Tag: D.J. Dozier

Trio of Penn State players on 2024 College Football Hall of Fame ballot

These three former Penn State football greats are on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot for 2024.

For the second striaght year, Penn State has three players on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame. Former linebacker [autotag]Paul Posluszny[/autotag] and former running backs [autotag]Ki-Jana Carter[/autotag] and [autotag]D.J. Dozier[/autotag] were among the names on the ballot for this year’s College Football Hall of Fame ballot, which was officially revealed on Monday by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. All three players appeared on the ballot last year as well.

This is Carter’s second appearance on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot, and he has a chance to join former teammate Kerry Collins, who was inducted into the hall of fame in 2018. Carter was a first-team All-American during Penn State’s undefeated 1994 season and ended his Penn State career as one of the best backs to ever come through the program. Carter was a runner-up to 1994 Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam of Colorado and a finalist for the Maxwell Award, which was won by Collins. Carter ended his career earning co-MVP honors in the 1995 Rose Bowl victory over Oregon with 156 rushing yards, highlighted by a memorable 83-yard touchdown on Penn State’s first offensive play of the game.

Carter went on to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 NFL draft of the Cincinnati Bengals. He spent a total of 10 years in the NFL.

Dozier was also a first-team All-American for Penn State in 1986. He is the only player in school history to lead the Nittany Lions in rushing for four consecutive seasons and he was a key offensive piece of Penn State’s 1986 national championship run. It was Dozier who scored the game-winning touchdown for Penn State in its upset victory over No. 1 Miami in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl.

Posluszny was a two-time First Team All-American, including as a consensus pick in 2005, and he is one of two players to win the Chuck Bednarik Award twice (Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald is the other, doing so in 1995 and 1996). Posluzny also owns a Butkus Award and was a two-time First Team All-Big Ten player. Posluszny was also a National Football Foundation scholar-athlete in 2006.

Penn State currently has 20 inductees in the College Football Hall of Fame. The most recent inductee is former linebacker LaVar Arrington, who was officially enshrined in 2022.

Every College Football Hall of Fame member from Penn State

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Penn State’s all-time first-round NFL draft picks

Every Penn State football player ever drafted in the first round of the NFL draft in school history.

In the history of the NFL draft, only a handful of schools have had more players drafted by NFL franchises than Penn State. The Nittany Lions have sent over 360 players through the NFL draft over the years, and that number continues to climb every year. And when it comes to first-round picks, Penn State has had a solid number of those as well, including some top draft picks.

Lenny Moore, arguably the best player in Penn State football history, is appropriately the first player in program history to be selected by an NFL franchise in the NFL draft. Since then, Penn State players have been selected in the first round numerous times through the decades with players like Shane Conlan, Blair Thomas, Ki-Jana Carter, LaVar Arrington, Saquon Barkley, and Micah Parsons.

Here is a look at every first-round NFL draft pick in Penn State history, starting with the first.

Penn State’s freshman running back duo having historic season

Penn State vs. Maryland features three bright young stars in the making running the football.

With three regular-season games remaining on the Penn State football schedule, freshmen running backs [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] have already put their names in the program’s record book, with each knocking off two big names in program history. And they are not done yet.

In last week’s win at Indiana, Singleton scored one rushing touchdown and Allen scored three. That brought the season total for each up to eight rushing touchdowns to set a new program record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season by a freshman. The previous record had been seven, which was held by [autotag]D.J. Dozier[/autotag] and [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag], two of the best running backs in the history of Penn State football. Now the record is, for the moment, shared by a pair of freshmen teammates, and it is likely that record continues to be shattered in the coming weeks.

Penn State faces Maryland this weekend, and the Terrapins have been known to give up a few rushing touchdowns. Maryland has allowed 11 rushing touchdowns this season, including two given up last week at Wisconsin and two the week before against Northwestern.

Penn State will also face Rutgers next week, and the Scarlet Knights have given up 16 rushing touchdowns this year. Michigan State, Penn State’s final opponent of the season, has allowed nine rushing touchdowns this season, so odds are fairly good Allen and Singleton will have a chance to reach double digits for their rushing touchdown total this year.

Maryland running back Roman Hemby is also within striking distance of the Maryland freshman rushing touchdown record. Hemby, with seven touchdowns this season, is four touchdowns away from tying the Maryland freshman record of 11, currently D.J. Adams from the 2010 season. Hemby can score his touchdowns in bunches, and he may need to do so coming down the stretch.

