The Letter It Really Seemed Like Saturday Was Follow Us on Opening Day for the 2015 Football Twitter and Season in Happy Valley

Home , Chuck Fusina, Darren Perry, Eric McCoo, Garry Gilliam, Jordan Lucas, Jordan Norwood

VOLUME 78 ISSUE 3 Penn State vs. Rutgers September 21, 2015

The Letter It really seemed like Saturday was Follow us on opening day for the 2015 football Twitter and season in Happy Valley. Check out the Forget the game against Buffalo, new Football which took place seven days Letter Blog earlier. Because of the horrible heavy rain

PSU 0 21 0 7 - 28 throughout the valley that day, RUTGERS0 003 - 3 tailgaters had been forced to stay in their vehicles, or under their tents, while slopping around through wet grass or mud. There was no pre-game Blue Band show in Beaver Stadium; CONTENTS no flipping drum major; no sparkling Blue Sapphire; no dancing majorettes The Letter or Lionettes; no shiny silks; no Floating Lions formation. And a third of the Notes from the Cuff 93,000 ticket holders had just stayed home and watched the game on Other Sports ESPN. News of Note But this Saturday dawned bright and beautiful, and Nittany Lion fans had Game Photos all day to tailgate in the warm sun or visit the magnificent arboretum or Statistics walk all over one of the most gorgeous campuses in the country, before even filing into the stadium for the season’s first prime-time kickoff, as the sun began to dip toward the western horizon. Sitting in their alternate blue- or white-clad sections, the fans themselves were part of the first-ever Beaver Stadium Stripe Out show, as the last sunset glow faded behind the press box. PAST ISSUES This time there was the inaugural on-field performance of the 2015 Blue Band under new View past issues director Greg Drane. There was a drum major flipping perfectly at both ends of the field, before FAN ZONE saluting the crowd from his sitting split. There

Football Schedule was a sparkling Blue Sapphire performing her Team Roster gymnastic moves and baton twirling and tossing GoPSUSports.com magic. There were the national champion Radio/TV Listings majorettes and Lionettes and high-flying silks, Big Ten Football TV the Blue Band salute to visiting Rutgers fans, the alma mater, and the Schedule Floating Lions traditional march. Big Ten Standings And then the new piece de resistance! Big Ten Schedule and Results Fireworks exploded from the tops of the video boards high above the north Penn Staters in the Pros and south end zone upper decks, as the players dashed out of the tunnel, For advertising info, following the flag-waving cheerleaders and Nittany Lion through the long contact: Angelo Scialfa welcoming lines of the Blue Band. The all-white student section was once again its usual loud and proud self. 609-259-1910 NOW it seemed like the 2015 season was really beginning in Happy Valley. [email protected] The players reflected the energy of the crowd and exploded for a 28–3 win over Rutgers in the Big Ten’s opening game, which was appropriately televised by the Big Ten Network for the second year in a row. Electrifying runs powered the Lions to 21 second-quarter points, before those nasty rain showers that had disappeared for a week appeared again to wet down the crowd and the AccuWeather vane on the top deck of the southern stands. But once again the only lightning to appear in the stadium was that of tailback Akeel Lynch, galloping through a gaping hole created by the previously maligned offensive line and outrunning all Scarlet Knights 75 yards to the end zone just before the spectacular Blue Band halftime show. Lightning crackled again in the fourth quarter, when freshman Saquon Barkley zigzagged through the Rutgers defense for most of his game-high 195 yards and his second touchdown. In between Barkley’s second and fourth quarter lightning TD runs, much thunder was created by the Nittany Lion defense, crunching Scarlet Knight runners and pass receivers, sacking quarterback Chris Laviano and winning the battle in the trenches. The visitors never reached State’s red zone until the fourth quarter and then could manage only a field goal. Penn State’s coverage teams also squelched the nation’s leading kick returner Janarion Grant, who had returned two kickoffs and a punt for touchdowns among his 337 all-purpose yards in just two games. The Lions allowed Grant just eight yards on one kickoff return, minus one yard on one punt return and 22 yards on four pass receptions. The precision booting of punter Chris Gulla and kickoff man Joe Julius gave Grant no chance to take off with the ball, before he was swarmed by the coverage teams. Gulla averaged 41 yards and excellent hang-time on all five of his punts, which landed inside the 20-yard line. Julius’ kickoffs sailed into or through the end zone. With State’s offensive line improving its communication and confidence and controlling the line of scrimmage, Lion runners gained 330 yards against the Big Ten’s No. 1 rush defense that had allowed an average of only 39 yards by its previous opponents. At the same time, Rutgers could net only 43 yards on the ground on 32 attempts, as the Lions compiled a 471 to 294 yard advantage in total offense, along with the 25-point margin in the score. In addition to State’s three tailback TDs, freshman De’Andre Thompkins tallied the home team’s first score on a two-yard jet sweep around left end. This means that 22 of Penn State’s 28 points were scored by first-year players—possibly an omen for the future. After the game, Coach James Franklin praised the improvement of the offensive line, which for two weeks in a row has not given up a sack, and the game management of quarterback Christian Hackenberg, who “made some great checks at the line of scrimmage to get us into runs and certain looks against their blitz.” He smiled about the one-two punch of Lynch and Barkley and said, “To be a running back, it’s all about breaking tackles and making people miss … You try to get a running back into a position to be one-on-one, and the running back must win more than 50 percent of those one- on-one situations.” Franklin cited the outstanding play of the special teams and said, “Our defense once again played well … We played cover two and were able to stop the run and stop big plays.” He also called the environment “unbelievable”—and he wasn’t referring to the rain. He said the attendance of 103,323 was “awesome” and the Stripe Out was “special.”

