Penn State Football: Best of the 2000's

With Penn State heading to their 46^th bowl appearance, there have been some great teams to play in a bowl game; the 1994 team that beat Oregon in the Rose Bowl on their way to an undefeated 12-0 record, the 2005 Nittany Lions that played in one of the most memorable BCS games in history defeating Florida State in three overtimes. There have been plenty of great Penn State teams throughout the years, but since I can’t recall all the teams, I’ll focus on the 2000’s. Here’s the list.

5.

2002 (9-4, lost to Auburn in Capital One Bowl): The 2002 Penn State team was led by a Heisman Trophy finalist in running back Larry Johnson, and a lefty gunslinger at quarterback in Zack Mills. The team ended up 9-4 after losing to Auburn in the Capital One Bowl but you watched the team play because of the guy carrying the ball. Johnson would end the season with a Penn State record 2,087 yards, including 327 against Indiana. A defensive line anchored by Michael Haynes and Jimmy Kennedy led the way for the Nittany Lions, Haynes would rack up a Penn State record 15.0 sacks along with 23.0 tackles for loss while being selected Second team All-American. In the 2003 NFL Draft the Nittany Lions had four players selected in Jimmy Kenney (12), Michael Haynes (14), Bryant Johnson (17), Larry Johnson (27).

4. 2012 (8-4, not bowl eligible): This team was different, that’s the best word to describe the 2012 team. It was the first season under the sanctions the NCAA had handed down. Many feel this team could have competed for Big Ten Championships if Bill O’Brien would have been at the helm for the tenure of the team. Matt McGloin was a star under O’Brien’s pro-style offense throwing for a Penn State record 3,271 yards, 24 touchdowns to 5 interceptions. On the receiving end of 1,018 of those 3,271 yards and 11 of the 24 touchdowns was Allen Robinson who had his breakout season under Bill O’Brien. Senior’s Jordan Hill and linebacker Michael Mauti led the way for the defense. It was an emotional end to the season for the team; in the second to last game of the season Mauti tore his ACL and was lost for the year. In the final game of the season against Wisconsin, on Senior Day, the team wore ‘42’ on their helmets. Hill pulled out his best game as a Nittany Lion on Senior Day piling up 12 total tackles, 3.0 sacks, and 2.0 tackles for loss in the team’s 24-21 win.

3. 2009 (11-2, beat LSU in Capital One Bowl): In his final season as Penn State’s quarterback Daryll Clark threw for 3,003 yards, 24 touchdowns, was Co-MVP of the Big Ten, and led his team to a New Year’s Day bowl victory. Coming off a Big Ten Championship season, the Nittany Lions lost a majority of their offense in the receiving trio of Derrick Williams, Jordan Norwood, and Deon Butler. Replacing them was Derrick Moye, Graham Zug, and tight end Andrew Quarless. A defense that finished 9^th in the country in total defense was led two future NFL All-Pro’s in linebackers Navorro Bowman and Sean Lee, both would be named First team All-Big Ten and Second team All-Big Ten respectively.

2. 2008 (11-2 Co-Big Ten Champs, lost to USC in Rose Bowl): In the first season under the ‘Spread-HD offense, and the first season with quarterback Daryll Clark under center, the offense flourished gaining nearly 450 yards of total offense per game. Clark ran for 10 touchdowns and threw for 19 more. Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood led the receiving core as they had since 2005 combining for 1,932 yards and 17 touchdowns. On the other side of the ball was a defense t^th nationally. It was one of the more complete teams in Penn State’s long history and was certainly one of the more exciting teams both offensively and defensively.

hat was stout all season under Tom Bradley. Sophomore sensation Aaron Maybin was an animal coming off the edge, compiling 12.0 sacks and 20.0 tackles for loss. Bradley’s defense held its opponents to 280 yards a game, which ranked them 8

