is “still a work in progress.” He told the media, “We have to execute better, especially at the beginning of the game … We won the day today. We have to try to win the day tomorrow.” He said Hackenberg was “amped up” for his first game in Beaver Stadium. “You can take 5,000 recruiting trips here, but it isn’t like playing here,” he pointed out. O’Brien said he was “very, very pleased with our defense.” He noted, “They shut the team out; we gave up a touchdown on offense.” The second-year mentor praised the play of DaQuan Jones, saying, “He’s improved his strength, he’s improved his conditioning … He’s a fantastic kid. As hard as he works on the field, he works even harder in the classroom. He’s just a great representative of Penn State.” Defensive coordinator John Butler said the interior defensive line is one of the team’s strengths. He said, “DaQuan is a pro interior player because it’s hard to move him.” He said Jones played in the shadow of Jordan Hill and took a lot of double team blocks, so Hill could be single blocked. “DaQuan was very unselfish … He’s going to have a long future in football after Penn State.” Defensive line coach Larry Johnson said, “He’s starting to see how to raise the bar, because he’s been around guys who have done that.” Jones said, “I’m not looking to get numbers but to have fun with my teammates, and that’s something that we did today. … I’m trying to go out there and make plays and be an impact guy.” With several non-scholarship players gaining playing time, especially on special teams, O’Brien declared, “Our run-on program is one of the most important parts of our program.” He said, several guys who came to Penn State as run-ons have been awarded scholarships. “We have guys that grew up in Pennsylvania, that have dreamed of playing at Penn State their whole lives. That’s what it’s about … There’s a lot of great stories on this football team.” Asked about the play of redshirt freshman Akeel Lynch, O’Brien lit up: “He is a guy who has worked extremely hard to improve. It was great for us as a staff to watch him get in there with a big smile on his face … He has a really good future here.” Asked about redshirt freshman linebacker Nyeem Wartman, O’Brien said, “He’s an instinctive football player, a great guy to coach … He loves to play at Penn State.” O’Brien was awed to meet John Cappelletti when he talked to the team in the locker room. “Coach Paterno said that after that Orange Bowl they (the 1973 team) were number one, and I would have said the same thing … They deserved a national championship. That was a fantastic football team, and it was just a neat experience for myself and our staff to get the chance to meet John Cappelletti.” Next week, O’Brien will exchange pleasantries with his old boss at Georgia Tech from 1995 to 2001. George O’Leary is now the head coach at the University of Central Florida (winners over Akron, 38-7, and Florida International, 38-0) who will come to State College for a 6 p.m. kickoff in the first night game ever televised by the Big Ten network from Beaver Stadium. For the Glory,

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VOLUME 76 ISSUE 2 Penn State Vs. Eastern Michigan September 9, 2013

