Category: PSU in NFL

Robbie Gould helps 49ers reach NFC title game by remaining perfect

Nothing is guaranteed in life except death, taxes, and Robbie Gould kicking field goals in the postseason.

Nothing in life is guaranteed except for death, taxes, and [autotag]Robbie Gould[/autotag] converting a postseason field goal attempt. The former Penn State kicker once again was perfect on every field goal attempt he took in Sunday’s NFC Divisional Round matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys, and the 49ers needed Gould’s perfect postseason career streak to continue.

The 49ers won a defensive battle with the Cowboys to advance to next week’s NFC championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia.

Remarkably, Gould’s postseason clutchness streak continued on Sunday, as he is now a perfect 63-for-63 on field goals and PATs over the course of his 18-year career.

But it wasn’t just his kicking that came up big for the 49ers. Gould also made a potentially game-changing tackle on a kickoff return by the Cowboys, preventing a possible touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Gould is joined by fellow former Penn State player Kevin Givens in the 49ers’ latest attempt to reach and win the Super Bowl. To get there, they will have to win a road game in Philadelphia next week against Miles Sanders and the top-seeded Eagles in next week’s NFC championship game. For all of Goulden’s postseason success, he is still lacking a Super Bowl ring. Will he keep his streak going against Philadelphia for one more shot at the Lombardi Trophy?

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Miles Sanders moving on to NFC Championship

Miles Sanders out-rushed Saquon Barkley as the Eagles eliminated the Giants.

In a showdown of former Penn State running backs in the NFC Divisional Round, [autotag]Miles Sanders[/autotag] and his Philadelphia Eagles got the best of [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] and the New York Giants. Sanders out-rushed Barkley in the Eagles’ 38-7 victory on Saturday night in Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia as the Eagles moved on to the NFC Championship Game next week.

Sanders carried the football 17 times for the Eagles and rushed 90 yards. That was enough to lead all players and the team in rushing yards until just after the two-minute warning when teammate Kenneth Gainwell ripped off a 35-yard touchdown run to eclipse the 100-yard mark. Gainwell’s final college football game was played against Penn State in the 2019 Cotton Bowl. Gainwell rushed for 34 yards and accounted for 78 receiving yards for Memphis in Penn State’s Cotton Bowl victory.

Barkley finished the game with 61 rushing yards and 21 receiving yards, but the Eagles kept him out of the end zone a week after Barkley scored two touchdowns against the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL’s super wild card weekend.

Sanders and the Eagles will be home for next week’s NFC Championship Game. The top seed in the NFC will host the winner of Sunday’s divisional-round matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. One way or another, Sanders will be going head-to-head against more former Nittany Lions. [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] and [autotag]Connor McGovern[/autotag] are starters for the Cowboys, and [autotag]Robbie Gould[/autotag] and [autotag]Kevin Givens[/autotag] play for the 49ers.

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Saquon vs. Miles: Penn State running backs set for NFL playoff matchup

Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders battle for a spot in the NFC Championship Game this weekend.

Two of Penn State’s finest running backs produced for the NFL will go head-to-head this weekend in the NFL’s divisional round of the playoffs. [autotag]Miles Sanders[/autotag] and the Philadelphia Eagles will host [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] and the New York Giants in a classic NFC East slobber knocker, and both former Nittany Lion running backs will be keys to victory for their respective teams.

Barkley is coming off an impressive postseason debut with the Giants. In last week’s road win against the Minnesota Vikings, Barkley scored two touchdowns and accumulated 109 yards of total offense. He scored the first touchdown of the game on the first offensive series for the Giants and the eventual game-winning score later in the fourth quarter. It was an impressive playoff debut that felt long overdue for the five-year veteran.

Sanders is entering the postseason after a career-best regular season with 1,269 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Jalen Hurts may get the spotlight with his MVP-caliber regular season in Philadelphia, but Sanders has had a terrific season as well, which is why he was selected to his first career Pro Bowl.

