Penn State-Akron Game NotesPenn State-Akron Game Notes

Penn State-Akron Game Notes

PENN STATE VS. AKRON


Saturday, Sept. 6 - Noon ET
Beaver Stadium | University Park, Pa.
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Game Notes: Penn State | Akron
Statistics: Penn State | Akron


INSIDE THE NUMBERS
PSU
UA
26.0Scoring*41.0
24.01st Downs*24.0
57.0Rushing*113.0
454.0Passing*400.0
511.0Total Offense*513.0
1/1Fumbles/Lost1/0
9/90Penalties/Yards7/70
1/41.0Punts/Avg,4/180
56%3rd Down %42%
50%4th Down %0%
2Sacks4
0Interceptions0
5-5Red Zone3-5
34:07Time of Possession26:35


* - Per Game Statistics


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After winning the first international contest in the program's 128-year history, Penn State will return stateside for head coach James Franklin's Beaver Stadium debut vs. Akron on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Noon. The game will be an ABC regional telecast and will be seen on ESPN2 in the rest of the nation outside of the ABC coverage area.

It will be Community Hero Day and the reunion of the undefeated 1994 Nittany Lions.

This will be the fourth meeting between the Nittany Lions and Zips on the gridiron, with Penn State looking to remain unbeaten. The first meeting came in 1999, with subsequent meetings coming in 2004, 2006 and 2009, all at Beaver Stadium. The 1999 contest remains the highest scoring game in Beaver Stadium history at 94 combined points (70-24).

Sam Ficken's 36-yard field goal as time expired capped off a thrilling 26-24 season opening win over UCF at Croke Park Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. The senior converted all four of his field goal attempts and both extra point opportunities to earn his third career Big Ten Specialist of the Week honors. He ranks fourth overall and first among kickers in scoring in the Big Ten conference.

Sophomore Christian Hackenberg and redshirt-freshman DaeSean Hamilton both had record setting days in Ireland. Hackenberg set the school record for all-purpose (456) and passing yardage (454) in a single game and completed a career-high 32 passes, which rank third in Penn State history. Hamilton earned Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week after breaking a pair of freshman receiving records. He hauled in 11 passes for 165 yards to eclipse both school freshman standards.

Kyle Pohl helped lead Akron to a 41-0 blanking of Howard in their season opener last weekend, throwing for 304 yards on 22 of 35 passing with four touchdown passes. He found Mykel Traylor-Bennett on a pair of scoring strikes and also hooked up with L.T. Smith and Imani Davis for scoring strikes. Traylor-Bennett led all pass catchers with 89 yards and Smith made a game-high five catches.

The defense piled up 10.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks, led by C.J. Mizell's 10 stops and Se'Von Pittman's 2.0 TFLs. They limited Howard to 216 yards of total offense and just 15 first downs in the game.

Akron Head Coach Terry Bowden
Terry Bowden is in his third season at the helm of the Akron program and his 21st season overall as a collegiate head coach, owning a record of 7-18 in Akron and 147-80-2 overall.

Last season, Bowden led UA to its highest win total since 2008 by going 5-7, ending the year by winning three-straight and four of its last five games. Seven players were named All-Mid-American Conference in 2013, highlighted by first-team selection sophomore LB Jatavis Brown - the first Zip named to the first team since Bryan Wagner in 2011.

In his time at North Alabama, Bowden led the Lions to a 29-9 record and three-consecutive playoff appearances. He was named Gulf South Conference Co-Coach of the Year in 2009 when the team went 11-2 and won the GSC championship and advanced to the quarterfinals of the playoffs.

As head coach of Auburn, he went 47-17-1 and posted the best opening, five-year run of any head football coach in school history. He became the first collegiate coach in 50 years to win his 100th career game by his 40th birthday and became the first coach in Division I-A (now FBS) history to have an undefeated and untied season in his inaugural year at that level.

Bowden coached the Tigers against Penn State in the 1996 Outback Bowl, a game win by PSU, 43-14.
Prior to his stint at Auburn, Bowden built two programs from the ground up as head coach at Salem College (W.Va.) and Samford University (Ala.). When he took the job at Salem in 1983 he became the nation's youngest head coach in college football at age 26.

Bowden also served 10 years as a studio analyst with ABC Sports' college football and covered a game at Beaver Stadium during the 1999 season.

Scouting the Zips
Akron was impressive on both sides of the ball in their season-opening 41-0 victory over Howard. The Zips accumulated 513 yards of total offense and limited the Bison to just 216 yards.

