Oct. 27, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State wide receiver DeSean Hamilton (Fredericksburg, Va.) has been honored by the Big Ten Conference after another record-setting performance this past week.
Hamilton was selected the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the second time after breaking the Penn State single game record with 14 receptions in the Nittany Lions' double overtime setback to No. 13/12 Ohio State. He gained 126 yards, extending his school freshman record to four 100-yard games in his first seven career contests. A redshirt freshman, Hamilton eclipsed Freddie Scott's previous school record of 13 catches against Wisconsin in 1995.
The former Mountainview High School standout made three catches on Penn State's 77-yard drive late in the fourth quarter that ended in Sam Ficken's game-tying field goal to force overtime at 17-17. His 14 receptions vs. Ohio State are the most by a Big Ten player this season and tied for eighth-highest nationally.
Hamilton leads the Big Ten and is No. 8 nationally at 8.1 catches per game. He also is second in the conference and No. 16 in the Football Bowl Subdivision at 98.0 receiving yards per game, the highest average nationally among all freshmen.
For the season, Hamilton has 57 catches for 686 yards (12.0) and one touchdown, with a long catch of 51 yards. He is six yards from breaking Deon Butler's Penn State freshman season record of 691 yards.
Having missed the 2013 season with an injury, Hamilton broke two school freshman records in the season opening win over UCF to earn his first Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor. His 11 catches and 165 yards against UCF re-wrote the freshman pass catching standards, eclipsing Butler's 125-yard effort vs. Wisconsin in 2005 and Maurice Humphrey's eight catches against Northwestern in 2003.
Coach James Franklin's Nittany Lions host Maryland on Saturday, Nov. 1 in the first game between the border rivals as Big Ten colleagues. The teams will be playing for the first time since 1993 and the 38th time overall. The Big Ten East Division clash will kick at 12 p.m. and air on ESPN2, the Penn State Sports Network and GoPSUsports.com. All-University Day and THON Day will be celebrated during the contest.
A raucous Penn State White Out crowd of 107,895 filled Beaver Stadium for last Saturday's double overtime clash with Ohio State. Nittany Lion fans have boosted the average home attendance through four games to 101,829, an increase of 5,336 per game over the 96,493 average through the first four home games in 2013.
Tickets are available for Penn State's final three home games of the season: Nov. 1 vs. Maryland (All-University Day and THON Day); Nov. 15 vs. Temple (Military Appreciation Day/Seats For Soldiers) and the Nov. 29 Senior Day clash with Michigan State. The kick times for all three games are to be determined.
Fans can purchase Penn State tickets at PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office (weekdays, 10 a.m-6 p.m.). More than 6,000 new Penn State football season tickets and more than 78,000 single game and group tickets have been sold this year.
The Beaver Stadium ticket office, near Gate E, opens four hours before kickoff for all Penn State home games.
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