Franklin praised the offensive line and Coach Herb Hand for staying patient and persevering. Tackle Andrew Nelson, who was hurt before halftime last week, did not suit up for this game. So, the starting line included Paris Palmer at left tackle, Derek Dowrey at left guard, Angelo Mangiro at center, Brian Gaia at right guard, Brendon Mahon at right tackle, and different combinations of Mike Gesicki, Kyle Carter and Brent Wilkerson at tight end or blocking back.

The defense did see the return of cornerback Grant Haley, who missed the first two games, and linebacker Brandon Bell, who was injured in the season-opener at Temple. Haley picked off an interception to end Rutgers’ last threat of the first half, and Bell tied Jordan Lucas as State’s second leading tackler with nine stops. Safety Marcus Allen was first with 11 tackles.

The Lion defense as a whole recorded nine tackles for loss to give it a nation-leading 31 TFLs— five of which were QB sacks by Carl Nassib, Jordan Lucas, Austin Johnson, Torrence Brown and Parker Cothren.

Penn State has 18 players from New Jersey, and 13 of them played Saturday night.

Franklin said the Jersey Boys played well, adding, “But if you’re from Jersey, and you’re playing Rutgers, it’s going to be a little different for you. Your parents are living in that community and they’re going to hear about it—things like that.”

Pleased by their team’s week-by-week improvement, wet but happy Penn State fans headed home after midnight, already looking forward to the middle contest of the Lions’ first five- game home stand in Beaver Stadium against a first-time opponent—San Diego State. After a free Unrivaled Band Jam, featuring performances by the Blue Band and several high school bands, starting at 1:30 p.m. in the Bryce Jordan Center, the football game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. and be televised again by the Big Ten Network.

For the Glory,

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 3 Penn State vs. Rutgers September 21, 2015

Notes from the Cuff Penn State linebacker Ben Kline has been selected Follow us on to the Allstate American Football Coaches Twitter and Association Good Works Team that honors athletes Check out the who have used their free time to perform new Football inspirational acts of service. Kline served as Letter Blog president of Penn State’s Uplifting Athletes chapter for the last two years, during which time it raised more than $275,000 for kidney cancer awareness