The Zips raced out to a 21-0 first quarter lead on Howard behind three touchdown passes from junior quarterback Kyle Pohl. Jawon Chisholm rushed for a six-yard TD in the third quarter and Mykel Traylor-Bennett caught his second touchdown pass of the game to cap the third quarter scoring. Tommy Woodson and Austin Wolf connected on a 40-yard, fourth quarter touchdown to cap the scoring.

Pohl led the team in rushing and passing, running for 48 yards on seven carries and throwing for 304 yards on 22-of-35 passing. He ended the day with four scoring strikes and no interceptions.

Traylor-Bennett caught four passes for 89 yards and two scores, while L.T. Smith made five grabs for 74 yards and a score. Imani Davis and Wolf were the recipients of the other two passing scores.

The defensive unit piled up 10.0 tackles-for-loss and 4.0 sacks in the game. They allowed Howard to reach Akron territory on just four of 14 drives and the Bison moved inside the UA 30 yard line only once.

C.J. Mizell led the defense with 10 tackles and a fumble recovery, while Se'Von Pittman had six stops and 2.0 TFL. In the secondary, Akron broke up seven passes, led by Justin March's two.

Lions Continue to Honor Players with Jersey Names in 2014
In 2012, the Penn State coaching staff felt that something needed to be done to honor those student-athletes who kept their promise to play for Penn State after the NCAA handed down sanctions on the program.

The plan; to place the name of each player on the back of their uniform. It was something that had never been done in the 126-year history of the program, but was symbolic.

You stuck with us, so we're sticking your name on your uniform and the last two seasons have been no different, as head coach James Franklin and his staff decided to keep the names on the historically elegant uniforms in 2014.

Last Meeting
Penn State's defense allowed only 186 yards of total offense and surrendered just eight first downs - none in the first half - in a 31-7 victory over Akron to open the 2009 campaign.

Darryl Clark set career-highs with 353 yards passing going 29 of 40. He threw three touchdown passes and his 29 completions were tied for No. 2 in school annals (Zack Mills vs. Purdue, 2004) and his 254 first half passing yards set the school record for first half passing.

Derek Moye came up with six receptions for 138 yards and one touchdown, making four catches of 20 yards or more, including a leaping 42-yard effort to get the Lions deep into Akron territory. Chaz Powell also hade eight catches for 65 yards, including an eight-yard TD grab in the first quarter.

The offense ended the day with 25 first downs and 515 total yards, including 379 passing yards.

Nate Stupar racked up a 12 tackles (eight solo), with a sack. In his first game since the 2007 Alamo Bowl, Sean Lee made seven stops, with two for minus-yardage. Ollie Ogbu made a career-best six hits, including 2.5 TFL, and Jared Odrick made four tackles, including two TFL for minus-seven yards.

Penn State recorded 13 tackles for loss, including four sacks, and sophomore safety Andrew Dailey grabbed an interception.

Penn State-Akron Connections

  • Penn State sophomore RB Cole Chiappialle and Akron freshman QB Chandler Kincade shared a backfield while at Blackhawk High School.
  • Penn State assistant coach Terry Smith coached Akron QB Tommy Woodson while at Gateway Senior High School in Monroeville, Pa.
  • Akron football SID Cathy Bongiovi is a 1987 graduate of Penn State and worked at her alma mater from 1997-2001, working with the 2000 women's basketball NCAA Final Four squad.

Versus Ohio Schools
Penn State has a 39-19 on-field record against teams from the state of Ohio. The Nittany Lions have played Ohio State more than any other Ohio school (29 games), with the two border rivals meeting every year since Penn State began Big Ten play in 1993.

Penn State vs. teams from Ohio: Kent State (4-0), Ohio State (13-16), Akron (4-0), Bowling Green (2-0), Cincinnati (8-1), Oberlin (1-0), Ohio (5-1), Toledo (0-1) and Youngstown State (2-0).

Penn State vs. MAC
Penn State owns a 21-3 on-field mark against the 2014 football alignment of the Mid-American Conference. The Nittany Lions have played nine of the 13 members of the MAC, playing their first MAC opponent, Buffalo, on Nov. 29, 1900. The Lions lost, 10-0, that day on the road.

The Nittany Lions defeated Eastern Michigan, 45-7, and Kent State, 34-0, in 2013. Penn State will face both Akron and UMass from the Mid-American Conference this season.

Ficken, Hamilton Earn Big Ten Player of the Week Accolades vs. UCF
Senior placekicker Sam Ficken and redshirt freshman wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton were honored by the Big Ten Conference for their performances in Penn State's dramatic 26-24 win over UCF last Saturday in Dublin, Ireland.

