Top 10 Penn State bowl game passing performances

Top-10 Penn State bowl game passing performances

When looking at historic performances in Penn State bowl games, the quarterback performances are not as eye-popping compared to other yardage records but still offer some memorable moments.

Penn State’s bowl success seems more often than not centered around its defense and rushing attack rather than a dynamic passing game. Just take a look at the Nittany Lions’ top bowl game rushing performances and you can see how Penn State typically relies on a strong running game. Only twice as a Penn State quarterback completed more than 30 passes speaking to the typically run-dominant offense.

A general rule of thumb is that a 300+ yard day as a quarterback is a pretty good day at the office. Penn State has only had two players ever accomplish that feat in a bowl game. There are a few bowl game outings, including the two 300-yard games, from former Nittany Lion signal callers that most Penn State fans will undoubtedly remember.

With [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] being touted as one of the most talented quarterbacks in recent Penn State history, perhaps a new top-10 performance is on deck in this year’s Peach Bowl.

Every NFL draft pick coached by James Franklin

Zac Stacy, Jordan Matthews, Saquon Barkley, Micah Parsons, and every other NFL draft pick who played for James Franklin.

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] got his first head coaching opportunity with Vanderbilt after the 2010 season despite previously being the head coach-in-waiting at Maryland. The Commodores are not necessarily known for producing a tremendous amount of NFL talent, but Vanderbilt managed to send a few players off to the next level by way of the NFL draft under the guidance of Franklin, who has experience as an assistant coach in the NFL.

In the years Franklin was the head coach at Vanderbilt, from 2011 through 2013, Vanderbilt had seven players drafted. And a few more who would go on to be drafted later on out of Vanderbilt were brought into the program initially by Franklin and his staff. The seven players drafted from Vanderbilt from Franklin’s three seasons with the program is the most draft picks from Vanderbilt in a three-year span in school history since 1957-1969 saw 11 players selected by NFL teams, in the days of a draft lasting at least 20 rounds.

Since arriving at Penn State in 2014, Franklin has seen a growing number of his players go on to be drafted by NFL franchises, including an offensive rookie of the year in running back [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] in 2018 and a defensive rookie of the year in linebacker [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] in 2021.

Here is a look at every player drafted by an NFL team that had James Franklin as a head coach in their last game before being drafted, beginning with Franklin’s time at Vanderbilt.

And once you are done checking out this list, here is a list of every Penn State player drafted in the first round of the NFL draft since Penn State joined the Big Ten.

Dolphins lose one practice squad WR, sign another

More practice squad transactions.

While it was reported that the Miami Dolphins would be losing cornerback Kalon Barnes to the Minnesota Vikings, two more moves have been reported involving the team’s practice squad.

According to 9News’ Mike Klis, practice squad wideout Freddie Swain was signed to the Denver Broncos active roster. Swain was elevated for the first time this season against the Los Angeles Chargers. He played seven offensive snaps but was unable to draw a target.

KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson is also reporting that Miami has filled one of their two open practice squad spots by signing wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton.

Hamilton, 27, entered the NFL as a fourth-round selection of the Broncos back in 2018. In his first three seasons with the team, he recorded 81 receptions for 833 yards and five touchdowns before missing the final year of his rookie deal with a torn ACL.

He spent part of this past offseason with the Houston Texans but was waived back in June.

This gives Miami experienced depth, as Tyreek Hill, River Cracraft and Jaylen Waddle have all been dealing with injuries in the last two weeks.

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Penn State photo archive: 2016 Big Ten Championship Game

Let’s take a look back at some of the best photos from Penn State’s 2016 Big Ten championship game win

After scoring a surprising upset of Ohio State in 2016 with a blocked field goal returned for a game-winning touchdown, Penn State changed the entire outlook of the Big Ten championship race. Michigan, who had dominated Penn State earlier in the season, took the inside track to the East Division race but stumbled a few weeks later against Iowa, leading to Penn State having a path to its first Big Ten championship game appearance. As the Nittany Lions closed out its regular season without a loss, and with Ohio State handing Michigan a second conference loss, the Nittany Lions advanced to Indianapolis as the East Division champion thanks to their head-to-head upset of the Buckeyes.

Penn State faced Wisconsin, the Big Ten’s West Division champion, with a spot in the Rose Bowl up for grabs. Penn State was an underdog against the Badgers, who wee ranked just ahead of the Nittany Lions in the College Football Playoff rankings going into the game behind a strong defense and running game. And to their credit, Wisconsin flexed early on Penn State with their ground attack and some big plays from the defense. Penn State wasn’t rattled, however, and stormed back and came out on top of a back-and-forth game in the second half with [autotag]Trace McSorley[/autotag] and [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] electrifying the offense.

