VOLUME 78 ISSUE 13 Penn State vs. January 4, 2016

The Letter

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CONTENTS

The Letter Notes from the Cuff Other Sports News of Note Game Photos Statistics

Bowl games provide a year­end reward for teams, an additional 15 practices for the coaches to tweak their systems and evaluate the players and a preview for the fans of what they might expect for the next season. PAST ISSUES For the Nittany Lions, their 24–17 loss to View past issues Georgia in the TaxSlayer Bowl in FAN ZONE Jacksonville Saturday Football Schedule not only closed their Team Roster second consecutive 7–6 GoPSUSports.com season but also ended the Hackenberg Era at Penn State. And the fans in Radio/TV Listings Everbank Stadium, as well as those watching on television, got a preview Big Ten Football TV of what Nittany Lion football may look like in the post­Hackenberg era. Schedule Big Ten Standings Junior —a pro­style drop back thrower Big Ten Schedule and who has started all 38 games in his three­year career at Penn State and Results owns almost every passing record in its book—left the game after injuring Penn Staters in the Pros his throwing arm in the middle of the second quarter, when the Lions For advertising info, contact: were trailing Georgia, 3–0, in the 71st classic that used to be called the Angelo Scialfa 609­259­1910 Gator Bowl. [email protected] After the game, as expected, he—along with defensive tackle Austin Johnson, who has started every game for the last two seasons—said they would forego their final year of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft. Redshirt freshman Trace McSorley, a read­option runner and passer, replaced Hackenberg at QB and guided the offense through the next two­and­a­half quarters. Hack, who has thrown more completions for more yardage and touchdowns than any previous Penn Stater, had moved the Lions into position for their first score of the afternoon. And two plays after his departure, Tyler Davis kicked a 34­yard field goal to match the 44­yarder booted by Georgia’s Marshall Morgan in the first quarter. For the next 14 minutes of game time McSorley got his first real taste of action, struggling through four offensive possessions, while the Lions failed to get a first down. During that stretch, the young signal­caller rushed twice for four and two yards and completed two short passes for a total of four yards. He also threw three incompletions. Suddenly, midway through the third quarter, McSorley completed a 19­ yard pass to wide receiver Chris Godwin on a third­and­8 situation, and Penn State had its first first­down in five possessions. Four plays later, however, the rookie QB barely got the ball away under a perfectly timed Bulldog blitz. The pass fell incomplete, and the ball was turned over on downs. Through the second and third quarters, defensive lapses allowed Georgia to score three touchdowns on two long passes and a 21­yard run to take a 24–3 lead. Just when the skies were the darkest for Penn State fans late in the third quarter, McSorley fired another strike to Godwin on a deep crossing pattern 21 yards downfield, then rushed for six more to the GA­44. The offensive line opened one of its few holes of the day to spring Barkley for the longest run of the game—29 yards. But a couple of muffed plays and a penalty left the Lions facing a fourth­and­12 from the GA­17, as the fourth quarter started. McSorley looked left then turned and threw to Geno Lewis in the right corner of the end zone. The junior wide receiver leaped high for the catch and deftly dragged his feet just inside the out­of­bounds line for the Lions’ first touchdown. Austin Johnson sacked the Georgia quarterback for a nine­yard loss on the ensuing series, and the Bulldogs went three­and­out. McSorley immediately hit DaeSean Hamilton with an 18­yard pass down the left sideline. But the drive quickly fizzled, and State had to punt the ball back to the Bulldogs. Penn State’s defense forced another three­and­out by the red team, and the Lions had the ball back with 9:18 remaining. Barkley broke loose for a 20­yard run. Three plays later McSorley faced a fourth­and­8 at the GA­38, and he rifled a 16­yard pass to Lewis down the middle. Two plays later McSorley aimed a laser 20 yards down the middle at Hamilton, who flew into the end zone to grab it and held on during a rough landing on the turf to record State’s second TD in the final frame. With their lead cut to seven points, the Bulldogs growled their way downfield, trying to run out the clock. They got three first downs rushing before having to punt, and Penn State got the ball back on its own 25 with just 1:52 left. As the clock ran down, the Lions faced a fourth­and­1 at the PS­34, and McSorley completed an eight­yard pass to Hamilton. On a fourth­and­5 with only a precious few seconds remaining, the mobile quarterback ran 14 yards for another first down. But after two incompletions, the clock expired on the Lions’ attempted comeback in its 46th bowl game. Penn State’s post­season record slipped to 28–16–2 and its record against Georgia to 1–1. The Bulldogs moved ahead of the Lions’ into third place nationally with their 29th bowl win. The only other time these two teams met was in the national championship game in the 1983 Sugar Bowl. In that contest, Ashley Walker helped Penn State’s defense stymie Georgia’s winning tailback , while All­Americans and led the Lion offense in a 27–23 win for Penn State’s first national championship. The game’s most spectacular play was made by Gregg Garrity, father of the Lions’ current redshirt freshman punt returner. Gregg Sr., a wide receiver, made a diving touchdown catch that was immortalized on a Sports Illustrated cover. Coach James Franklin said his team can’t start slow the way it did and beat an opponent the caliber of Georgia, which finished the season with a 10–3 record. Defensively, he said, “We made big plays later in the game … but weren’t able to get going early.” Offensively, he said, the Lions weren’t able to run the ball consistently and make plays when they needed to. He said McSorley took a while to get going, but once a couple of guys made plays for him, it built his confidence and he was able to go from there.

