Volume 79, Issue 7 The Letter Oct. 22, 2016 1 2 3 4 Score Penn State players and fans have been longing for a PSU 0 7 0 17 24 signature win ever since the NCAA sanctions in 2012. OSU 0 12 9 0 21 They finally got it Saturday night in dramatic fashion. Facing a 14­point deficit to No. 2 Ohio State at the start The Letter of the fourth quarter, the unranked Nittany Lions ripped Notes From The Cuff off the game’s longest touchdown drive, then blocked Other Sports two Buckeye kicks to score a field goal and another touchdown and stun the Big Ten leaders, 24–21, before News Of Note a screaming White Out crowd of 107,280 in Beaver Game Photos Stadium and an ABC­TV primetime audience. Statistics It was the first Penn State win over a No. 1 or No. 2 ranked visitor to Beaver Stadium since the Lions beat second­ranked Nebraska, 27–24, in 1982 then went Update Your Info on to their first national championship. The triumph ended Ohio State’s string of 78 victories when entering the fourth quarter leading by 14 or Join/Renew more points. It also stopped the Bucks’ record of consecutive road wins at 20. It was the Nittany Lions’ first win over any ranked team since they upset 14th­ranked Wisconsin in Madison to end the 2013 campaign. FAN ZONE In the waning minutes of our youngest grandson’s first Radio/TV Listings birthday, frenzied fans poured onto the Beaver Stadium Football Schedule grass to dance, sing and celebrate with the players and Team Roster coaches. Thousands filled the field from one end to the GoPSUSports.com other, and the Penn State Alma Mater rang out louder Big Ten Football TV than ever. It took stadium and security personnel a Schedule half­hour to clear the delirious but decorous fans of all Big Ten Standings ages from the field. Big Ten Schedule and It was a night they will always remember. Results “It was absolute mayhem,” tight end Mike Gesicki said, Penn Staters in the Pros “And something every football player dreams of. People For advertising info, were high­fiving and taking pictures. It was a great contact: experience, and we are happy to get the win.” Angelo Scialfa 609­259­1910 Offensive tackle Brendon Mahon said, “Nights like tonight are what you live for and why you come to Penn [email protected] State.” Quarterback Trace McSorley expressed similar sentiments. “This is why you come to a place like Penn State, to play in front of 107,000 people against the top teams in the country and get a big win.” Pointing out to the media that he had coached in major college conferences and the NFL, Lion Head Coach James Franklin said, “I can’t imagine a better environment than what was out there tonight.” “I talked all week long that we weren’t going to beat the No. 2 team in the country by ourselves.” He said it took the lettermen, the fans, the students, the players, the coaches and the community coming together to get the win. “This is for everybody,” he said. “This community has been through so much in the last five years, and this is a big step in the right direction in terms of healing … I’m biased, but I believe that football has the ability to bring a community together like nothing else.” Holding back tears, Franklin said it was also an emotional week for his family, because his niece and nephew had lost their father on Tuesday night. “This is emotional on a lot of different levels—emotional for this community, and for our players, and for my family,” he concluded with his young daughter, Shola, by his side. Asked what a win like this could do for him and his team, Franklin said, “I don’t really want to think about the big picture right now. I just want to soak this all in. I just want to enjoy tonight.” He told his team to enjoy tonight but make good choices. “Before you leave this locker room (understand) that nights liked this don’t happen often, so savor it … Enjoy each other, because there’s nothing outside this locker room that is better than what we’ve got going on (in here) right now.” By handing Urban Meyer his first road loss ever as the Ohio State headmaster, Penn State raised its 2016 record to 5–2 (3–1 in the Big Ten) and made its first appearance in the Associated Press Top 25 rankings since 2011, being voted No. 24. The young Lions also signaled their ability to compete with any of the remaining five Big Ten teams on their schedule and possibly post the best season record since the Joe Paterno era. The upset of the Buckeyes will certainly be a confidence and momentum builder for the Lions—the