Here is a look at some of the images from Penn State’s first Big Ten championship game.

K.J. Hamler back with a purpose at Broncos camp

KJ Hamler’s willingness to be open about mental roadblocks and strains is showing leadership in a different way in Broncos camp.

Penn State has been sending receivers to the NFL like clockwork for several years now. One of the players to get sent in recent times is [autotag]K.J. Hamler[/autotag].

Hamler was selected in the second round by the Denver Broncos in the 2020 NFL draft. After a breakout junior season and a draft process that was interrupted by COVID-19, Hamler still found himself in a good spot. The Broncos had a deep and talented receiver room when he arrived, including former Nittany Lion Daesean Hamilton. As a rookie, he saw a limited role but was set for a breakout second season in the league.

In week three, however, he tore his ACL for the second time in his football career. After a year of rehab, he is now set for the breakout campaign he was destined for.

Hamler discussed the other day at Broncos camp how he has overcome not just physical issues but mental ones as well. He talked about being in a very “dark place” after the injury. Despite all that he says he found his way out of it.

“God gave me the strength to get out of this hole…He knew I was strong enough to get through it,” Hamler said this week as he returned to Brocnos training camp. “I didn’t feel like I was at the time… I’m proud of myself, and I know my grandmother is proud.”

The Denver Broncos receiving room is still crowded but Hamler is working his way up the depth chart now and has a good quarterback behind him. The Broncos notably updated the quarterback position by acquiring star passer Russell Wilson. Follow that up with his teammate Tim Patrick who was competing him for a spot on the depth chart going down and now Hamler sits for his breakout to happen.

Winning a spot by injury is never how you want to get things but in the NFL it is next man up. For Russell Wilson, he loves to include all his receivers who have snaps in the passing attack. Hamler has a skillset that no one else on the team does and new head coach Nathaniel Hackett can use that to gameplan around him.

No matter what, Hamler making his way back is going to be a win for him and the Broncos. Going back to his Penn State days, he has always put others first. Now it seems he has put himself first and he is finally in a good place and ready to succeed.

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Texans waive former Broncos WR DaeSean Hamilton

The Houston Texans have waive-injured WR DaeSean Hamilton, a former Denver Broncos 2018 fourth-round pick.

The Houston Texans waive-injured receiver DaeSean Hamilton.

Hamilton appeared to have injured his knee during organized team activities June 7 at Houston Methodist Training Center.

Coach Lovie Smith told reporters that it was a “non-contact injury.”

Hamilton tore his ACL during offseason workouts with the Denver Broncos in 2021. The former 2018 fourth-round pick from Penn State sat out the entire 2021 campaign.

The 6-1, 206-pound wideout caught 81 passes for 833 yards and five touchdowns through his 46 games with the Broncos from 2018-20. Hamilton’s never recorded above the 300-yard receiving mark in any of his three full seasons with Denver.

The Texans signed former Minnesota Vikings receiver Chad Beebe on June 8.

8 Broncos free agents have signed with other teams

Seven Broncos free agents have signed with other teams this offseason, headlined by QB Teddy Bridgewater.

The Denver Broncos re-signed 10 of their in-house free agents this offseason and 12 of the team’s free agents remain unsigned. Meanwhile, eight of the team’s out-of-contract players signed with new teams.

Here’s a quick look at the ex-Broncos who found new homes this spring.

NFL draft analyst has Penn State in elite company this draft season

NFL draft analyst from The Athletic has Penn State in elite company this draft season

Each year that Dane Brugler has worked at The Athletic he has put together arguably the best NFL draft guide for fans titled The Beast. This year he has Penn State in some notable company after publishing it this past week.

Several schools had multiple players listed in its top fifty, none could compete with the seven that Georgia has on the list, but Penn State is in some solid company.

Penn State, along with Big Ten rival Michigan and Alabama, all have three players inside the top fifty of Brugler’s. Penn State has safety [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] and edge/linebacker [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] on the list that is highlighted by [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] who ranks the highest of them all. Dotson comes in at number 25 on his overall big board with Ebiketie coming in just behind Dotson at 28, and Brisker ranking 42 on it.

All three were Penn State leaders last year and were selected as All-Americans, in the NFL they are going to have to face some adversity such as will Dotson be different from [autotag]K.J. Hamler[/autotag] and [autotag]Daesean Hamilton[/autotag]? Which position is the best for Ebeketie?