In the first regular-season meeting between the Eagles and Giants this season, Sanders rushed for 144 yards, a season-high, and scored two touchdowns. Sanders had a significantly lower rushing total in the regular season finale between the two division rivals, but the Eagles offense also didn’t appear to go all out in its effort knowing it should be able to manage clinching homefield advantage in a home game against the Giants’ backups (the Giants already had their playoff seed locked in; the Eagles needed a win or a loss by the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys).

It seems that every time Miles Sanders faces the Giants, TV announcers make a point to remind everyone watching that he backed up Saquon Barkley at Penn State. But Sanders and the Eagles have held the upper hand on the scoreboard more often than not over the past five seasons, and Sanders has been a part of some of that success. Expect to be reminded of that again on Saturday night as the Eagles and Giants battle for a spot in the NFC Championship Game. One way or another, a Penn State running back will be playing for a spot in the Super Bowl next week.

Will it be Barkley or Sanders?

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Bill O’Brien interviews with Patriots

Bill O’Brien watch continues as the Patriots search for an offensive coordinator

Former Penn State head coach [autotag]Bill O’Brien[/autotag] could soon be back in the NFL, and he could be taking on the role he held prior to being hired by Penn State.

O’Brien, currently the offensive coordinator at Alabama, had his interview with the New England Patriots to talk about the vacancy at offensive coordinator. O’Brien has long been the easy subject of various coaching rumors in recent years since his return to the college game at Alabama, but this could be the gig that lures him back to the NFL if all goes well.

O’Brien is still considered by NFL reporters to be the favorite to land the offensive coordinator job with the Patriots, as we previously mentioned and currently reiterated by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, via Twitter.

O’Brien was not the last person scheduled to interview for the job with New England, however. As noted by Rapoport, it is believed the Patriots will be done with interviews soon.

O’Brien was hired by Penn State to be the head coach of the football program as the successor to [autotag]Joe Paterno[/autotag] (following interim head coach Tom Bradley) in 2012. He had previously spent the 2011 season as the offensive coordinator for the Patriots, a role he held for one season after serving as the team’s quarterback coach from 2009 through 2010 and two other roles on the staff the previous two seasons. Penn State was O’Brien’s first head coaching job in his career.

In two seasons as Penn State’s head coach, O’Brien accumulated back-to-back winning seasons despite the program being hammered by NCAA sanctions in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. O’Brien went 15-9 as Penn State’s head coach. Following the 2013 season, O’Brien accepted a job offer to become the head coach of the Houston Texans. O’Brien spent six seasons as the coach of the Texans, where he was 52-48 overall but just 2-4 in the postseason. He was fired following an 0-4 start to the 2020 season.

In 2021, O’Brien joined the Alabama coaching staff under head coach Nick Saban, filling the role of offensive coordinator after Steve Sarkisian left the role to become the head coach at Texas.

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Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Twitter reacts to Saquon Barkley’s first career NFL playoff touchdown

Twitter reacts to Saquon Barkley’s electrifying first career NFL playoff touchdown

Former Penn State running back [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] scored his first career playoff touchdown in the first quarter of his NFL postseason debut, and he quickly set the NFL Twitter world on fire with his electric play. Barkley got the New York Giants on the scoreboard in the wild-card matchup with the Minnesota Vikings with a 28-yard run. For a player with so many memorable touchdown runs, this one will surely go down as one of the more special ones for Barkley considering the milestone attached to it.

Here is how Twitter reacted to watching Saquon Barkley’s first career playoff touchdown.

Twitter reacts to Mike Gesicki’s first career playoff touchdown

NFL Twitter reacts to Mike Gesicki’s signature touchdown dance after first career postseason TD

For the first time in his five-year career in the NFL, former Penn State tight end [autotag]Mike Gesicki[/autotag] is getting a firsthand taste of the NFL playoff action. And after five years, Gesicki scored his first career postseason touchdown. Gesicki caught a touchdown pass late in the first half of the wild card matchup between Gesicki’s Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills.

With Gesicki’s touchdown, the Dolphins erased a 17-0 first-half deficit on the road against their division rivals with a successful two-point conversion. Gesicki made sure to relish in the moment with his signature, yet often ridiculed dance moves.

Afterward, the buzz was almost as much about Gesicki’s dancing shoes as it was the Dolphins had crawled all the way back from a 17-0 deficit! Here are some of the best reactions from Twitter commenting on Gesicki’s post-touchdown celebration.