  • Ficken earned his third career B1G Special Teams Player of the Week honor. He has earned one selection in each of the past three seasons: Syracuse (8/31/13) & Wisconsin11/24/12).
  • Ficken connected on all four of his field goal attempts in the Croke Park Classic to set a career-high, including the game-winner as time expired.
  • The UCF contest was the first four-field goal game of Ficken's career - he had made three field goals on four other occasions - and were the most field goals by a Penn State kicker since 2010 when Collin Wagner knocked through five attempts against Temple.
  • Ficken leads the Big Ten in kick scoring (4th overall) and in field goals made (4.0 avg.). The former Valparaiso High School standout also is tied for second nationally in field goals made.
  • Ficken is 11th in Penn State history with 34 career field goals, just one shy of Chris Bahr.
  • In his first game playing for Coach James Franklin's Nittany Lions, Hamilton was named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week. He shares the honor with J.T. Barrett of Ohio State.
  • After missing 2013 with an injury, Hamilton broke two Penn State freshman receiving records with 11 catches for 165 yards against UCF. He eclipsed Deon Butler's 125-yard effort vs. Wisconsin in 2005 and Maurice Humphrey's eight catches against Northwestern in 2003.
  • Hamilton became the first Nittany Lion freshman wideout to eclipse the 100-yard mark in a game - doing so in the first half - since Butler and Jordan Norwood both accomplished the feat during the 2005 season.
  • He leads the Big Ten in receptions (11.0) and is third in receiving yardage (165.0 ypg). Hamilton ranks ninth and eighth, respectively, in the nation in receptions and receiving yardage.
  • For the second consecutive year, Penn State grabbed the Big Ten Special Teams and Freshman honors following the opening game. In 2013, it was Ficken and eventual conference Freshman of the Year Christian Hackenberg.

History Made in Historic Croke Park
Penn State football's 128-year history has included two national championships, more than 800 on-field wins and enjoys one of the most passionate fan bases in the country.

  • Penn State's fan base went worldwide last Saturday when an estimated 20,000 blue and white clad fans went across the pond to support the Nittany Lions in their first-ever international game.
  • Inside of the most historic stadiums in the world, Sam Ficken's 36-yard field goal with no time left on the clock capped a thrilling 26-24 triumph at Croke Park Stadium.
  • Ficken lined up a kick from the right hash mark and slipped the 36-yard effort inside the right upright and the celebration was underway on the pitch and in the stands.
  • It was the first international victory for the Nittany Lions and moved their record to 8-3 in neutral site season opening games.
  • Penn State's official season opening record is now 94-20-2.
  • Penn State will be looking to start a season 2-0 for the 74th time in program history.

Nittany Lions From Ohio
WR Luke Vadas (Hunting Valley/University School)
T Chance Sorrell (Middletown/Middletown)

Nittany Lion Sideline Bosses Make Quick Impression
There have only been 16 head coaches in the 128-year history of the Penn State football program, but it hasn't taken each of them long to make a successful impression.

  • Following last week's win over UCF in James Franklin's first game, Penn State first-year head coaches own a record of 11-4-1 in their initial contest as the Nittany Lions' field boss.
  • The coaches who have won their first game at the helm of the Nittany Lions' program include: James Franklin (2014), Joe Paterno (1966), Rip Engle (1950), Bob Higgins (1930), Dick Harlow (1915), Jack Hollenback (1910), Bill Hollenback (1909), Daniel Reed (1903), Pop Golden (1900), Sam Boyle (1899), Dr. Samuel Newton (1896).
  • Hugo Bezdek (1918) played Wissahickon Barracks to a 6-6 tie duing his first season in 1918.
  • Bill O'Brien (2012), Joe Bedenk (1949), Tom Fennell (1904) and George Hoskins (1892) all dropped their first career games before leading their squads to a winning record during their first season.

Hackenberg Becomes First Lion to Throw For 400 Yards
Quarterback Christian Hackenberg, the 2013 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, picked up where he left off to start his sophomore season. After throwing for a career-best 355 yards in Madison to close out last year with a win over the No. 14 Badgers, Hackenberg made history on the storied pitch inside Croke Park last Saturday.