Notes from the Cuff Nothing can beat the pageantry of a Penn State Follow us on football game in Beaver Stadium. The Blue Band Twitter and marching down Curtin Road past the rows of RVs, Check out the minivans and thousands of other vehicles where new Football fans are enjoying their tailgate picnics, after Letter Blog putting on their own TailGreat show in the Bryce Jordan Center. The videoboard presentation about the history and traditions established by the PSU71072145 players who have trod upon this grass before. The EM 7 0 0 0 7 striking Lion Ambassador “S-Zone” above the tunnel from which the Blue Band will emerge with its fanfare, and follow the drum major, doing his patented front flip with his foot-high hat clearing CONTENTS the grass along with his body. The performance of the Touch of Blue, The Letter Lionettes and Feature Twirler Matt Freeman, all national champions in their Notes from the Cuff respective competitions. The National Anthem and Alma Mater, followed by News of Note the band’s intricate Floating Lions drill, ending with the honor line for the Other Sports football team dashing out of the tunnel behind the Nittany Lion and Game Photos cheerleaders … Statistics It never fails to stir the hearts of Penn Staters, whether it is their first time or their 250th … PAST ISSUES New Drum Major Christopher Siergiej successfully completed his inaugural View past issues flips in both MetLife and Beaver stadiums … Creative signs adorning the wall in front of the student section: Welcome to Happy Della Valle; Jones, DQlishous; Keiser on a Roll; The Big Beng Theory; I Can’t Believe Its Butterworth … Ty Howle, Malcolm Willis and Pat Zerbe were the game captains for the Lions, who raised their record versus Eastern Michigan to 3-0 by a combined score of 131-20 and their on-field mark vs. current Mid-American Conference teams to 20-3 … Penn State students purchased more than 21,000 season tickets to again sell out the student section in Beaver Stadium—one of the largest student sections in any collegiate stadium … FAN ZONE Senior Eric Shrive, current president of Uplifting Athletes, led his Football Schedule organization in raising a record $130,000 at their Life For Life event this Team Roster summer. Shrive, who has personally raised more than $119,000 in his GoPSUSports.com years of participation, received a national award for being the largest single Radio/TV Listings fund-raiser in the 11-year history of the organization. It was founded by Big Ten Football TV former Penn State player, Scott Shirley, who has built it into a national Schedule consortium on numerous campuses that raise funds for research into cures Big Ten Standings for rare diseases … Big Ten Schedule and The Forman Foundation delivered a $30,000 check in memory of 1986 Results punter John Bruno, who died a few years later of melanoma. This raised to Penn Staters in the Pros $1.1 million the amount donated in 18 years to Penn State’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center for research into cures for skin cancer … Linebackers Mike Hull and Ben Kline did not play Saturday but Coach O’Brien said, “They’re fine.” Tight end Kyle Carter played with a heavy wrap on his left arm. Defensive end Brad Bars, tight end Matt Lehman and wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton are out for the year and tight end Brent Wilkerson is still out with a back injury … Freshman tight end Adam Brenneman Saturday became the fifth Nittany Lion to earn his first career start this season. Linebacker Brandon Bell and wide receiver Gregg Garrity became the seventh and eighth true freshmen to play this year. Freshmen wideout Richy Anderson, son of tailback Richie Anderson (1991-92), made his first career catch in the second quarter … LB Nyeem Wartman and DT Austin Johnson each had a career-high six tackles. DT Kyle Baublitz had a career-best four stops … Christian Hackenberg is No. 2 in Big Ten passing yardage with a 294.5 average per game. He has completed 70.3 percent of his 64 attempts with three TD tosses … Allen Robinson became the first Nittany Lion to record consecutive 100- yard receiving games since Jordan Norwood in 2008. His 13th career touchdown reception Saturday tied him with Norwood for eighth place in Penn State annals. He is also tied with Norwood and Ted Kwalick with four 100-yard receiving games in his career. He currently leads the Big Ten with an average of 131 receiving yards per game this fall and is tied for first with seven catches per game … The wrestling world will NOT be denied a meeting this winter between Penn State and Iowa, who have wrestled each year since 1982. Despite the teams not having a regular season dual meet on the Big Ten’s rotating schedule this winter, Coaches Cael Sanderson and Tom Brands decided in Twitter conversations to schedule a “non-conference” meet in Carver- Hawkeye Arena on Dec. 21. The Big Ten will televise live the meet between the teams that have won the last six national championships (Iowa in 2008-09-10 and Penn State 2011-12-13).

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VOLUME 76 ISSUE 2 Penn State Vs. Eastern Michigan September 9, 2013

News of Note HUDDLE WITH THE FACULTY Follow us on Alumni and friends can catch a quick breakfast and some food for thought Twitter and at “Huddle with the Faculty,” the popular free lecture series each home Check out the football Saturday at The Nittany Lion Inn. The next presentations in the new Football 21st annual Huddle series are: Letter Blog Sept. 14 (Central Florida): “Can Satire Save Democracy? The Story of Stephen Colbert,” featuring Sophia McClennen, professor of International Affairs and Comparative Literature PSU 7 10 7 21 45 In the last two general elections, comedians have played a bigger and EM70007 bigger role in influencing voter perceptions of political issues. Is the rise of satire good or bad for our democracy? Hear the story of Stephen Colbert CONTENTS and see what you think.