Oct 22, 2022; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins running back Roman Hemby (24) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Hemby scored three touchdowns in a win against Northwestern, but he only has one other multi-touchdown game, a season-opener win against Buffalo with two. Hemby was scoreless last week at Wisconsin, but Penn State has given up 12 rushing touchdowns this year. Michigan scored four of them, and Ohio State scored three.

Allen, Singleton, and Hemby have all been having terrific freshmen seasons for Penn State and Maryland, respectively, and they will all be featured players in this weekend’s game in Beaver Stadium. The future of the Big Ten running back legacy should be fun to watch this weekend.

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Saquon Barkley leads Penn State in rushing touchdowns, where does everyone else fall?

Here are Penn State’s all-time rushing touchdown leaders heading into 2022. How long until Nick Singleton makes this list?

Penn State has a long list of successful running backs to its credit in both college and the NFL. So many names that college fans know and love are in the Penn State record books.

To round out our recap of the Penn State rushing records we look at the guys who always wanted to end a drive with six points. The guys who could be the work horse type back and finish things off in the endzone, the top rushing touchdown leaders of all-time.

There will be a lot of familiar names like [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] who lead the list but also players like [autotag]Franco Harris[/autotag], [autotag]Curt Warner[/autotag], and potential hall of famer [autotag]Ki-Jana Carter[/autotag]. All of these players left lasting impacts and will be remembered for the foreseeable future at Penn State for their accomplishments.

For now, lets see who made it to the end zone the most with the blue and white on them.

A surprising name leads Penn State’s all-time leading rushers

Who is Penn State’s all-time leading rusher? It may not be who first think of.

Penn State has had a large amount of notable running backs step foot on Beaver Stadium’s grass, including several college hall of fame players. Of those notable men, none of them are actually the all-time leading rusher in the program’s history.

Names like [autotag]Larry Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag], and [autotag]Curt Warner[/autotag] are names you expect to see but none of them lead the list. Leading the list is a running back who was more than reliable during his tenure. Speaking of reliability, Penn State has strayed away from the run game but recent recruiting points to that aspect of the game making a grand return.

For the time being, while [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] decides what he wants to do with the offense, we can just hope that [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] joins this list one day. Until then, take some time to jump in the way-back machine in Penn State history.

PHOTOS: Penn State’s College Football Hall of Fame candidates in 2023

Penn State football photo archive: Class of 2023 College Football Hall of Fame candidates

Penn State football is one of the best programs in the history of the game and with that comes some serious talent. The team already has several College Football Hall of Famers but now it has a chance to add to that large group in 2023.

This year there are three players on the ballot; [autotag]Paul Posluszny[/autotag], [autotag]Ki-Jana Carter[/autotag], and [autotag]D.J. Dozier[/autotag]. Two all-around running backs and one of the best linebackers in the history of the sport. Not a bad group!

All three men are more than deserving to be in the sport’s forever home but odds aren’t in favor of all three making it. Still, it is worth looking back at the careers these men had as they stand at the doorsteps of immortality.

PHOTOS: Looking back at D.J. Dozier’s Penn State career

Check out these photos of former Penn State running back D.J. Dozier during his time in Happy Valley.

Penn State has three candidates up for the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame and one of them is the multi-sport athlete [autotag]D.J. Dozier[/autotag]. Dozier played both baseball and football for Penn State and was able to turn pro in both sports as well.

His college football career is more notable of course since it is up for this prestigious honor.

Dozier was the star running back on a Penn State squad that would win a national championship in 1987 thanks to his game-sealing touchdown run. On top of that, his notable Penn State football career also included being named a consensus first-team All-American in 1986 and accumulating a whopping 3,840 total yards and 29 touchdowns.

While his pro career would never see the same kind of success that his college career enjoyed, he certainly played his way into the hearts of Penn State fans everywhere. Now he has a chance to earn a place in college football history.

Ki-Jana Carter, Paul Posluszny on College Football Hall of Fame ballot

Former Penn State greats Ki-Jana Carter and Paul Posluszny among the candidates for the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

The ballots for the next College Football Hall of Fame class for 2023 are out, and a trio of former Penn State greats are up for consideration by the voters. Former Penn State linebacker [autotag]Paul Posluszny[/autotag] and former running backs [autotag]Ki-Jana Carter[/autotag] and [autotag]D.J. Dozier[/autotag] are each a candidate for the College Football Hall of Fame.