  • In the season opener vs. UCF, Hackenberg added to his already impressive career résumé with a school record 454 passing yards, going 32-of-47 with one touchdown.
  • The 454 yards broke Zack Mills' school record of 399 yards (vs. Iowa, 2002) as he became the first Penn State signal caller to eclipse the 400-yard mark in a game.
  • His 456 yards of total offense broke the school record previously held by Zack Mills (418 yds vs. Ohio State, 2001). He threw for 454 yards and rushed for two yards vs. UCF
  • The 32 completions also were a career-high and rank third on the Penn State single game charts.
  • After UCF took its first lead of the game at 24-23 with 1:13 to play, Hackenberg directed an 8-play, 55-yard drive that lead to Sam Ficken's game-winning 36-yard field goal on final play of game. Hackenberg was 4 of 6 for 47 yards on the drive and ran eight yards for a first down on 4th and 3 to keep the drive alive on the Penn State side of the field.
  • Hackenberg jumped two spots on the career passing yardage chart. He has 3,409 yards and ranks 14th on the Penn State list after just 13 games. His 263 career completions moved him from 14th into the top 10.
  • Hackenberg is second just behind Matt McGloin with five career 300-yard passing games and is eighth with 10 200-plus yard efforts entering his 14th career game.

#FickenForTheWin
Sam Ficken has endured a lot in his career. He's been through a lot during this past spring and training camp with his head coach spraying water at him or blowing an air horn in his face during drills to prepare him for the pressures of a game.

There were no air horns and maybe a slight chance of rain in Dublin last Saturday, but Ficken handled everything thrown his way.

  • The senior placekicker handled all four of his field goal attempts, including the 36-yard game-winner. He slid his final attempt inside the right upright into the open end of Croke Park.
  • It was the second game-ending field goal of Ficken's career, joining his 2012 overtime game winner vs. Wisconsin on Senior Day in Beaver Stadium.
  • For his superlative efforts in the 26-24 win over UCF, Ficken was selected Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week for the third time in his career. He also was named after the 2012 win over Wisconsin and last year's season-opening victory over Syracuse in MetLife Stadium.
  • The UCF contest was the first four field goal game of Ficken's career - he had made three field goals on four other occasions - and were the most field goals by a Penn State kicker since 2010 when Collin Wagner knocked through five attempts against Temple.
  • Ficken sits 11th in Penn State history with 34 career field goals, just one shy of Chris Bahr.
  • Ficken leads the Big Ten in kick scoring (4th overall) and in field goals made (4.0 avg.). He also is tied for second nationally in field goals made.

Hamilton Breaks Out in Win Over UCF
DaeSean Hamilton came to Penn State as a play-making athlete, but an injury forced him to miss his true freshman season in 2013.

He more than made up for the missed time last Saturday inside Croke Park as the redshirt freshman broke two rookie receiving records and played a large role in helping lead Penn State to a thrilling season opening win over UCF.

  • His 11 catches and 165 yards against UCF re-wrote the freshman pass catching standards, moving past Deon Butler's 125-yard effort vs. Wisconsin in 2005 and Maurice Humphrey's eight catches against Northwestern in 2003.
  • For his efforts, Hamilton was named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week.
  • He became the first freshman wideout to eclipse the 100-yard mark in a game - doing so in the first half - since Butler and Jordan Norwood both accomplished the feat during the 2005 season.
  • Hamilton leads the Big Ten in receptions (11.0) and is third in receiving yardage (165.0 ypg). He ranks ninth and eighth, respectively, in the nation in the two categories.
  • Hamilton and Geno Lewis became the eighth pair of teammates to record 100-plus receiving yards in the same game and the first tandem to log 150-plus yards in the same game. The last duo to surpass 100-yards in the same game were Butler and Norwood vs. Michigan State in 2008.

Hull Adding to LBU Tradition
The LinebackerU. mantra wasn't something that was just haphazardly given to Penn State, it was earned by the many successful linebackers that earned All-America distinction or those who went on to NFL success.

From Arrington, Connor and Posluszny to Conlin, Ham and Ontokz, that distinction has been earned and senior Mike Hull is carrying the torch forward in 2014

  • Hull led the team with 11 tackles vs. UCF in the Croke Park Classic, marking the fifth double-digit tackle performance of his career.
  • In his last nine games, Hull has made at least nine tackles on seven occasions, including a career-high 13 vs. Illinois in 2013.
  • Hull made 10-plus stops three times in 2013 and one in 2012. He had 13 stops vs. Illinois and 10 at Indiana and vs. Michigan last season, while making 11 stops vs. Indiana in 2012.
  • Hull currently has 165 career tackles and is just 96 shy of tying Glenn Carson (2010-13) for 10th on the all-time charts at Penn State.

Defense Stifles Knights
Penn State forced a three-and-out on UCF's first possession of the season opener in Dublin, and later in the first quarter stood tall on a first-and-goal from the Penn State four-yard line - including three stops from the one-yard line.