Brugler says that Dotson “puts defenders in conflict with his twitchy speed” and when discussing his size he drops one of his best compliments possible. With Dotson’s size, Brugler says “he has above-average hands and natural body control with maybe the largest catch radius of any sub-5-foot-11 receiver I have ever scouted”. One would think he may be the best receiver for Penn State out of the trio that was mentioned above.

He has more glowing reviews of Ebiketie and some good points on Brisker in The Beast. You can also read about [autotag]Rasheed Walker[/autotag], [autotag]Jesse Luketa[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Smith[/autotag], [autotag]Ellis Brooks[/autotag], and [autotag]Tariq Castro-Fields[/autotag] All of the players mentioned have full player summaries from The Athletic’s lead draft analyst Dane Brugler. Be sure to check that out and to stay tuned for our coverage of the draft and all things Penn State.

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Texans signing WR DaeSean Hamilton is a cheap fix for a bigger problem

The Houston Texans signed WR DaeSean Hamilton, but the addition represents a cheap solution to a bigger issue.

The Houston Texans signed former Denver Broncos receiver DaeSean Hamilton — a logical conclusion after the club worked out the 27-year-old.

However, the Texans’ addition of Hamilton is merely taking an easy out to addressing a bigger problem with the offense.

The Texans have a collection of support receivers on the roster with Phillip Dorsett, Chris Conley, and Chris Moore. According to general manager Nick Caserio, part of the philosophy in adding quality veterans to the roster is to give youngsters role models for how to go about things the right way in the NFL.

“When the players walk in to the building and say, ‘What do we ask of a Houston Texan? What are the characteristics and behaviors that we want to embody?’ When you look at those players, those are the things we want those rookies to see,” Caserio told reporters on March 19. “You want those rookies to have some of the same qualities, but obviously this is all going to be new for them.”

Hamilton will no doubt fit that mold; otherwise, why else would the Texans bring him to Houston?

The former 2018 fourth-round pick from Penn State had an underwhelming 46-game career with the Broncos, catching 81 passes for 833 yards and five touchdowns. Hamilton never got to 300 yards receiving in any of his four seasons with Denver, and his only 30-catch season was his rookie year.

Don’t forget Hamilton tore his ACL during offseason workouts in 2021, which also makes him a reclamation project.

Houston needs to use their draft picks to acquire younger weapons who can grow with second-year quarterback Davis Mills. Some mock drafts have the Texans taking USC receiver Drake London with their No. 13 overall pick in Round 1. While that may be too high of a pick to invest in receiving threats, Houston should consider using one of their top-100 picks to fix the problem, not simply stay content with signing veterans looking for second chances.

Houston Texans sign former Penn State receiver DaeSean Hamilton

The Houston Texans are hoping to get a deal with the signing of former Penn State receiver DaeSean Hamilton.

A lot of the focus this NFL offseason when it comes to former Penn State wide receivers has focused on [autotag]Chris Godwin[/autotag] and [autotag]Allen Robinson[/autotag]. Robinson just signed a free-agent contract with the reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, finally giving him a legitimate chance to score himself a Super Bowl ring. And Godwin was locked into a big three-year contract by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But another former Nittany Lion has just signed a free-agent contract as well, and it’s one that should not be totally overlooked.

[autotag]DaeSean Hamilton[/autotag], one of the best wide receivers to play at Penn State in his own right, has been signed by the Houston Texans. Hamilton reportedly signed a one-year contract with the Texans, which may have been expected with Hamilton recovering from a torn ACL.

Hamilton will be in an interesting spot to redeem his NFL career and potential, as the Texans are in a unique spot as a franchise. The Texans shipped franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns.

Hamilton was a second-team All-Big Ten player for Penn State in 2014. From 2014 to 2017, Hamilton was a main fixture in the Penn State offense with 2,842 career receiving yards and 18 career touchdowns, each placing him high on the all-time receiving leaderboards for each statistical category.

He went on to be a fourth-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos in the 2018 NFL draft (113th overall). During his time in Denver, Hamilton caught 81 passes for 833 yards and five touchdowns between 2018 and 2021. But Hamilton did not play for the Broncos during the 2021 season after suffering an offseason torn ACL injury in May 2021.

The Broncos officially released him from his contract earlier this month as the NFL offseason began. The Broncos had explored potentially trading Hamilton prior to his ACL injury last offseason.

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