Robbie Gould remains perfect in NFL postseason

Robbie Gould kept his incredible NFL postseason kicking streak alive in 49ers’ win over Seattle

The postseason magic from former Penn State kicker [autotag]Robbie Gould[/autotag] continued on the NFL’s super wild card weekend. Gould connected on all three field goal attempts and all four extra point attempts taken in a blowout win by the San Francisco 49ers over the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday.

Gould has made a career with his reliable kicking in the NFL over the years, and he is just automatic money when the postseason arrives.

It was only fitting that Gould put the first points of the NFL postseason on the board with a field goal early in the first quarter.

Gould and the 49ers, with another former Nittany Lion in Kevin Givens, will move on to play next weekend in the NFL’s divisional round. The 49ers will host either the Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, or Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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What Penn State players are in the NFL playoffs in 2023?

What Penn State players are on the rosters for teams in this season’s NFL playoffs?

The NFL’s regular season is now officially in the books and the field for this year’s playoff is set. And once again, this NFL postseason will be seeing Penn State well represented throughout the playoffs. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the most former Nittany Lions on their roster as the battle for the Super Bowl is about to get underway. In all, there are 18 players from Penn State in this year’s NFL playoffs.

The only teams in the NFL playoffs with no Penn State ties are the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks.

Here is a look at every Penn State player on a roster for a team in the NFL playoffs.

Former Nittany Lion Jesse Luketa gives J.J. Watt hilarious message

Hearing retired players talk about their time in the NFL is honestly one of the best things about the league and the sport…

Hearing retired players talk about their time in the NFL is honestly one of the best things about the league and the sport. Arizona Cardinals rookie and Penn State[autotag]Jesse Luketa[/autotag] potentially gave J.J. Watt his best memory yet.

J.J. Watt announced on Tuesday that he would be retiring at the end of the 2022 NFL season and ending a hall of fame career. This news was delayed to some people, one being Jesse Luketa, and it resulted in the former Penn State player wanting to get an urgent message to the all-time great.

One problem though, Luketa had just had his wisdom teeth out and he couldn’t get a coherent message to Watt and the result was pure gold.

Watt told the media “I posted the tweet yesterday (Tuesday) and then I kind of just put my phone down, because I knew it would be crazy. I took my son to his pediatric appointment … and I’m coming home and I check my phone … I’m scrolling through it and there’s this number that I don’t recognize that FaceTimes me.”

Watt continued saying “I’m like, ‘I’m not going to answer a FaceTime that I don’t know.’ I let it go to voicemail and then I get a text from that number and it’s a voice memo.”

“I play this voice memo and it’s, I wish I could play it so bad, and it is incoherent. Complete incoherence. I’m like, ‘What the hell is this?’ I literally thought it was distorted from the phone. Ten seconds later, a picture comes through and it’s Jesse Luketa…”

Watt said he didn’t want to share the voice memo without his permission but guess what? Luketa gave him permission, and the result was better than you could imagine.

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Penn State in the NFL: Best photos from Week 16

Here are the best photos from the NFL’s Week 16 of former Penn State players.

The Christmas weekend in the NFL once again saw some big moments from some former Nittany Lions. Among the highlight of Week 16 of the NFL season was the first career start for former Penn State quarterback [autotag]Trace McSorley[/autotag], who started for the Arizona Cardinals on Christmas night. Unfortunately, it was a rough night for the former Penn State standout with a few turnovers and an overtime loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday night.

It was also a rough weekend for McSorley’s former teammate, running back [autotag]Miles Sanders[/autotag], who took the blame for a pair of fumbles in a loss to [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] and the Dallas Cowboys as the Philadelphia Eagles failed to clinch homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs on the road on Christmas Eve.

But there were some bright spots for former Nittany Lions around the NFL with [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] doing his thing to give the New York Giants a shot on the road, [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] again coming up with some impressive catches in his rookie season with the Washington Commanders, and [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] recording a sack for the Chicago Bears against the mighty Buffalo Bills.

Here is a look at some of the best photos from around the NFL in Week 16 of former Penn State stars.