Penn State category, Page 15
Ace Baldwin leads Penn State men past Penn as Mike Rhoades records 400th career winVideo
UNIVERSITY PARK — Ace Baldwin Jr. had 23 points and 10 assists to help Penn State to an 86-66 win over Penn on Sunday to remain unbeaten at home to start the season. The Nittany Lions (11-2) closed their nonconference schedule and return to Big Ten Conference play Thursday when...
Penn State’s James Franklin says Nick Saban should be college football’s commissionerVideo
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Penn State coach James Franklin believes college football needs a commissioner, and he even has a candidate in mind: former Alabama coach Nick Saban. “I think he’s the obvious choice, right?” Franklin said. Franklin — who joked that Saban wouldn’t be thrilled with his comment — made...
Penn State’s polarizing QB Drew Allar puts critics on mute, keeps winning games
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Even when Penn State quarterback Drew Allar gets some praise, it’s usually a backhanded compliment. They say he’s a good game manager and stays within himself, or that he doesn’t try to do too much. They mention he might not be flashy, but he gives the team...
‘He wants to be the guy’: Jaylen Reed an indispensable part of Penn State’s defense
Jaylen Reed, before making one of the biggest plays of Penn State’s season, received a few words of encouragement from a former mentor. Reed, a safety, spoke to former Penn State star Ji’Ayir Brown on the USC sidelines. The Nittany Lions and Trojans were tied 30-30 in the closing moments...
Boise State’s legacy includes winning coaches and championship moments
Former Boise State coach Chris Petersen still gets asked about the Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma on the first day of 2007. That game had everything. Underdog Boise State took a 28-10 lead over one of college football’s blue bloods that was followed by a 25-point Sooners run capped by...
Boise State star Ashton Jeanty preps to face vaunted Penn State defense
There’s been a lot of talk around the challenge Penn State will face in trying to stop Ashton Jeanty in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Jeanty, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, is the best running back in college football and Boise State’s offensive engine. But the flipside to the Jeanty storyline...
Behind improved offensive line, Penn State running game peaking at right time
Andy Kotelnicki made clear Thursday afternoon that Penn State will lean on one position group to continue marching through the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions’ offensive coordinator shined a light on the offensive line Thursday, specifically for the consistency and physicality it has shown of late. Against SMU, the...
Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s creativity has team humming in CFPVideo
Andy Kotelnicki likes to tinker. It’s just kind of his way. The Penn State first-year offensive coordinator is wary of growing stagnant. No matter how deep into the season it gets, there’s always time for a new wrinkle, a new play, anything to give an upcoming opponent a little something...
As CFP run continues, Penn State hopes to get passing game on track
UNIVERSITY PARK — Few bettors would have lined up for the proposition of Penn State marching to a lopsided victory in the College Football Playoff with under 150 passing yards and zero touchdowns through the air. Yet, while quarterback Drew Allar was limited to 127 passing yards and did not...
Despite shaky debut vs. SMU, Penn State freshman QB Ethan Grunkemeyer ‘handled it well’
STATE COLLEGE — Penn State’s 38-10 blowout of SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff was valuable for plenty of reasons, but one that may be overlooked is the fact that freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer made his collegiate debut as Drew Allar’s newly minted backup. Grunkemeyer, assuming...
James Franklin praises Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty ahead of Penn State’s CFP game
Penn State will reach the College Football Playoff semifinals if it beats Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve. But in order to do that, the Nittany Lions will have to stop — or at least limit — arguably the best player in college football: Ashton Jeanty....
Tim Benz: Lots to complain about with new College Football Playoff, but let’s pick the right things
There’s plenty to complain about following the first round of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. But let’s be sure we are complaining about the right things. One of those things is not that Alabama “deserved” to be in the CFP instead of Indiana or Southern Methodist. Alabama lost three...
Former Penn State QB Beau Pribula commits to Missouri via the transfer portal
Former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula has found his new school. Pribula, Penn State’s backup quarterback who entered the transfer portal ahead of the College Football Playoff, has committed to Missouri, according to a report from on3. Pribula also took visits to Iowa, UCF and Ole Miss and called off...