1. 2005 (11-1 Big Ten Champs, beat Florida State in Orange Bowl): Where to begin with this team, simply put this was the team of the 2000’s for Penn State. It was the team that turned things around for the Blue & White and it all started when Derrick Williams announced his commitment to Joe Paterno. On offense Michael Robinson, who played seemingly every position on offense and special teams before finally landing at the teams starting quarterback was the leader on offense. Behind him was a bruising running back in Tony Hunt. Up front was the big fella outside Levi Brown. Catching passes from Robinson was perhaps the best group of receivers Joe Paterno ever had, along with Derrick Williams was Deon Butler a

nd State College native Jordan Norwood. On defense there were very few players in college football during the 2000’s that were more recognizable than linebacker Paul Posluszny. Poz embodied what it meant to be a linebacker at Penn State; he was a consensus two-time All-American, a two-time Chuck Bednarik Award winner, and a Butkus Award winner along with being named First team Academic All-American twice. Oh, I forgot about Tamba Hali. Also named an All-American in 2005, Hali had 11.0 sacks and 17.0 tackles for loss including an astonishing 4.0 sack and 5.0 tackles for loss game against Wisconsin. The season culminated in South Florida in what would be one of the greatest games in the BCS era for many reasons. Penn State got the better of Florida State in triple overtime to cap off an 11-1 season.

Concussions: The Struggle Is Real

The hardest part of my day is waking up because when I wake it feels like there is a box of goddamn firework’s going off next to my head. Throughout the day there are moments when I have to stop what I’m doing, close my eyes, and wait for the jolt of pain to stop going through my head. I’ve had migraines so bad I’ve been brought to tears. I haven’t had a day without a headache in 5 years. I didn’t play football in college, hell I barely played in high school, but over the course of ten years I took some shots to head. I’ve been tested for CTE, which is what killed Frank Gifford recently among many other former NFL players, but show no signs of it. Knowing the answer to this questions I asked it anyway, I asked my neurologist if my headaches would ever go away, he shook his head and said no.  I came away from that appointment knowing what I already knew and what I had already come to grips with, my brain is permanently damaged and it’s what I have to live with. I take responsibility for the lack of care I showed my brain over the years by not telling someone I had a headache or by not seeing a doctor when I should have, but I’m fine with it. That’s what I deal with.

I’ve had this discussion with many, many people over the years and it’s something I will continue to think about and ask myself until the day this question becomes reality, will I let my child play football? The answer is no, and I’ve been emphatic about that answer. Would I love to see my son or daughter play football? Absolutely. Outside of my family football is my biggest passion in life and has played a significant role since day one and it always will, but as someone who knows what concussions can do to your everyday life the guilt I would feel if my child went down the same path would be unimaginable.

It shouldn’t take the production of a movie or the death of a player for us to dive into the problems that are concussions. Yet here we are, day in and day out talking about NFL players going through “concussion protocol” before they’re cleared to come back to play. Most of the time it’s about a week or two before a player is “cleared” to play again, and trust me when I say this, that’s not nearly long enough.

I had my first concussion in 4^th grade when I played for Our Lady of Victory (shout out to my OLV people), and when I was done with high school I had racked up double-digit concussions. It wasn’t until I got deep into high school football where they started to become a problem for me. My parents didn’t know then what parents know now about concussions, and that’s not their fault. We weren’t educated on them, no one really was and they still aren’t.

Much like every other kid who played football I dreamed about playing in the NFL, clearly that wasn’t in the cards, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love the game just as much as someone who plays it. I do, however, know someone who plays the game at the highest level and as much as I love to watch him play it sometimes scares the hell out of me. Is that an overreaction? Probably, but that’s just me.

I hear it all the time when people are talking about concussions, they argue that you should allow your child to play football, or any contact sport, and if they happen to get a concussion to take them out of the sport. I refuse to listen to those people. I refuse to listen because it only takes one.

I love football, a lot, but I’m going to love my child that much more.

Remain Calm, It Won't Last Forever

I’m going to remain positive after Penn State’s 28-16 loss to Michigan on Saturday. If you’re not one of those people, one of those optimistic people like myself, this probably isn’t what you’ll want to read.

When the sanctions were handed down and they mentioned the loss of scholarships, anyone who knows football knew that those were the most devastating out of all the sanctions. People who don’t know football fail to realize what the impact of those lost scholarships meant; it meant that we couldn’t bring in full recruiting classes, which meant we couldn’t recruit the players that we needed to fill spots left vacant by players who transferred, graduated, or left early. Which, at the end of the day, meant we had to play guys in positions they had never played before or play guys that weren’t ready for the college game. If you can’t do the math that adds up to playing freshman and sophomores against juniors and seniors, and in the Big Ten Conference, that’s less than ideal.