In addition to the three former players, current Penn State wide receivers coach [autotag]Taylor Stubblefield[/autotag] appears on the ballot for his standout career as a player for Purdue. Another former Penn State player, [autotag]Glenn Killinger[/autotag], also is on the College Football Hall of fame ballot, but he is included as a candidate for a divisional coach.

This is Carter’s first appearance on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot, and he has a chance to join former teammate [autotag]Kerry Collins[/autotag], who was inducted into the hall of fame in 2018. Carter was a first-team All-American during Penn State’s undefeated 1994 season and ended his Penn State career as one of the best backs to ever come through the program. Carter was a runner-up to 1994 Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam of Colorado and a finalist for the Maxwell Award, which was won by Collins. Carter ended his career earning co-MVP honors in the 1995 Rose Bowl victory over Oregon with 156 rushing yards, highlighted by a memorable 83-yard touchdown on Penn State’s first offensive play of the game.

Carter went on to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 NFL draft of the Cincinnati Bengals. He spent a total of 10 years in the NFL.

Dozier was also a first-team All-American for Penn State in 1986. He is the only player in school history to lead the Nittany Lions in rushing for four consecutive seasons and he was a key offensive piece of Penn State’s 1986 national championship run. It was Dozier who scored the game-winning touchdown for Penn State in its upset victory over No. 1 Miami in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl.

Posluszny was a two-time First Team All-American, including as a consensus pick in 2005, and he is one of two players to win the Chuck Bednarik Award twice (Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald is the other, doing so in 1995 and 1996). Posluzny also owns a Butkus Award and was a two-time First Team All-Big Ten player. Posluszny was also a National Football Foundation scholar-athlete in 2006.

Penn State currently has 20 inductees in the College Football Hall of Fame. The most recent inductee is former linebacker [autotag]LaVar Arrington[/autotag], who will officially be enshrined later this year after being voted in last year.

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42 days until Penn State football 2021 season opener

42 is a pretty historic number in Penn State football history. There were three well-known players that gave it their all while wearing 42.

We are officially 42 days away from Penn State football!

42 is a pretty historic number in Penn State football history. There were three well-known players that gave it their all while wearing 42.

The first guy that we will be discussing today is former Penn State running back Lenny Moore. Moore played three seasons as a Nittany Lion (1953-1955) and posted a 1,000-yard rushing season and 11 touchdowns in his second year. Moore played 12 years in the NFL, where he was both a 5x All-Pro and 6x Pro Bowler. There wasn’t a ton of action from him in the passing game in college, but that changed in the NFL, where he played both running back and wide receiver.

Lenny Moore, star halfback of Pennsylvania State University football team, is presented the Patriot News Award from Charles “Rip” Engle, Penn State coach, after Moore was named Pennsylvania’s athlete of 1954 at a sports night program in Harrisbur, Pa., Feb. 4, 1955. (AP Photo)

Penn State’s all-time leading rushers in Nittany Lions history

Where does Saquon Barkley rank among Penn State’s all-time leading rushers, including Franco Harris, Lydell Mitchell, and Ki-Jana Carter?

Maybe Penn State doesn’t have as strong a case to be made for Running Back U as some other programs, but the Nittany Lions have had their fair share of some of the best running backs in the game. From Lydell Mitchell to Franco Harris to Ki-Jana Carter and to Saquon Barkley, Penn State running backs have provided plenty of memories to fans over the years.

But who tops the list when it comes to Penn State’s all-time leading rushers list? Perhaps one of the more unassuming names to come through Happy Valley, Evan Royster. Royster may not have had the talent and skills of some of the others to suit up for the Nittany Lions over time, but his hard work and reliable performance stood the test of time. And having the opportunity to break into the offense early on and play his full four years of eligibility helped him continue to climb the ranks of Penn State’s all-time leading rushers.

With three 1,000-yard seasons, it has proven to be difficult to catch Royster, but his mark may not be untouchable. Saquon Barkley came close to catching Royster and would have easily surpassed him had Barkley remained at Penn State for one more season of eligibility instead of heading to the NFL. But as things stand now, Royster should feel pretty comfortable atop the leaderboard for a little while longer before anyone makes a run at his school record.

Here is a look at Penn State’s top 20 all-time leading rushers.

All data is credited to College Football Reference. This list will be updated accordingly.

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