Tag: Keyvone lee

Former Penn State RB Devyn Ford enters NCAA transfer portal

Former Penn State running back Devyn Ford may not be done playing college football after all.

It seems the college football career of former Penn State running back Devyn Ford has not officially been closed after all. After leaving the Penn State roster in the middle of the 2022 season, Ford’s name has reportedly been entered into the NCAA transfer portal as he looks to find a fresh start while he still has some college eligibility at his disposal.

Even though Ford left the Penn State program last season, he still has to enter the transfer portal to officially move to a new school to continue his college football career. By entering the portal, Ford is free to have communication with any school interested in recruiting him to their program. And it should be interesting to see where this process leads Ford.

“Devyn Ford is no longer on the team,” Franklin announced following a Week 5 win last season. “He’s decided that he wanted to focus on academics. And we wish him the best. I think you guys know, I praised Devyn Ford for four years and have a lot of respect for him. I wish him nothing but the best.”

Ford appeared in four games for Penn State this season and had seven rushing attempts for 37 yards and five receptions for 31 yards. He ended his Penn State career with 666 rushing yards and six touchdowns and 103 receiving yards. One of those touchdowns came in Penn State’s 2019 Cotton Bowl victory over Memphis.

Ford is now the second running back to enter the transfer portal since last season. [autotag]Keyvone Lee[/autotag] entered the transfer portal after the Rose Bowl and was recently visiting Mississippi State on an official visit.

Penn State’s running game was led by [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] last season as both freshmen proved to be worthy of the hype coming out of the recruiting process. Both should continue to lead the running game this fall for the Nittany Lions as they enter their sophomore seasons. Penn State has also added veteran transfer Trey Potts out of the transfer portal from Minnesota.

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Penn State transfer RB Keyvone Lee takes official visit to SEC school

Penn State transfer running back Keyvone Lee visited an SEC school for its spring game last weekend.

While Penn State was closing out its spring football practices with the Blue-White Game last weekend, a former member of the program was down south checking out a potential landing spot out of the transfer portal. Running back [autotag]Keyvone Lee[/autotag] made an official visit to Mississippi State for the Bulldog’s spring game last weekend as Lee continues to determine where he will continue his college football career.

Lee announced he was entering the transfer portal in January, after Penn State’s victory in the Rose Bowl.

Lee started off the 2022 season as Penn State’s most senior running back on the roster, but he appeared in just five games due to an injury. He ended the season with 94 rushing yards and 23 receiving yards with a touchdown reception. As Lee’s playing time went down, Penn State’s running game was powered by freshmen Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.

Lee will have two years of eligibility remaining and he should be able to capitalize on a fresh start in the right situation. Lee has the skill and talent to be a solid featured running back, but it quickly became apparent the Penn State running game will firmly be in the hands of Singleton and Allen in 2023, leaving Lee struggling to find a significant role.

If Lee does end up going to Mississippi State, it will be the second straight season a Penn State running back has transferred to a school in the SEC West. Noah Cain previously made the move to LSU out of the transfer portal a year ago. Cain rushed for 409 yards and 10 touchdowns last season for the Tigers following three seasons at Penn State.

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Keyvone Lee enters transfer portal

Penn State starts the weekend with a running back entering the transfer portal

Penn State running back [autotag]Keyvone Lee[/autotag] is officially on the transfer market. Lee announced on his Twitter account on Friday he has officially entered the transfer portal as it looks likely he will be moving to a new school.

“I’m officially in the transfer portal with [two] years of eligibility left,” Lee announced.

Lee started off the 2022 season as Penn State’s most senior running back on the roster, but he appeared in just five games due to an injury. He ended the season with just 94 rushing yards and 23 receiving yards with a touchdown reception. As Lee’s playing time went down, Penn State’s running game was powered by freshmen [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag].

Lee will have two years of eligibility remaining, as he confirmed in his statement, and he should be able to capitalize on a fresh start in the right situation. Lee has the skill and talent to be a solid featured running back, but it quickly became apparent the Penn State running game will firmly be in the hands of Singleton and Allen in 2023, leaving Lee struggling to find a significant role.

By entering the transfer portal, Lee is free to communicate with any other college football program looking to recruit him. While it would seem likely Lee will be on the move to a new program, he is still allowed to withdraw from the portal at any time if he decides to stay at Penn State.

Penn State has been no stranger to seeing running backs leave the program over the past year. Penn State saw former running back Noah Cain transfer to LSU last year. Devyn Ford left the team in early October.

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Parker Washington ruled out for Penn State at Rutgers

Penn State will reportedly be without star wide receiver Parker Washington vs. Rutgers

As Penn State prepared for its final road game of the season, rumors swirled about the status of star wide receiver [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag]. Now the worst fears have seemingly been confirmed.