When Bill O’Brien took the job at Penn State in January of 2012 not too many people knew who O’Brien was, they just knew he had a blowup on the sidelines with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady when OB was with the Patriots. A month after he stood at the podium and was named Penn State’s 15^th head coach, he got perhaps the biggest commitment in Penn State history aside from Derrick Williams in 2005, quarterback Christian Hackenberg. When you watched the tape of Hackenberg in high school you saw why NFL scouts were already drooling over this baby-faced 17-year old, 6 foot 4 quarterback. He could make every throw, he was a big kid, and he was the mold of a Tom Brady-like quarterback, which made him and O’Brien the ideal combination. The dream of having both O’Brien and Hackenberg around for the duration of the quarterback’s college career was just that, a dream. After just two seasons in Happy Valley O’Brien was named the head coach of the Houston Texans, and left the burden of saving a major Divison-1 program who had just been to hell and back on the shoulders of a kid, and he was just that, who already had lofty expectations of a Heisman Trophy and the number one pick in the NFL Draft. The story of Christian Hackenberg after Bill O’Brien left is something Penn State fans should never forget.

James Franklin was named Penn State’s 16^th head coach almost two years after O’Brien. He came from Vanderbilt where he made the Commodores relevant in a powerful SEC Conference. O’Brien still had a core of players who had been around for a while, and who were comfortable playing together, Franklin did not. Getting Penn State to where it used to be and to where it belongs is a major project and to say James Franklin doesn’t know that is absurd. To also say that the sanctions cannot be used as a crutch anymore is also absurd; from day one everyone knew this was going to take 4-5 years for whoever was coaching to fully get what they needed. This is year 2 of 5. It’s going to take time for James Franklin to get his team in and get his players in and establish his program.

College football fans are some of the most impatient fan bases in all of sports and Penn State fans are no different. I’ve learned over the years that patience is a virtue and that if you trust in the system good things do happen. I’ll take you back to 2005 real quick; Penn State had won 7 games the previous two seasons in 2003 and 2004, they even lost to Iowa 6-4 in State College. The only thing on the mind of fans was that Joe Paterno had to go, he was too old and had to get out of his own way before he drove the program into ground. That was until an 18-year old kid by the name of Derrick Williams got a visit from Paterno and made a promise to him that he could change the face of Penn State football if he gave his commitment, Williams pledged to Paterno and at the end of the 2005 season the Nittany Lions were 11-1 and had beaten Florida State in one of the most iconic college football games of the 2000’s.

James Franklin isn’t going anywhere anytime soon; as upsetting as that might be to some fans, the University has invested everything they have into the 43-year old coach. This is a process that fans need to trust. It’s going to be hard to watch at times, like it was Saturday against Michigan, but that is part of the process. In three years when James Franklin is holding up the Big Ten Championship trophy in Indianapolis, I’ll be the first to say, “I told you so”.

Michigan Preview

There are plenty of storylines heading into the final game at Beaver Stadium for the 2015 season. The Nittany Lions are 7-3 heading into their matchup against Michigan but have had some questions throughout the season. Here are just a few of those questions.

Is this the last game for quarterback Christian Hackenberg? This has been the biggest question mark for Penn State over the last two seasons. People have had their opinions of the junior quarterback due to the LOFTY expectations he had coming out of high school. Hackenberg committed to Bill O’Brien and Penn State in February of 2012, about a month after O’Brien was named head coach and almost a year before he’d sign his National Letter of Intent. Many believed that the 6 foot 4, pro-style quarterback would transfer after the NCAA handed down the infamous sanctions in wake of the Jerry Sandusky Scandal. He didn’t. He has stuck around longer than many believed he would. Most quarterbacks of his caliber who sign to a program are asked to put up huge numbers, win games, and ultimately win championships. Hackenberg on the other hand was asked to essentially save a program along with O’Brien, and when O’Brien left for the NFL, it was on Hack’s shoulders. He hasn’t had the numbers many hoped he’d have, Penn State hasn’t won any championships, but for what he has done for Penn State as a whole, that’s something most quarterbacks have never done. If it is indeed his last game at Beaver Stadium we should all stand, wherever you are, and applaud when he walks off the field at the end of the game because we all owe him a collective, “thank you”.