  • The Blue and White limited UCF's offense to just 11 first downs and 246 total yards in their 26-24 victory over the Knights.
  • UCF managed only 24 rushing yards on 29 attempts (0.8 ypc) and the Knights ran just 51 plays in the game.
  • UCF had just 171 yards of offense entering their final drive of game that covered 75 yards and resulted in a touchdown.
  • In the first half, the Nittany Lions limited UCF to just 35 yards and three first downs.
  • As a unit they piled up 7.0 tackles-for-loss, 2.0 sacks, four pass breakups and one fumble recovery.

Ficken Closing in on Record Books
There aren't many people who would have believed that Sam Ficken would be among the top kickers in Penn State history after a five-miss game at Virginia in 2012.

However, entering his senior season Ficken had already set two school records and is approaching rare company on a pair of scoring lists.

  • Ficken opened the 2014 campaign with a career-best four field goals made (4-for-4) vs. UCF in Dublin, Ireland. He had previously made three field goals on four occasions: Nebraska, 2012; Wisconsin, 2012; vs. Syracuse, 2013; Michigan, 2013.
  • Ficken's game winning field goal vs. UCF on Aug. 30 was his second career game ending field goal, joining the overtime game winner against Wisconsin in 2012.
  • One of just 11 Nittany Lions to convert 30 career field goals, Ficken is just one successful tries away from moving into the top-10 on career field goals made. His 34 field goals trail only Chris Bahr's 35 from 1973-75 for 10th on the career list.
  • Ficken is just six points shy of pushing his name into the top-15 in school history in points scored. He has 185 points in his career, making 34 field goals and 81 extra points.
  • Ficken connected on a then-career-long 47-yard field goal in the second quarter against UCF to mark his 15th consecutive successful FG attempt, which is now the school standard. Ficken made his final 10 attempts of 2012 and then connected on his first five field goals in 2013 to break Craig Fayak's previous mark of 13 straight makes in 1992.
  • Ficken again wrote his name into the Penn State record books on Sept. 21 vs. Kent State when he converted a career-best 54-yard field goal. His effort was the longest field goal by a Penn State player in home game history and tied for fifth in the NCAA in 2012.
  • The 54-yard field goal also ranks tied for fourth on the career charts with Herb Menhardt (1979) and trails only three 55-yard conversions by Chris Bahr in 1975. The other four field goals all came on the road.

Penn State Season Openers
The 2014 season will mark the 128th in Penn State history, with the Nittany Lions owning an official record of 94-20-2 in opening games.

  • Penn State played their second straight season opening game away from home when they defeated UCF, 26-24, in Dublin, Ireland. The topped Syracuse, 23-17, at MetLife Stadium in 2013.
  • It was the first time since 1991-92 that the Nittany Lions will play consecutive season openers away from Beaver Stadium.
  • Penn State is 8-3 in neutral site season openers dating back to their first known neutral site season opener in 1941. That was a 7-0 loss to Colegate on Oct. 4 at Civic Stadium in Buffalo, N.Y.
  • Penn State has only lost consecutive season openers twice in school history; 1964-65, 1989-90, 2000-01. They have never lost three consecutive season openers.
  • Penn State's longest streaks of winning their season openers are: 12 (1919-30), 11 (1893-1903), 10 (1973-82), 9 (1909-17), 7 (1942-48).
  • The Nittany Lions went unbeaten from 1909-1930, winning 20 of 21 season openers. They tied Wissahickon Barracks, 6-6, in 1918 and the streak was stopped by Waynesburg, a 7-0 setback, in 1931.

Across The Pond for Season-Opener
Penn State played its first international game since the program's 1887 inception when it opened the season against UCF in the Croke Park Classic on August 30 in Dublin, Ireland.

  • The contest was played at Croke Park, the headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA)in front of 53,304 fans.
  • The Penn State-UCF contest was the eighth American college football game held in Ireland. The last American football game hosted in Croke Park was in 1996 when Notre Dame played Navy.
  • The last game hosted on the Emerald Isle was when the Irish and Middies played in Dublin's Aviva Stadium to open the 2012 season.
  • Penn State was the first Big Ten Conference team to play internationally since Michigan State and Wisconsin met in Tokyo in the 1993 regular-season finale.

First Time Travelers
Although many of the players on the Penn State football team have done their fair share of traveling, the season opener vs. UCF in Dublin, Ireland was the first time that a major portion of the squad traveled outside of North America.

Approximately 85-percent of the players that comprise the Nittany Lions' roster made their first trip outside of North America when the team plane departs for Dublin, Ireland and the Croke Park Classic.

Amos Leads Lions In Career Starts
Senior safety Adrian Amos leads the 2014 squad with 26 career starts, having started every game the past two seasons and the game vs. UCF.