“I noticed the shift in him once we started making some plays, scored some touchdowns. He came to the sideline fiery and had some emotion … At the quarterback position, you need that leadership as well,” he said. Franklin praised Hackenberg’s participation along the sideline in the second half with a headset on getting messages from Coach in the press box and communicating with McSorley, supporting and encouraging him. Hackenberg, Penn State’s only quarterback to post three 2,000­yard passing seasons, said, “It’s been an awesome ride, tough with the way it ended, but I bleed blue and white … You’re going to see me around a lot.” The 6–4, 233­pound 20­year old who set school passing records with 1,235 attempts, 693 completions, 8,457 yards, 48 touchdowns, nine 300­yard passing games, 21 200­yard passing games, and most yards in one game (454) thanked his teammates, coaches and fans for making Penn State such a special place. Coach James Franklin said, “For all his accomplishments on the field, he also will be remembered for his leadership off the field during a trying time in program history.” Franklin said, “Christian has the tools to excel at the next level, and the future is bright for this young man.” Austin Johnson also thanked coaches from Larry Johnson and to Bill O’Brien to James Franklin and Sean Spencer for helping him succeed and the Nittany Nation for its support. “I will carry my pride as a Nittany Lion with me always,” he said. Franklin said, “Austin has been an impact player on this team and leader for us on defense … We’re excited to see him continue his career in the NFL and wish him nothing but success.” Johnson’s 78 tackles this fall are third among all defensive tackles in the FBS and the most by a Nittany Lion defensive lineman since Jimmy Kennedy had 87 in 2002. Johnson also had 6.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. He finished his career with 154 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 24 TFLs, five pass breakups and four fumble recoveries, including one for a 71­yard touchdown return. Chris Godwin led all receivers in the game with six catches for 133 yards to raise his season total to 1,101 and join and Bobby Engram in the exclusive 1,000­yard club. Saquon Barkley led the team with 69 yards on 17 carries, and McSorley was second with seven for 31. McSorley completed 14 of 27 passes for 142 yards and his first two TDs. Hackenberg had 139 yards on eight completions in 14 attempts with one interception before leaving in the second quarter. Outside linebacker Brandon Bell led all tacklers in the game with 11 stops, followed by Johnson and Jason Cabinda with eight. Johnson and Anthony Zettel each had nine­yard sacks in the game. In all the Lions had nine tackles for 40 yards in losses, while the Bulldogs had only five for 11 yards in losses. Since the last Football Letter at the end of the gridiron season, Penn State’s women’s soccer team won its first national championship in its 22­ year history, defeating Duke, 1–0, in the NCAA College Cup finals on Dec. 6 in Cary NC. It was the second College Cup final appearance for the Nittany Lions, who have won 17 Big Ten titles in the last 18 years. It was the first time a Big Ten team has won the national championship in a sport that has tended to be dominated by the Atlantic Coast Conference. Senior captain and All­American midfielder Raquel Rodriguez scored the game’s only goal in the 72nd minute, and the defense posted its eighth straight shutout through the Big Ten and NCAA post­season tournaments. The Lions allowed no goals in the entire NCAA tourney, defeating all six opponents by a combined score of 20–0 to complete their season with a 22–3–2 record. Rodriguez was named the Outstanding Offensive Player of the College Cup. Fellow senior Mallory Weber, who assisted Rodriguez on the goal, joined her on the All­Tournament team, along with sophomores Frannie Crouse and Emily Ogle and freshman Kaleigh Riehl. Rodriguez was also a first team All­American and Scholar All­American, TopDrawer Soccer’s Player of the Year and winner of the Honda Sport Award for Women’s Soccer. Coach Erica Walsh was named the National Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). It was the second time she has received the honor. The first was three years ago, when she took the Lions to the College Cup finals, where they lost to North Carolina. For the Glory, VOLUME 78 ISSUE 13 Penn State vs. University of Georgia January 4, 2016