PSU 0 21 0 7 - 28 and research. He has also been involved in THON RUTGERS0 003 - 3 and Special Olympics and co-founded a student organization that benefits an orphanage in Kenya that has an academic partnership with Penn State. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, CONTENTS Kline was on the dean’s list six times and graduated in three-and-a-half The Letter years with a 3.76 cumulative grade point average while majoring in Notes from the Cuff finance. A member of Lion’s Paw Senior Honor Society, Kline is working on Other Sports a master’s degree in international affairs and is a nominee for an American News of Note Rhodes Scholarship. Fans can vote for the 2015 Allstate AFCA Good Works Game Photos Team Captain at ESPN.com/Allstate through November 25. The captain and Statistics his fellow award recipients will be invited to New Orleans to participate in a community project before the Allstate Sugar Bowl … Joe Paterno, Chuck Fusina and Matt Bahr will be inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame on Sat. Oct. 24 at the Valley Force Casino Resort in King of Prussia … In his 45 years as Penn State’s head coach, Paterno accumulated an NCAA record 409 victories, which included five undefeated and untied seasons and two National Championships. His PAST ISSUES teams finished in the Top Ten 23 times and won an NCAA record 24 bowl

View past issues games. Paterno was named national Coach of the Year five times and was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. He produced 16 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athletes, 18 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship FAN ZONE winners, and 47 Capital One/CoSIDA All-Americans … Fusina quarterbacked Football Schedule the Nittany Lions from 1976-78 and was named an All-American in his Team Roster senior year, while winning the Maxwell Award as the Nation’s Outstanding GoPSUSports.com Player, after leading the Lions to an 11–0 record and an appearance in the Radio/TV Listings national championship game in the Sugar Bowl. He ranks sixth in Penn Big Ten Football TV State history in career passing yards with 5,382 and seventh in touchdown Schedule passes with 37. After graduating from Penn State he played five years in Big Ten Standings the NFL … Bahr was a teammate of Fusina from 1976-78 and an All- Big Ten Schedule and Results American place-kicker, who for many years held the NCAA record for field Penn Staters in the Pros goal percentage after hitting 22 of 27 three-point attempts (81.5 per cent) in 1978. That also stood as the Penn State record until last year when Sam For advertising info, contact: Ficken connected on 24 of 29 attempts for a 82.8 percentage. Bahr played Angelo Scialfa 609-259-1910 in the NFL for 17 years, a mark that was later tied by Kerry Collins for the [email protected] most by a Penn Stater … Nittany Lion head wrestling coach Cael Sanderson was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in Salt Lake City last Thursday. A four-time Utah state high school wrestling champion, Sanderson won four straight NCAA titles at Iowa State from 1999 through 2002 plus a freestyle gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. His perfect 159–0 collegiate record is unparalleled. He was head coach at Iowa State from 2007 through 2009, before taking over the reins at Penn State, where he led the Nittany Lions to four straight Big Ten and NCAA titles from 2011 to 2014. He has coached 46 All-American wrestlers and 11 national champions. His career coaching record of 126–24–2 in dual meets includes an 82–14–2 mark at Penn State. He has been named National Coach of the Year twice and Big Ten Coach of the Year four times. In six years at Penn State, Sanderson has had 51 wrestlers honored as Academic All-Big Ten and 21 receive first- team national academic laurels. His team’s overall grade point average has been above 3.0 in each season, including last year’s 3.19 mark … Penn State is now 15–8 in Big Ten home openers. The Nittany Lions’ record against Rutgers is 24–2 in their 26 meetings, which makes them State’s 12th most often played opponent. The Lions are 14–2 at home against the Scarlet Knights, whose only wins came in 1918 and 1988 … Rutgers Saturday was without its head coach, who was suspended for three games by the university for inappropriate contact with a professor regarding a player’s academic status, so assistant head coach Norrie Wilson took over on the sidelines. The Knights were also without leading receiver Leonte Caroo and seven other players who have had off-the-field problems … Rutgers’ three points are the fewest allowed by the Lions in a Big Ten game since they beat Iowa, 13–3, in 2011 … Those points tied for the fewest allowed by the Nittany Lions in a Big Ten opener since the 56–3 mauling of Minnesota in 1994 … State’s 471 yards of total offense are the most since last year’s season opener against UCF in Ireland, when the Lions compiled 511, including 454 by passing … Saquon Barkley with 195 yards and Akeel Lynch with 120 gave Penn State its first two 100-yard rushers in a Big Ten contest, since Evan Royster ran for 134 and Silas Redd 131 against Northwestern in 2010. State’s total of 330 on the ground were the most since its 338 at Illinois in 2009 and marked the first time the Lions have rushed for 200 or more yards in consecutive games since that 338 at Illinois followed by 285 against Eastern Illinois in 2009. Barkley’s 195 are the most rushing yards by a true freshman since Eric McCoo gained 206 against Michigan State in 1998 … Lynch had his fifth career 100-yard game, and his 75-yard touchdown dash was a career-long. The 43 net yards of rushing allowed to Rutgers was the fewest the Lions have given up since they held Maryland to 33 last fall … Penn State’s 90-yard drive to its second touchdown in the second quarter was its longest of the season … State fielded eight starters from New Jersey against Rutgers—DT Austin Johnson, LB Brandon Bell, DE Garrett Sickels, LB Jason Cabinda, C Angelo Mangiro, RT Brendan Mahon and punter Chris Gulla … Former Lion All-American defensive tackle Matt Millen, who played for the Lions from 1976 to 1979 and then 12 years in the NFL, where he won four Super Bowl rings and was a Pro Bowl selection in 1988, was on the BTN broadcast team at Saturday’s game … Associate Athletic Director Jan Bortner, who has been a Penn State student-athlete, coach and administrator for more than 35 years, is retiring at the end of September. As a student-athlete, Bortner reached the NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships four times. He later had a highly successful stint as coach of Penn State’s women’s tennis team, before succeeding Holmes Cathrall as head coach of the men’s team from 1990 to 2005. For the last 10 years, he worked as an administrator with 16 Penn State teams, including wrestling, men’s gymnastics, men’s volleyball, and men’s and women’s fencing, which won a combined 11 Big Ten championships and tournament titles and 10 NCAA championships … Twenty-nine former Nittany Lions were on active rosters of National Football League teams as the pro season began. They include:

Jacksonville Jaguars—DE Jared Odrick, LB Paul Posluszny, WR Allen Robinson, C Stefan Wisniewski; Kansas City Chiefs—LB Tamba Hali, TE Ross Travis (PS basketball team); Miami Dolphins—LB Cameron (Derek) Wake, LB Mike Hull; Seattle Seahawks—OT Garry Gilliam, DT Jordan Hill; Chicago Bears—S Adrian Amos, K Robbie Gould; Dallas Cowboys—DT Jack Crawford, LB Sean Lee; Arizona Cardinals—C A.Q. Shipley; Atlanta Falcons—LB Nate Stupar; Baltimore Ravens—OG John Urschel; Denver Broncos—WR Jordan Norwood; Green Bay Packers—TE Andrew Quarles; Minnesota Vikings—LB Gerald Hughes; New Orleans Saints—LB Mike Mauti; New York Giants—DE Brad Bars; New York Jets—DE Deion Barnes; Oakland Raiders—QB Matt McGloin; Pittsburgh Steelers—TE Jesse James; San Diego Chargers—OG Johnnie Troutman; San Francisco 49’ers—LB NaVorro Bowman; Tampa Bay Buccaneers—OT Donovan Smith; Tennessee Titans—DT DaQuan Jones. In addition there are 10 former Lions on NFL coaching staffs. They are: Dallas—Gary Brown (running backs); Baltimore—Bobby Engram (wide receivers); Green Bay—Sam Gash (running backs), Darren Perry (safeties); New York Jets—Ron Heller (assistant offensive line); Tennessee—John McNulty (quarterbacks); Pittsburgh—Mike Munchak (offensive line); Miami—Jeff Nexon (running backs); Houston—Paul Pasqualoni (offensive line); Cleveland—Mike Wolf (assistant strength and conditioning).