Senior guard Miles Dieffenbach (23), junior tackle Donovan Smith (21), junior defensive end Deion Barnes (19) and junior tight end Jesse James (19) are next on the career starts list entering the season.

Zwinak in Rare Air Among Lion Rushers
Senior running back Zach Zwinak won't blow you away with his 40 time, but he will bowl you over on his way to another first down or one of his 19 career touchdowns.

After making just three runs during his freshman season, Zwinak has been a workhorse for the Nittany Lions over the past two seasons and is closing in on some significant milestones.

  • Zwinak became the 18th player in school history to eclipse the 2,000-yard barrier in a career. He currently ranks 18th on the career rushing list with 2,028.
  • He currently ranks tied for 10th in school history with 11 games over 100-yards rushing (Dozier). He notched six 100-yard game in 2012 and added five such efforts in 2013.
  • His 12 rushing touchdowns in 2013 are tied for ninth on the single season charts and marked the first double-digit rushing TD season since 2008 (Royster).
  • Zwinak has posted eight of his 11 100-yard rushing games in November.
  • He has 19 career rushing touchdowns and is just one shy of becoming the 18th player with 20 career rushing scores.

Hackenberg Continues to Impress
Quarterback Christian Hackenberg impressed everyone with his abilities and moxie during his freshman campaign in 2013.
The second-year signal caller is now building on his impressive rookie slate in 2014.

  • Hackenberg has completed 263-of-439 career passes (59 percent), for 3,409 passing yards and 21 touchdown passes in 13 starts last season.
  • He owns the overall, freshman and sophomore single game passing records.
  • Set the freshman single game record twice in 2013. He threw for 340 yards at Indiana on Oct. 5 after a 311-yard effort against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 7. Zack Mills twice threw for 280 yards (Ohio State & Southern Miss) during his freshman year in 2001.
  • His 454 yards passing vs. UCF in the 2014 season opener broke Mills' school & sophomore record of 399 yards vs. Iowa in 2002.
  • His nine games with at least 200 yards broke Mills' freshman record of five from the 2001 season. He currently ranks eighth in career 200-yard passing games with 10 in his career.
  • He is one of only four quarterbacks in PSU history to post multiple 300-plus yard passing games in career, ranking second in school history with five such efforts. Hackenberg trails Matt McGloin (six) on the career 300-yard passing games list.
  • Hackenberg's 55 passing attempts at Indiana in 2013 marked just the fourth time in PSU history a signal caller amassed 50 passing attempts in a game. It broke Collins' school record of 54 in 1992 at BYU.
  • Nine of his 21 scoring strikes are 45 yards or longer, including a career-long 79-yard touchdown pass to Eugene Lewis in the 2014 season opener vs. UCF.
  • Hackenberg has thrown for at least 250 yards in seven of his 12 games, including four 300-yard efforts and one 400-yard contest.
  • He had 14 completions of 40-plus yards or longer in 2013, which tied for eighth nationally and tied for tops among freshman quarterbacks in the NCAA (Winston, FSU).
  • On the awards front, Hackenberg is a preseason candidate for the Maxwell and O'Brien Awards.
  • In 2013 he was named the Big Ten Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year, earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week five times and garnered Freshman All-American honors from Athlon Sports, Phil Steele's College Football and CollegeFootballNews.com.

Lions From Far and Near
Simply put, the 2014 Penn State Football roster is one with significant geographic diversity. In all, Penn State has student-athletes from 20 states, the District of Columbia, Australia and Canada.

  • The 2014 roster consists of 90 players from states within a 350-mile radius of State College. Pennsylvania leads the way with 50 players hailing from in-state areas.
  • With 20 different states represented on the roster, Penn State ranks among the nation's most geographically diverse programs in the country. The Nittany Lions are tied for 11th nationally.
  • Nebraska is the only Big Ten school with more states located on their 2014 roster, ranking second in the NCAA with 25 of the 50 states represented. Penn State and Minnesota are tied with 20 state apiece.
  • New Jersey is second on the list with 15 players from the Garden State. There are nine players from Maryland and seven from Virginia. Florida is fifth on the list with four Nittany Lions from the Sunshine State.

Belton, Zwinak Each Over 1,000 Career Yards Entering 2014
Seniors Bill Belton and Zach Zwinak both entered the 2014 campaign among the elite runners in Penn State history. The duo has 14 combined 100-yard rushing efforts and over 3,000-yards rushing combined over the last three seasons.