Notes from the Cuff Big Ten teams went 5–5 in bowl games this season with Ohio State (12–1) beating Notre Follow us on Dame, Michigan (10–3) beating Florida, Twitter and Wisconsin (10–3) beating Southern Cal, Check out the new Nebraska (6–7) beating UCLA and Minnesota Football Letter (6–7) beating Central Michigan, while Blog Michigan State (12–2) lost to Alabama, Iowa (12–2) lost to Stanford, Northwestern (10–3) PSU 0 3 0 14 ­ 17 lost to Tennessee, Penn State (7–6) lost to UGA 3 14 7 0 ­ 24 Georgia and Indiana (6–7) lost to Duke … Only five seniors started for Penn State in the TaxSlayer Bowl: C Angelo CONTENTS Mangiro, TE Kyle Carter, DE , CB Trevor Williams and DT Anthony Zettel. All­Big Ten tackles Zettel and Johnson, who are both The Letter leaving, had a long emotional hug after the game … Notes from the Cuff Other Sports Chris Godwin became Penn State’s career leader in bowl receiving News of Note yardage with 273 in two games, passing Bobby Engram’s 272 yards. He Game Photos also moved into fourth place on the season receptions list with 69 … Statistics Christian Hackenberg became the fourth player in Penn State history to pass for 500 career yards in bowl games, joining , Todd Blackledge and with his 510 yards … Sophomore DaeSean Hamilton passed Chafie Fields to move into 15th place on State’s career chart for receiving yards with 1,479. Godwin is now 17th with 1,422 … Freshman Saquon Barkley moved into 16th place on the season rushing list with 1,076 yards … PAST ISSUES Anthony Zettel’s sack Saturday tied him with Rich McKenzie for seventh View past issues on the career list with 20 … Placekicker Tyler Davis finished the season with a perfect record, making FAN ZONE all eight field goal attempts and all 11 conversions … Football Schedule Sophomore linebacker Troy Reeder missed the bowl game because of Team Roster injury and was replaced by freshman Jake Cooper, who became the GoPSUSports.com fourth freshman and 15th first­time starter for the Lions this year … Radio/TV Listings Big Ten Football TV Senior defensive end Carl Nassib was a unanimous NCAA consensus All­ Schedule American having been named to every major All­American team selected Big Ten Standings this year. He won the 46th Rotary for the nation’s top Big Ten Schedule and lineman (offense or defense), the 14th Award for the Results country’s top defensive end and the Lott IMPACT Trophy for the top Penn Staters in the Pros defensive player that represents the qualities of Integrity, Maturity, For advertising info, contact: Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity. He is the second Penn Angelo Scialfa 609­259­1910 Stater to win the Lombardi Award (Bruce Clark, 1978) and the first to [email protected] claim the Hendricks and Lott Awards. He also won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Award … Running back Saquon Barkley was selected as a Freshman All­American by Sporting News and USA Today. He was named Freshman of the Year by BTN.com and earned second team All­Big Ten honors … Linebacker Troy Reeder and cornerback John Reid joined Barkley on the ESPN.com Big Ten All­Freshman team … Women’s soccer senior captain Raquel Rodriguez earned a treasure trove of post­season awards, including All­Big Ten and Academic All­Big Ten, first­team All­American, TopDrawerSoccer Player of the Year and Honda Sport Award for Women’s Soccer. She is also one of three finalists for the MAC Hermann Award. The Costa Rican native, who compiled a 3.8 grade point average in recreation, park and tourism management, was also selected as the Scholar Player of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). She was the first Penn Stater to win this award since Johanna Lohman in 2002 and 2003 … Volleyballer Haleigh Washington and footballer Tuyler Yazujian also received Academic All­American laurels … 2015 national champion and All­American wrestler Matt Brown will receive the prestigious NCAA Top Ten Award at the Association’s convention later this month … Current Penn State senior varsity athletes have won a conference­best 22 Big Ten championships and six NCAA titles in the last three­and­one­half years … Eighteen players on Penn State’s roster for