Penn State beats Louisville to make Katie Schumacher-Cawley 1st female coach to win volleyball titleVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Katie Schumacher-Cawley took in her milestone moment with a big smile, hugging confetti-covered players and supporters before hoisting the championship trophy that sets her apart from other volleyball coaches. Other than one focus lapse, the Nittany Lions made sure she would get it. Jess Mruzik had 29...
‘This is a grind’: Penn State celebrates 1st CFP win, preps for new workload, opponent
UNIVERSITY PARK — Before this season, all previous iterations of coach James Franklin’s Penn State football program failed to reach the promised land of the College Football Playoff. A good chunk of the past decade saw the Nittany Lions stymied by the former four-team CFP field when a national title...
History looms in NCAA volleyball championship with female coaches poised as first to win a title
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Players and coaches who will make history at the NCAA volleyball championship still find it hard to believe a female coach hasn’t already won a title. After all, a female coach has influenced almost every stage of their volleyball lives. It was assumed a woman had already...
Konan Niederhauser scores 18, Ace Baldwin adds 15 in Penn State win
PHILADELPHIA — Yanic Konan Niederhauser scored 18 points, Ace Baldwin Jr. had 15 points and six assists and Penn State defeated Drexel, 75-64, on Saturday at Wells Fargo Center. Penn State led 51-38 with 15 minutes left in regulation before Drexel went on an extended rally to get within 58-56...
Penn State pummels SMU in 1st round of CFP, using pick-6s to reach quarters
UNIVERSITY PARK — For as much as James Franklin likely subscribes to the coach-talk cliche of disregarding outside noise, he had to be aware of the major reputational implications Saturday’s College Football Playoff game held for him and his Nittany Lions program. Finally, Penn State was in the CFP, but...
Penn State eyes breakthrough, SMU eyes validation in College Football Playoff openerVideo
This is not about validation exactly. Still, it kind of is. For SMU and Penn State both. And each side knows it. When the 11th-seeded Mustangs (11-2) walk into wintry Beaver Stadium on Saturday to meet the sixth-seeded Nittany Lions (11-2) in the first round of the expanded College Football...
Tim Benz: For the College Football Playoff, let’s hope the games overcome the planning
The 12-team College Football Playoff begins Friday. I’d like to be more excited about it than I am. That’s probably because three of the first-round CFP contests are occurring on a Pittsburgh Steelers’ game day. The lone game I’ll definitely get to watch is the Friday night opener between No....
Penn State roars back after dropping 1st 2 sets, beats Nebraska in volleyball Final Four
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jess Mruzik had 26 kills, Caroline Jurevicius had 20 and Penn State rallied from an 0-2 semifinal hole for a five-set victory over Nebraska early Friday to reach the NCAA championship. Penn State will face host Louisville, which eliminated No. 1 overall seed Pitt 3-1 in the...
Penn State hotel prices soar ahead of home playoff game
The Penn State Nittany Lions take the field Saturday for the team’s first-ever playoff home game, and hotel prices are surging in the State College area. The Nittany Lions will play the Southern Methodist University Mustangs, a team that’s used to playing under sunny skies in Texas. Weather forecasts for...
SMU coach Rhett Lashlee downplays Penn State’s cold-weather competitive advantageVideo
Under normal circumstances, the current weather in University Park, Texas, seems quite favorable for conducting football practice or any sort of strenuous activity. But as the SMU Mustangs have been enjoying sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s this week, an awareness exists that conditions are about to change drastically...
Penn State DE Abdul Carter believes he’s the ‘best player’ in college football
Abdul Carter was a finalist for three national awards: the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Chuck Bednarik Award — each given to the best defensive player in college football — and the Lombardi Award, presented annually to the top lineman in college football. Carter, Penn State’s star edge rusher, didn’t...
Penn State volleyball coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley hopes her Final 4 experience can help guide her team
It’s a long way from Hawaii to Louisville, Ky., but Katie Schumacher-Cawley has enjoyed every mile of the journey. Schumacher-Cawley, Penn State’s women’s volleyball coach, knows all about what she calls the external “chaos” of the NCAA Tournament Final Four. She was there in Hawaii in 1999 when — as...
