Penn State category, Page 7
Penn State WR Omari Evans reaching full potential as CFP run continues
Despite staunch internal support, especially from quarterback Drew Allar, ongoing critiques of their collective performance have not escaped the attention of Penn State’s wide receivers. Dating to last year, the receivers arguably have been the team’s most maligned position group. As the 2024 campaign got underway, those players wanted to...
Penn State rally comes up short against Indiana at The Palestra
PHILADELPHIA — Oumar Ballo scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as Indiana held off a late rally to beat Penn State, 77-71, on Sunday in a game played at The Palestra in Philadelphia. The game was the fifth Big Ten contest Penn State has held at “The Cathedral of...
Penn State, Notre Dame take stock of one another as Orange Bowl prep intensifies
In boxing, there’s usually a brief delay before the fighters close in on one another and start exchanging punches. Steadily, they will close the distance from opposite ends of the ring, feeling each other out for a bit until that inevitable moment when it’s time to begin delivering blows. Ahead...
Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen power hot Penn State rushing attack into CFP semifinals
Any time Penn State tight end Tyler Warren moves in motion, opposing defenses take notice. Warren, the undisputed starring actor within opponents’ film preparations for the Nittany Lions, has earned that kind of attention. Through 15 games, as Penn State continues its College Football Playoff run, no team has fully...
Notre Dame and Penn State will renew a long-dormant rivalry in a CFP semifinal at the Orange Bowl
NEW ORLEANS — No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 5 Penn State are coming off rather divergent College Football Playoff quarterfinal experiences as they prepare to clash as semifinalists in the Orange Bowl next Thursday. The Fighting Irish (13-1, CFP No. 7) mustered an opportunistic victory over SEC champion Georgia...
CFP semifinals by the numbers: All 4 teams are members of the exclusive 900-win club
The College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams to get some new blood. The final four are decidedly blueblood. The semifinals match Penn State against Notre Dame at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9 and Texas against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10. All four teams are...
Zach Hicks scores 20 points, Penn State moves to 9-0 at home
UNIVERSITY PARK — Zach Hicks scored 20 points to lead four in double figures, and Penn State held off Northwestern for an 84-80 victory Thursday night. Ace Baldwin Jr. scored 15 of his 17 points from the line and had seven assists and five steals for Penn State. Puff Johnson...
As CFP run continues, Penn State aims to bounce back from season high in penalties during Fiesta Bowl
When he sits down with reporters after games, Penn State coach James Franklin is known to dive into a multitude of statistical categories he deems “battles” as he delivers an opening statement before taking questions. “Turnover battle? We won that.” “Explosive play battle? Lost that.” And so Franklin will go,...
U mad, bro?: Readers welcome ’25 with familiar angst over Steelers, media coverage, College Football Playoff
The first “U mad, bro?” of 2025 appears to be very similar to what we saw a lot of in 2024: Pittsburgh Steelers fans complaining about the state of the team. Or, Steelers fans complaining about me complaining about the state of the team — with just a pinch of...
Penn State takes simple approach during ride into CFP semifinals
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Football coaches, perhaps more than other sports, are huge proponents of structure, routine and consistent messaging. Since the early days of his time in Happy Valley, Penn State’s James Franklin has adhered to the philosophy of 1-0. Yes, it’s a cliche. One day at a time, one...
Drew Allar’s NFL future comes into focus after Penn State’s CFP win over Boise State
Before the ball dropped and the East Coast rang in 2025, football fans across the country were glued to what was happening at the Fiesta Bowl. More specifically, neutrals saw what Penn State supporters have witnessed all year: the highs and lows of Drew Allar. They saw the elite arm...
No. 5 Penn State bottles up Jeanty, beats No. 8 Boise State in Fiesta Bowl
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Penn State defenders clogged every hole, stretched out every outside run, closed with ferocity. Everywhere that Ashton Jeanty turned, he ran into Nittany Lions. The Heisman Trophy runner-up still went over 100 yards, but he sure had to work for it. Drew Allar threw three touchdown passes...
2024 in Pittsburgh college sports: Newsworthy year for teams at Pitt, Duquesne, Penn State
The steady rebuild of men’s basketball, a seven-game winning streak to start the football season and a fourth consecutive Final Four appearance by women’s volleyball make 2024 sound like a nice year for Pitt athletics. Yet none of those events come close to challenging for the biggest story of the...
Penn State looks for another breakthrough in CFP quarterfinals against Boise State
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Boise State has taken that long-awaited next step, earning a spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time, 17 years after a program-shifting win. Awaiting the No. 8 Broncos in the desert is another team that made a breakthrough. No. 5 Penn State also is...
Ace Baldwin leads Penn State men past Penn as Mike Rhoades records 400th career win
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 commissioner
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 CFP
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....