Washington was not on the tam’s travel roster for Saturday’s game at Rutgers. He is officially out of action this week. Also not on the travel roster were [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag], and [autotag]Keyvone Lee[/autotag].

Washington’s status for the remainder of the season does look to be in serious doubt with just one regular season game left to play next week at home against Michigan State. And naturally, his status for Penn State’s bowl game is now in jeopardy as well.

Washington is Penn State’s leading receiver with 611 yards this season. Washington has two receiving touchdowns and a team-high 46 receptions this year.

Furthermore, what this means for Washington’s status for 2023 is potentially up in the air as well. Washington was likely a strong possibility to jump to the NFL in 2023, but how this current situation impacts that decision remains to be seen, if it affects it at all.

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Offensive keys for Penn State against Michigan

What does Penn State’s offense need to do to win at Michigan this weekend? Offensive keys to the game.

October is going to be the toughest month on the calendar for Penn State starting with this weekends matchup against Michigan in the Big House. The next two weeks after include two home games but they are against the surprising Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Keeping eyes on this weekend as Penn State looks to go 1-0, just the way coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] likes to do, they need to be ready for anything. This is a tough Michigan offense but it is a young one. They haven’t faced an offense like Penn State’s yet which gives the Nittany Lions the advantage.

That being said, the last time we saw the offense,e they have 11 penalties and five turnovers. Albeit took place in the remanence of Hurricane Ian but it is supposed to rain this weekend which means all the talk of protective the ball could be tested immediately. Despite that doom and gloom attitude we just expressed there are several keys that the offense can take advantage of to give Penn State it’s biggest win of the year and propel them into the top five.

James Franklin not blaming turnovers on the rain

James Franklin isn’t blaming Penn State’s turnover issues against Northwestern on the rain.

At the end of the day, Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] there can be some value in finding ways to win games in all conditions and scenarios. On Saturday against Northwestern, Penn State had to dig deep to win a scrappy and soggy game against the Wildcats despite turning the football over five times. And while Franklin may be happy with the fact his team is 5-0 going into the bye week, he was far from satisfied with the turnover issues that popped up against Northwestern.

“We did not win the turnover battle coming into this game,” Franklin said in his postgame comments. “I think we were number two in the country in turnover ratio. Well, we saved them all up for tonight. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like that.”

And Franklin wasn’t about to let his running backs off the hook for their large share of the turnovers. [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] fumbled twice and [autotag]Keyvone Lee[/autotag] and [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] each lost a fumble in the game (Sean Clifford was intercepted once as well). As far as Franklin was concerned, the rain was not to blame for Penn State’s lack of ball control on the ground.

“No, I’m never going to allow the weather to be an excuse,” Franklin said. “We’ve got to protect the football now. If part of ball security is patentable, you have to take all shots with the top of your pads. Obviously, you can’t take on a helmet with the ball that won’t end well.”

Franklin is aware that playing Big Ten football this time of the year can lead to these types of weather elements to deal with. This is why Franklin says he won’t shy away from p[practicing in the road when necessary.

“The weather will never be an excuse for us,” Franklin explained. “We obviously need to continue working there. We don’t go inside when it rains and sometimes they’re looking at me like I’m crazy, like what do we have the indoor (facility) for?”

The good news for Penn State is the defense was up to the task and Northwestern had its own share of turnover issues in the weather conditions. Northwestern scored zero points off of five Penn State turnovers, which Franklin credited to the effort from his defense.

“Fortunately, for most of the game, our defense was either able to get a turnover back or they just played great. They played phenomenal,” Franklin said. “I think we started the game with five straight three-and-outs, which is impressive. We lost the penalty battle, and we lost the explosive play battle. Not really our formula for how we win, but again, like I said earlier, you know there is a ton of value of being able to win games under less-than-ideal situations.”

Penn State will get a bye week this week and will hit the road to play at Michigan in Week 7.

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Report card: Grading Penn State’s Week 5 performance against Northwestern

The grades are in for Penn State after its win against Northwestern. The Penn State report card is here.

This game was something else.

Five turnovers, seven penalties and 17 points later Penn State somehow found a way to win it’s Big Ten home opener. Coach James Franklin is going to have a lot to look at over the next two weeks as the Nittany Lions prepare for Michigan in Ann Arbor.

For now, let’s look at what is arguably the ugliest report card of the season for Penn State.

Quarterback

Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Grade: D-minus

[autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] demonstrated today that as the season progresses the staff may need to install more plays and packages for [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag]. Clifford’s arm was exposed by the rain and the field conditions, and that can’t happen as this season goes. By playing Ohio State and Maryland late in the season, the Nittany Lions may encounter this kind of weather or worse down the stretch. Best to keep Allar warm in case of emergency.