second youngest team among the 128 playing in the FBS. Penn State became the first team to stop the talented Buckeyes in any quarter of a 2016 contest. And the Lions did it in both the first and last quarters. While Penn State’s offense nearly doubled the 12.8 points being allowed by Ohio State per game, it was the Lion defense that really won the game, shutting out the visitors in two quarters and holding them 28.3 points below their scoring average of 49.3 per game. Former starting linebackers Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell returned for the first time since early season injuries and combined for 31 tackles, including two Previous Issues quarterback sacks for 15 yards in losses. Bell, who missed the last four games, led the Lion defenders with 19 tackles. Cabinda, who was sidelined since the season opener against Kent State, got 12. He was followed by new starter Manny Bowen with 11 stops and defensive end Garrett Sickles with nine, including 3.5 for 15 yards in losses—even though he played only in the second half. The Lions’ special teams also made major contributions, limiting the speedy Buckeye kickoff returners to just a 16­yard average on five returns and their punt returner to minus four yards on two returns. Penn State returners, meanwhile, averaged 22.2 yards on four kickoff returns and three yards on five punt returns. Lion freshman punter Blake Gillikin dropped three boots inside the visitors’ 20­yard line and forced two fair catches. True freshman Cam Brown got the Lions’ first punt block of the season, setting up a field goal in the fourth quarter. And Marcus Allen blocked the Bucks’ late field goal attempt, which Grant Haley picked up and carried 60 yards down the sidelines for the game­winning touchdown. It was Haley’s first career scoop­ and­score. Ohio State dropped four spots to No. 6 in the polls but could still reach the FBS Championship Playoffs by winning out, including the East Division title and the Big Ten Championship. The Buckeyes actually won every significant statistic Saturday except the final score. They outrushed the Lions, 168 yards to 122, outpassed them, 245 yards to 154, outgaining them in total offense 413–276. Ohio State had 19 first downs to Penn State’s 13 and converted nine of 22 third downs to two of 13 by the Lions. They also had a 37:19 to 22:41 margin in time of possession. However, the Bucks were flagged for eight penalties, costing them 45 yards, while the Lions had only one miscue for five yards. Penn State sacked QB J.T. Barrett six times for 38 yards in losses. The Buckeyes got to McSorley only once for one yard. And the home team scored two touchdowns and a field goal on their four trips into the visitors’ Red Zone, while Ohio State could manage only two field goals on its two trips inside the Lions’ 20­yard line. One could easily miss the importance of Gillikin’s recovery of a high snap over his head into the end zone in the third quarter, costing the Lions two points on the safety. If a diving Buckeye had made the recovery, it would have been a touchdown and the point difference ultimately would have given Ohio State the victory. Buckeye coach Meyer told reporters, “Any good team controls the line of scrimmage.” He added, “I felt like their D­line was controlling the line of scrimmage.” Penn State’s defensive line Saturday included various combinations of senior Evan Schwan, juniors Parker Cothren, Curtis Cothran, Garrett Sickels and Tyrell Chavis, sophomores Torrence Brown and Antoine White and freshmen Kevin Givens, Robert Windsor, Ryan Buchholz and Shareef Miller. At one point, Coach Franklin said, there were all freshmen in the D­line. In the game, defensive linemen made 29 tackles, including seven for losses of 29 yards. Linebackers made 45 tackles and defensive backs made 19. After 10 days of beautiful warm sunny weather, dressed up by the peak of autumn foliage in Central Pennsylvania, a heavy rainstorm passed through Thursday night, bringing massive deluges in some areas. Friday and Saturday morning saw scattered showers plus a significant drop in temperatures. But tailgaters were able to enjoy their parties Saturday afternoon, before intermittent showers started again just before the 8 p.m. kickoff. Massive fireworks heralded the entrance of the Nittany Lions, who immediately showed their aggressive plan by electing to receive when they won the coin toss, where their honorary captain was former star quarterback Michael Robinson.