What can we expect from the offense after a bye week? It’s no secret that Penn State’s offense has struggled this season. There hasn’t been a game where they’ve put it all together for 60 minutes and if there was ever a game where they needed that, it’s Saturday against a stingy Michigan defense. Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines rank second in the country in total defense and are allowing just 100 yards a game on the ground. If Penn State wants to have any shot at pulling the upset of the #12 ranked Wolverines, they’re going to have to establish a running game. Indiana last week ran up 307 yards on the defense, 238 of those yards coming from Jordan Howard. Running back Saquon Barkley has had a week off to get as close to 100% as he can and will hear his name called plenty of times if Penn State is going to get the win. IF, and that’s a big IF, Barkley can get going that should open up some sort of passing game.

Which defense will show up? I mentioned Michigan having the 2^nd ranked defense in the country; Penn State isn’t far behind at number 13, but they’ve had games where they struggle against both the pass and the run. Three weeks ago against Illinois the Nittany Lions allowed just 167 yards in a 39-0 victory. The following week they gave up 227 yards on the ground, 396 overall to Northwestern in a 23-21 loss. It’s a defense that leads the nation in sacks (42), second in tackles for loss (93), and tied for first in forced fumbles (17). They also have arguably one of the best defensive players in the country in Carl Nassib who leads the nation in both sacks and tackles for loss. In his final home game at Penn State, Nassib will be called upon along with the rest of the defense to bring the heat on Michigan’s offense.

Fans who are in attendance don’t have to worry about watching Christian Hackenberg for the final time at Beaver Stadium. He’ll be back. At the end of the day, Penn State comes away with the win over the maize and blue. Saquon Barkley hits the 200-yard mark for the first time in his Penn State career and Carl Nassib adds to his sack and total for loss total. The good guys win, 24-20.

Illinois Recap: Finally A Turning Point?

It’s not secret that Penn State has struggled on offense over the last couple of seasons. It’s also not a secret that fans are testy and voice their opinion quite often after games. Last Saturday against Illinois might have been the most complete game and the most comfortable Penn State has looked since they played Wisconsin at the end of the 2013 season, pre-James Franklin era. The Nittany Lions weren’t heavy favorites against the Illini, the spread was only 8.5, but the final score would suggest otherwise. A 39-0 beatdown in Beaver Stadium gave the team, most importantly the offense, a huge momentum boost heading in their clash this Saturday in Evanston against 21^st ranked Northwestern.

Running back Saquon Barkley has missed two
game but still has rushed for 716 yards. 

If you actually watched the game Saturday you noticed that quarterback Christian Hackenberg looked more comfortable in the pocket than he has in any game the past two seasons. He moved around and was able extended plays, which for the most part this season he’s been hesitant to do for obvious reasons. He completed 21 of 29 passes for 266 yards and 2 touchdowns. He even caught a touchdown pass from running back Nick Scott. The running game was also clicking; Saquon Barkley carried the ball 20 times for 80 yards and included this impressive touchdown. It was an all-around performance for the offense and if they continue to produce like they did and play with the confidence they’re playing with, a 10-win season could be on the horizon. Oh, Hackenberg hasn’t thrown and interception since September 19^th.

The defense held Illinois to just 167 yards including just 37 on the ground. They had their first shutout since 2013 and recording their sixth game with 4 sacks. Carl Nassib added to his nation-leading sack total with one more against Illinois bringing his season total to 13.5. You rarely have to worry about Penn State’s defense but they had given up 69 points the two previous games, so the 39-0 score probably felt pretty good.

Every game is a ‘big game’ and James Franklin is only concerned about going 1-0 each week, but this week against Northwestern is the most important game yet. The Nittany Lions received votes in the top 25 polls and the team looks to be in those top 25 polls for the first time since 2011 if they can get by Pat Fitzgerald’s Wildcats. A win will also keep alive the hopes of a good bowl game.