  • Zwinak became just the 18th player in school history to eclipse the 2,000-yard barrier in a career when he rushed for 32 yards vs. UCF to push his career total 2,028.
  • Only 41 players in Penn State history have totaled 1,000 career rushing yards. Zwinak and Belton are both among that group.
  • Belton currently ranks 35th in school history with 1,147 rushing yards and is just 200-yards shy of moving into the top-20 in Penn State history.
  • The duo has combined for 14 career 100-yard rushing games. Belton has three such efforts, including becoming the 15th PSU player with 200-yard in a game vs. Illinois in 2013, while Zwinak ranks tied for 10th in school history with 11 games over 100-yards rushing.

Lions Backfield Primed for Success
It might not have shown in the season opener vs. UCF, but Penn State has one of the most formidable backfields in the Big Ten.

Among the components are a pair of career 1,000-yard backs, a sophomore that averaged six yards per carry, the star of the 2014 Blue-White Game and a stable of highly touted rookies.

Seniors Zach Zwinak and Bill Belton headline the group, while sophomores Akeel Lynch and Cole Chiappialle had strong showings in the spring and fall. They will also have four other experienced returnees and a rookie trio of Mark Allen, Nick Scott and Johnathan Thomas.

  • Belton, Lynch and Zwinak all posted 100-yard rushing games in 2013. The last time Penn State had three 100-yard rushers in the same season was during the 2007 season when senior Rodney Kinlaw, freshman Evan Royster and senior Austin Scott all delivered such games.
  • Zwinak is just the 18th Nittany Lions to compile 2,000 career yards rushing. The senior has 2,028 yards in his career to rank 18th on the all-time list. He also ranks tied for 10th in Penn State history with 11 100-yard rushing games.
  • Belton became the 41st player in school history to rush for 1,000 career yards and currently ranks 35th on the PSU charts with 1,147 rushing yards.
  • Belton and Lynch both posted 100-yards rushing against Eastern Michigan in 2013 to mark the 32nd time in program history Penn State had two 100-yard rushers in the same game. It was the first time since 2010 against Northwestern that two players topped the 100-yard rushing mark.

Position Changes
Among the Penn State players who are playing new positions ths season are: Derek Dowrey (DT to G), Jordan Dudas (S to LB), Brian Gaia (DT to G), Albert Hall (TE to T), Von Walker (RB to LB) and Anthony Zettel (DE to DT).

College Football on the Emerald Isle
When Penn State and UCF land in at Dublin Airport, they will begin preparations for the eighth college football game ever played in Ireland.

  • This will mark the eighth overall college football game played in Ireland, with five of them taking place in Dublin (*), one in Galway (#) and one in Limerick (^).
  • This will be the second college football contest played in Croke Park Stadium. The first came in 1996 when Notre Dame defeated Navy, 54-37, in front of 38,651 fans. That game was called the Shamrock Classic.
  • Five of the eight games featured teams from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Two match-ups of Division III opponents and one between team's from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) have also been played on the Emerald Isle.

1988 Boston College 38, Army 24 Lansdowne Road *
1989 Pitt 46, Rutgers 29 Lansdowne Road *
1991 Holy Cross 24, Fordham 19 Gaelic Grounds ^
1992 Bowdoin 7, Tufts 6 Pearse Stadium #
1996 Notre Dame 54, Navy 27 Croke Park *
2012 John Carroll 40, St. Norbert 3 Donnybrook Stadium *
2012 Notre Dame 50, Navy 10 Aviva Stadium *
2014 Penn State 26, UCF 24 Croke Park *

Six Bowl Teams on 2014 Slate
The Nittany Lions will face six teams that played in bowl games last year, with three of those games played at Beaver Stadium, two on the road and one at a neutral site.

  • Penn State will opened the season with a 26-24 win over UCF in the Croke Park Classic in Dublin, Ireland. The Knights won the Fiesta Bowl over Baylor in 2013.
  • Among the teams coming to Beaver Stadium this fall are 2013 bowl teams: Ohio State (Orange), Maryland (Military) and Michigan State (Rose).
  • The Nittany Lions will travel to take on 2013 bowl attendees Michigan (Buffalo Wide Wings) and Rutgers (Pinstripe).

Fifteen Nittany Lion Starters Return
The Nittany Lions return 15 starters -- seven on defense, seven on offense and placekicker Sam Ficken. Six additional defensive players and three more offensive players also have starting experience.

Among the Nittany Lions' returning starters are seven players who earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten recognition last season: safety Adrian Amos, placekicker Sam Ficken, quarterback Christian Hackenberg, tight end Jesse James, cornerback Jordan Lucas, defensive end C.J. Olaniyan and tackle Donovan Smith.