The Letter Sept. 21 (Kent State): “Polar Ice: An Update on the State of Antarctica Notes from the Cuff and Greenland,” featuring Sridhar Anandakrishnan, professor of News of Note Geosciences Other Sports Greenland and Antarctica may seem distant, but in fact they are as close Game Photos as the Jersey Shore (not the town, the actual shore). What happens to the Statistics ice sheets at the Poles affects the global sea level, and what we do in our homes affects the health of the ice sheets. Anandakrishnan will discuss the state of the research, show some pictures and answer questions. PAST ISSUES All “Huddle with the Faculty” programs start promptly at 9:00 a.m. and View past issues include free parking at the Nittany Parking Deck. The Huddle series, presented by the Penn State 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 INDIANA GAME OCT. 4-5 Penn State fans can get revved up for the game against the Hoosiers at the Alumni Association’s Penn State Pep Rally before the Indiana game. Look for the large tent in space 2–19, at the corner of 17th and North Dunn streets, in Bloomington, Ind. The pep rally will feature the Penn State cheerleaders, the Nittany Lion, the Penn State Pep Band, free refreshments and more. The time is TBA.

FAN ZONE The Alumni and Friends Mixer on Friday, Oct. 4, will be held at the KRC banquet hall, 216 S. College Avenue, in Bloomington, Ind. A parking lot is Football Schedule available next door, and there will be a cash bar. Keep watch on the Team Roster Central Indiana Chapter website for more information. GoPSUSports.com Radio/TV Listings ALUMNI ZONE HOMECOMING TAILGATE Big Ten Football TV Before the big Homecoming game against Michigan Oct. 12, have fun Schedule without lifting a finger. Tailgate during the pre-game hours by rounding up Big Ten Standings Big Ten Schedule and the whole family and heading over to the Alumni Zone tailgate in the Results Indoor Multi-Sport Facility, near the BJC. Penn Staters in the Pros Get pumped up for the big game with hundreds of other alumni and fans. Enjoy a complete tailgate buffet, with old favorites like grilled stickies and Berkey Creamery ice cream, along with cold beer, wine and soft drinks. Meet some Penn State celebrities—including John Amaechi ’94, this year’s Homecoming grand marshal and Penn State and NBA basketball star; head coaches Guy Gadowsky (men’s hockey), Russ Rose (women’s volleyball), Mark Pavlik (men’s volleyball) and Char Morett (field hockey); and more. Plus get a free T-shirt, play games, win prizes and revel in entertainment by the Alumni Blue Band, alumni majorettes and alumni Lionettes. The Alumni Zone fun kicks off before the game at 11:00 a.m. inside the Multi-Sport Facility, just south of the Bryce Jordan Center. Costs are: $37 Alumni Association members, $50 non-members and $15 children (5 and under free). Register now. 2013 HOMECOMING COOKBOOK For the first time in several years, the Homecoming Committee—comprised of Penn State students—is reviving an old tradition by creating a 2013 Homecoming Cookbook filled with Penn Staters’ favorite tailgate and fall- themed recipes. It’s not too late to submit your own beloved recipe. The cookbook will be available beginning Oct. 5 both in print and digitally, at many Homecoming events and at the Homecoming online store. TAILGREAT 2013 Penn State fans looking for a break from traditional tailgating can head to the Bryce Jordan Center for The Blue Band TailGreat Show, which offers free fun for families and fans of all ages. Get pumped up for football with a pre-game performance by the Blue Band, cheerleaders, Lionettes dance team, Nittany Lion and more. Activities throughout the season will be available on the BJC concourse, including free airbrush tattoos, spirit hairstyles, football player cards, photos with cheerleaders and games with prizes. The BJC opens three hours before kickoff, and the Blue Band performance starts two hours before kick and lasts about one hour. FOOTBALL SHOW WITH COACH O’BRIEN ON THURSDAYS “The Penn State Football Show,” a one-hour call-in program that takes place at Damon’s Grill in State College every Thursday throughout football season, is being carried on nearly 40 radio stations in five states and live on gopsusports.com. The program begins at 6:05 p.m. and features football Coach Bill O'Brien, assistant coaches and members of the football team answering questions from fans live at Damon's. Fans can watch in person, participate online or call in at 800-52-LIONS (525-4667) to ask questions. Or submit ahead of time at www.GoPSUsports.com/askthecoach.

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