the TaxSlayer Bowl have already graduated. Angelo Mangiro, senior center and co­captain, received his master’s degree in education at the December commencement. Other seniors graduating last month were Matt Baney, Tarow Barney, Carl Nassib, Trevor Williams and Anthony Zettel. Eight more players, who have eligibility remaining for next year, received their baccalaureate degrees. They are Adam Brenneman, Derek Dowrey, Malik Golden, Anthony Johnson, Jake Kiley, Geno Lewis, Nyeem Wartman­White and Gary Wooten … Football alum Chaz Powell (2008–11), who spent the intervening years on NFL rosters, commuted to University Park from York one night a week this fall to complete his bachelor’s degree, which he received at the December ceremony … Women’s volleyball sophomore Haleigh Washington was named first­team All­American, while seniors Megan Courtney and Aiyana Whitney were selected as second team All­Americans. All three received All­Big Ten honors, along with senior captain Kendall Pierce, who was Penn State’s Sportsmanship honoree … Women’s soccer sophomore Emily Ogle was selected as a third team All­ American, while Kaleigh Riehl and Ellie Jean were named to the All­ Freshman team. Ogle was also an Academic All­Big Ten honoree. Soccer Coach Erica Walsh was selected as the national Coach of the Year for the second time in her nine years at Penn State … Eighty Nittany Lions earned Academic All­Big honors for the fall semester, including 22 football players; 14 women’s soccer players; 12 men’s soccer players; 10 field hockey players; nine women’s volleyball players; seven women’s cross­country runners and six men’s cross­country runners … At its year­end banquet, the State College Quarterback Club presented the following awards: Most Valuable Player—Carl Nassib; Most Valuable Offensive Player—Christian Hackenberg; Lions’ Pride Outstanding Senior Player—Anthony Zettel; Ridge Riley Award for sportsmanship, scholarship, leadership and friendship—Trevor Williams; Richard Maginnis Award for outstanding offensive lineman and Robert Mitinger Award for the senior who exhibits courage, character and social responsibility—Angelo Mangiro; Reid­Robinson Award for outstanding defensive lineman—Austin Johnson; John Bruno Special Teams Award—Nick Scott; Iron Lion Award and Nittany Lion Club Academic Achievement Award—Dom Salomone; Outstanding Run­On Award—Jordan Dudas and Albert Hall; Letterman’s Club Joe and Sue Paterno Post­Graduate Scholarship—Matt Baney; Public Service Award —Ben Kline; Highest Academic Average—Gordon Bentley; QB Club Special Awards—Tarow Barney and Kyle Carter; Scout Team Offensive Player Award—Nick Bowers; Scout Team Defensive Player Award—Ryan Monk and Brandon Smith; Scout Team Special Teams Player Award—Josh McPherson; Football Support Staff Award—P.J. Mullen. VOLUME 78 ISSUE 13 Penn State vs. University of Georgia January 4, 2016

News of Note Nominations Open for 2016 Alumni Council The Alumni Association will hold its annual election in May 2016 to elect Follow us on 10 individuals to serve on Alumni Council. Nomination forms are now Twitter and available and due by Jan. 15. Click here to learn more. Check out the new Football Letter Q&A with New Alumni Association CEO Blog The Alumni Association’s new CEO Paul Clifford joins the organization on Jan. 11. Read our Q&A, which includes Clifford’s thoughts on his new role and the importance of connecting with the global Penn State community, PSU 0 3 0 14 ­ 17 here. UGA 3 14 7 0 ­ 24 Follow the Alumni Association on Social Media Stay updated on Alumni Association news and events by following us on CONTENTS Twitter and Facebook. Also follow The Football Letter and The Penn The Letter Statermagazine on Twitter for more information on what’s happening at Notes from the Cuff Penn State. Other Sports Join Penn State on LinkedIn News of Note Looking for more ways to network with Penn State alums? Join the Penn Game Photos State Alumni Association LinkedIn group. If you already have a LinkedIn Statistics profile, the link will take you to our main page, where you can ask to join 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.

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