NEXT: Running backs

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What James Franklin said to Pat Fitzgerald in the postgame handshake

Hear what James Franklin said to Pat Fitzgerald in the postgame handshake after Penn State’s 17-7 win over Northwestern

There was nothing really to enjoy about Saturday’s Penn State victory over Northwestern, at least as far as the offense was concerned. Penn State coughed the football up four times to the Northwestern defense with [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] losing two fumbles, [autotag]Keyvone Lee[/autotag] losing another, and [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] being intercepted. Head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] was visibly upset with his team’s turnover problems on multiple occasions, and understandably so.

But after the game in his postgame handshake with Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald, Franklin praised the gutsy effort by the Wildcats.

“You guys played your ass off,” Franklin was heard saying to Fitzgerald as the two wished each other well moving on this season.

This has been a tough season for Fitzgerald and Northwestern. After opening the season with a win in Ireland against Nebraska, Northwestern has now lost four consecutive games to Duke, Southern Illinois, Miami Ohio and, now, Penn State.

You know things are not going your way when you force five turnovers and get zero points off of those opportunities. It was just one of those days for Northwestern, fortunately for Penn State. Credit the effort from the Penn State defense to keep this game from turning into something much uglier than it ended up.

Penn State will get a week off to regroup and fine-tune a few things before hitting the road in two weeks to face Michigan.

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Instant Reaction: Penn State wins ugly vs. Northwestern to go 5-0

Instant reaction form Penn State’s sloppy victory over Northwestern to go 5-0

There was absolutely nothing pretty about Penn State’s performance against Northwestern on the offensive side of the football. Fortunately, with the exception of one play with blown pass coverage in the third quarter, the Penn State defense answered the call in a 17-7 victory against Northwestern on Saturday afternoon in a soggy Beaver Stadium. Weather conditions did neither team any favors as the offenses combined for seven turnovers in the game, three of them forced by the Penn State defense.

Penn State put the first points on the scoreboard with a [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] 20-yard pass to tight end [autotag]Brenton Strange[/autotag] in the first quarter. It was the fourth touchdown catch of the year by Strange, who leads the Nittany Lions in touchdown receptions at the start of October.

Penn State extended its lead to 14-0 in the second quarter with a strong effort near the goal line by freshman [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag]. Singleton’s touchdown was his fifth of the season, but he had a rough afternoon with two lost fumbles against the Northwestern defense.

Northwestern managed to get a touchdown in the third quarter when Jacob Gill found open space down the left sideline as the Penn State defense got caught up in a rare breakdown in coverage. Wildcats quarterback Ryan Hilinski didn’t have an opportunity that wide open all game long outside of that play, and he capitalized on it.

Penn State did respond on the ensuing drive with a [autotag]Jake Pinegar[/autotag] field goal from 38 yards out.

Even in victory, Penn State head coach James Franklin will have plenty to address with his team after this game. With three monster games coming up after the bye week, Penn State will have to clean up a few things on offense after this latest showing. With four turnovers and some bad penalties, Franklin won’t be celebrating this win for too long.

Penn State will get a week off next weekend. The next game for the Nittany Lions is another big road test in two weeks at Michigan. The Wolverines took care of business this weekend at Iowa, setting the stage for what could potentially be a top 10 matchup.

Northwestern will return home next weekend to take on Wisconsin. The Badgers were squashed at home on Saturday by Illinois, coached by former Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema.

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Kaytron Allen receives weekly Big Ten honor

Penn State running back Kaytron Allen receives weekly Big Ten honor after big day vs. Central Michigan

Another week, another weekly Big Ten honor for a Penn State football player. Freshman running back [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] was honored by the Big Ten as the conference’s freshman of the week following his first career 100-yard game in a win against Central Michigan in Week 4.

Allen rushed for 111 yards on 13 rushing attempts for Penn State in Saturday’s 33-14 victory over the Chippewas. It was a new career-high for Allen, who was playing in just his fourth collegiate game.

Allen and fellow freshman running back [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] have now combined for the last three Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. It is the first time Penn State has had back-to-back Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors for two separate players since [autotag]Keyvone Lee[/autotag] and [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] were honored in back-to-back weeks in 2020.

Allen is Penn State’s second-leading rusher with 217 yards and three touchdowns this season. Singleton leads the Nittnay Lions with 376 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Allen also has three receptions for 38 yards this season.

Here are this week’s Big Ten players of the week for Week 4:

  • Co-Offensive Player of the Week: Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
  • Co-Offensive Player of the Week: Tanner Morgan, QB, Minnesota
  • Co-Defensive Player of the Week: Kaevon Merriweather, DB, Iowa
  • Co-Defensive Player of the Week: Tommy Eichenberg, LB, Ohio State
  • Special Teams Player of the Week: Tory Taylor, P, Iowa
  • Freshman of the Week: Kaytorn Allen, RB, Penn State

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