News of Note Join Keegan-Michael Key and Ian Rosenberger at Alumni Zone Follow us on Meet Penn State celebrities Keegan-Michael Key and Ian Rosenberger at Twitter and the Alumni Zone after the Homecoming contest against Indiana on Oct. 10. Check out the The annual Homecoming tailgate, sponsored by the Alumni Association, will new Football begin as soon as the game ends and go until 6:30 p.m. For more Letter Blog information and to register, click here. Homecoming Events Scheduled For a run down of events during Homecoming weekend, which takes place PSU 0 21 0 7 - 28 Oct. 9–10, check out our website. Highlights include a student-alumni ice RUTGERS0 003 - 3 cream social at the Hintz Family Alumni Center, the Homecoming parade, and post-game Alumni Zone tailgate. CONTENTS Guard the Lion Shrine The Letter Held immediately after the Homecoming parade, Guard the Lion Shrine is Notes from the Cuff free and open to the public, and features music, games, activities, and Other Sports food. For more information, visit the Alumni Association’s website. News of Note Alumni Association Seeks Memories Game Photos The Alumni Association is seeking memories related to Homecoming and Statistics public speaking at Penn State, for possible future articles. Stories and memories should be emailed to [email protected], with the subject either “Homecoming” or “Public Speaking.” For more information, you can read our recent AlumnInsider stories on Homecoming and public speaking. HUDDLE WITH THE FACULTY Alumni and friends can catch light refreshments and some food for thought PAST ISSUES at “Huddle with the Faculty,” the popular free lecture series hosted by the Penn State Alumni Association each home football Saturday at The Nittany View past issues Lion Inn. The next two presentations in the 24th annual Huddle series are: FAN ZONE Sept. 26 (San Diego State): “Your Health: Football Schedule Well-Being from Local to Global,” featuring Team Roster Rhonda BeLue, associate professor of health policy GoPSUSports.com and administration Radio/TV Listings The World Health Organization defines health as “a Big Ten Football TV Schedule state of complete physical, mental, and social well- Big Ten Standings being, and not merely the absence of disease or Big Ten Schedule and infirmity.” Global health aims to achieve health for Results all through equitable, inclusive and sustainable Penn Staters in the Pros investment, policies, and services. Achieving global For advertising info, health equity requires understanding one’s local contact: Angelo Scialfa health context, and cooperation and collaboration across geographic, cultural, contextual, and socio-economic boundaries. 609-259-1910 Join us to understand how your health is related to the health of individuals [email protected] and communities around the world. Oct. 3 (Army): “Facing Ferguson: Race, Violence, and Justice,” featuring Paul C. Taylor, associate dean for undergraduate studies and associate professor of philosophy and African American studies Taylor will seek to illuminate the events and conditions related to Darren Wilson’s killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in Aug. 2014. Taylor also will explore the limits of public knowledge about the case and the methods used to assemble and distribute this knowledge, the meaning and structure of the legal proceedings, and the implications of the protests and of the state’s responses. All “Huddle with the Faculty” programs start promptly at 9 a.m. and include free parking at the Nittany Parking Deck. Huddle with the Faculty is presented by the Penn State Alumni Association and sponsored by The Village at Penn State with support from The Nittany Lion Inn and Penn State Press. University Libraries Film Festival to Showcase Military Games “Marching Down Field: Preserving Penn State Football Memories II,” a film festival of outstanding moments in football games versus military academies, will be held from 3:30–5:00 p.m., Friday, Oct. 2, in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library. Seating is limited, so those attending should plan to arrive early. This event will precede the Penn State-Army game Oct. 3. For more information, visit Penn State News. Pep Rally Details Available for Ohio State Game Penn State and Ohio State won’t clash until next month, but we already have all the details for the pre-game pep rally and Friday night mixer, sponsored by the Alumni Association and its local chapter. To view details about the Nittany Lions’ game in Columbus, including a map of the area, visit the Alumni Association’s website. And for alumni, students and fans on social media, use and share #PSUpeprally for everything trending about the 2015 Penn State pep rallies. UNRIVALED: The Penn State Football Story Presented by Pepsi Penn State Athletics and WPSU Penn State are continuing their partnership this fall to produce the second season of “Unrivaled: The Penn State Football Story,” presented by Pepsi, a weekly preview show that will chronicle the Nittany Lions’ journey throughout the 2015 season. For more information and a list of media outlets carrying the show, visit GoPSUsports.com. Hintz Family Alumni Center Open House Hours A reminder to all visitors that the Hintz Family Alumni Center’s open 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. During away football weekends, the Alumni Center is open only on Saturdays from 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. For questions, call the Alumni Association at 814- 865-6516.