Penn State Returns 40 Lettermen
Penn State returns 40 lettermen from last year's 7-5 squad -- 23 on defense, 15 on offense and two specialists. Of the 40 lettermen returning, 23 have starting experience -- 13 on defense, eighton offense and the starting placekicker.

The Nittany Lions have lost the services of 19 letterwinners -- 13 on offense, five on defense and one specialist.

Carter Into Rose Bowl Hall of Fame
Penn State All-American running back Ki-Jana Carter has been selected for induction into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2014, joining legendary coaches Knute Rockne and Dick Vermeil. Carter was a key member of the 1995 Rose Bowl Championship squad that capped off a perfect 12-0 season with a 38-20 win over Oregon on Jan. 2, 1995.

  • Coach Joe Paterno's 1994 squad, led by first-team All-Americans Carter, Kyle Brady, Kerry Collins, Bobby Engram and Jeff Hartings, will be recognized at the home-opener against Akron on Saturday, Sept. 6 as part of their 20-year reunion. Kickoff is set for noon at Beaver Stadium for Coach James Franklin's first home game.
  • Carter finished second in the 1994 Heisman Trophy voting (Rashaan Salaam, Colorado) and was consensus first-team All-American, earned co-MVP honors in the Rose Bowl after rushing for 156 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries.
  • He ran for an 83-yard touchdown on the first offensive play of the game, which is the third-longest run in Rose Bowl history and the longest run in Penn State bowl history.
  • The 1994 Nittany Lions won their first Big Ten Championship in just their second year in the conference.
  • Penn State became the first Big Ten team to post a perfect 12-0 mark, making the Nittany Lions the first conference team to post an unblemished record since the 1968 Ohio State team.
  • Carter's Rose Bowl performance capped an outstanding junior season in which he finished fourth nationally in rushing (139.9), second in scoring (10.8 ppg) and fifth in all-purpose yardage (158.4). His 1,539 yards rushing in 1994 remains the third-best season total in Penn State history, and 23 touchdowns are tied for second to Lydell Mitchell's 29 TDs in 1971.
  • Carter opted to forego his final season of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft and became the first Nittany Lion to be chosen No. 1 overall when he was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals. He spent six seasons with the Bengals (1995-00), two years with Washington (2001-02) and two seasons with the New Orleans Saints (2003-04).
  • He still among Penn State's all-time Top 10 in rushing (9th) with 2,829 yards in his three seasons.
  • The Rose Bowl Hall of Fame was established in 1989 and the Induction Ceremony will take place on December 30 at the Pasadena Convention Center, two days before the 101st Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual.

Academic All-America® Candidates
Junior linebacker Ben Kline is a two-time Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District® honoree, owning a 3.85 grade-point average in finance, and will lead another strong contingent of Nittany Lions who are Academic All-America® candidates this season (3.30 GPA or higher/starter or key reserve):

Brad Bars, 3.71 GPA; finance
Jesse Della Valle, 3.41; advertising & public relations
Miles Dieffenbach, 3.30; advertising & public relations
Sam Ficken, 3.63; finance
DaeSean Hamilton, 3.35; communications
Ben Kline, 3.85; finance
Mike Hull, 3.36; finance
Ryan Keiser, 3.36; kinesiology
Deron Thompson, 3.64; energy, business & finance

In 2013, John Urschel became the Penn State football team's 63rd Academic All-America® selection all-time, the second-highest total among all Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) institutions, trailing only Nebraska.

The Nittany Lions' 18 Academic All-Americans® over the past eight seasons (16 first-team) lead the nation. The Penn State football team has had at least one first-team Academic All-American® in 10 of the past 12 seasons (19 overall first-team selections since 2002).

Since starting Big Ten Conference competition in 1993, the Nittany Lion football team has had 29 Academic All-Americans®, 23 of whom earned first-team honors.

Penn State in 22nd Big Ten Season
After 106 years as an independent in football, Penn State began play in the Big Ten Conference in 1993 and is playing its 22nd season in the conference. The Nittany Lions were Big Ten Champions in 1994, beating Oregon to win the 1995 Rose Bowl, and played USC in the 2009 Rose Bowl.

The Nittany Lions will begin Big Ten play at division foe Rutgers on Sept. 13 and finish the regular season against Michigan State at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 29. Penn State will also play division rival Ohio State (Oct. 25) and Maryland (Nov. 1) at home.

The road schedule features divisional opponents Michigan (Oct. 11) and Indiana (Nov. 8), while they will face non-division opponent Northwestern (Sept. 27) at home and Illinois (Nov. 22) on the road.

The Big Ten will play an eight game schedule in 2014 and `15, before moving to a 16-game slate starting in 2016.