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.
Preseason NFL football is an abomination any way you cut it, but at least the Seattle Seahawks are trying to make their TV broadcasts interesting. On Wednesday, the team announced their lineup of broadcasters for this year’s three preseason games. The group includes Kate Scott and Paul Silvi, as well as several former Seattle players, including Michael Robinson, Michael Bennett and newcomer K.J. Wright.
The legendary Scott is the headliner, as she’s the only woman to broadcast games for the NFL, NBA, NHL, college football and the Olympics. Normally she does play-by-play for the Philadelphia 76ers – which she says will continue after the summer detour to Seattle.
They left out a fairly important word …
New *PRESEASON announcer. 😉
Incredibly excited to spend August with the squad in Seattle! And incredibly excited to then come back home to Philly to prep for season three with the Sixers. https://t.co/BAMVMVH5XH
The Seahawks are scheduled to host the Vikings on Thursday, August 10 at 7:00 p.m. PT, followed by the Cowboys on Saturday, August 19, also at 7:00 p.m. Pacific. Their preseason slate ends with an early game in Green Bay against the Packers on Saturday, August 26 at 10:00 am.
Here are the top five reasons why Penn State will beat Utah in the Rose Bowl.
Penn State hasn’t won the Rose Bowl since the 1994 season. To put that in perspective for you, I was just three months old at the time.
I grew up with Penn State winning the Orange Bowl with [autotag]Michael Robinson[/autotag] as quarterback. I also remember them winning the Capital One Bowl or the Outback Bowl and never got to see a Rose Bowl win. I instead always remember Michigan and Ohio State playing in it.
For this generation of Penn State fans, this game is important. For this senior class, especially it means something different.
They endured the highs and lows of a regular college career but they have the added stress of COVID-19 and nearly losing [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] to USC. This game means a lot to a lot of people in this program and that motivation I think is an extra reason why they can win this game.
Now, one of Wilson’s former Seattle Seahawks teammates is joining the chorus of people who are being critical of how the quarterback is handling things at his new stop.
NFL Network commentator and former Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson brought the heat during a segment on the Broncos, questioning Wilson’s authenticity as a team leader and even speculating if the locker room could turn on him if things keep going the way they are.
Robinson didn’t mince words about how disastrous things could get on Mile High after such a ballyhooed offseason for the Broncos when they acquired Wilson.
It’s not nearly the first time Wilson has been accused of being inauthentic this season, with his “Let’s Ride” press conference catchphrase catching its fair share of ire. In fact, people were relieved Monday night when he didn’t say it after another loss.
While many people wondered if the Broncos were potential Super Bowl contenders, Denver is doing a great job of making people wonder if they’ll even make a push for the playoffs in a stout AFC.
In short, the Wilson/Nathaniel Hackett era couldn’t be off to a worse start. We’ll see if they can turn things around before it’s too late.
Remembering Tamba Hali’s iconic strip-sack that clinched a signature win over Ohio State in 2005.
Penn State has off on this October 8, but today marks the anniversary of one of the most iconic regular-season victories in program history. It was on this day in 2005 when Beaver Stadium had one of its biggest nights as Penn State upset Ohio State to announce to the college football world that Penn State was back from the dead.
Penn State won five games in back-to-back seasons in 2000 and 2001 and then won three games in 2003 and just four games in 2004. It was the worst five-year stretch for Penn State under head coach [autotag]Joe Paterno[/autotag] of his career, leading to many wondering if the game had passed by Penn State and Paterno. But the 2005 season started with three straight wins in non-conference play and Big Ten play ignited with a wild comeback at Northwestern. Penn State then smashed No. 18 Minnesota at home, 44-14, to set the stage for a visit from College GameDay for a matchup between No. 16 Penn State and No. 6 Ohio State. This was the game Penn State fans were waiting for as it presented the Nittany Lions a chance to make a loud statement about the status of the football program, and the students were all in with a student section whiteout, years before Penn State enacted stadium-wide whiteouts. Those who were at the game, including myself, may still say that was one of the loudest games ever witnessed in Beaver Stadium.
Penn State’s defense was impressive on that October night. Ohio State had just 230 yards of offense and turned the football over three times. The defense had to be that good, because Ohio State’s defense was also dominant all night long. Penn State managed just 195 yards of total offense.
[autotag]Michael Robinson[/autotag] completed 11 of 20 passes for just 78 yards, but he ran for 52 yards and a touchdown. [autotag]Tony Hunt[/autotag] led all players with 64 rushing yards, each one as difficult to gain as they would come on this night highlighted by the defenses.
Ohio State struck first with a field goal in the first quarter, but Penn State scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 14-3 lead with a [autotag]Derrick Williams[/autotag] touchdown run of 13 yards and Robinson’s one-yard touchdown run midway through the quarter. Ohio State would close the gap with their final score of the night with a Smith touchdown run from 10 yards out in the final minute of the first half.
The only scoring in the second half came on the leg of [autotag]Kevin Kelly[/autotag], a 41-yarder early in the third quarter. From there, the defenses for both teams took control. Ohio State’s best chance to score in the second half came in the form of a missed 50-yard field goal.
[autotag]Tamba Hali[/autotag] put the game on ice when he easily got around his blocker on the edge and raced toward an unsuspecting Troy Smith, who would go on to win a Heisman Trophy the following season. Smith lost the football on impact and Penn State recovered. And Hali simply walked off the field as composed as they can come, as if it was just another play. Business as usual for a player who would go on to make a living in the NFL doing this very thing.
After the game, Kirk Herbstreit credited the Penn State student section by proclaiming them to be the best student section in the country.
Penn State was upset the following weekend at Michigan on a last-second touchdown by the Wolverines when Chad Henne found Mario Manningham in the endzone as time expired in a wild fourth quarter in Ann Arbor. Penn State trailed Michigan 10-3 going into the fourth quarter and exploded for 22 points, but gave up 17 to come up on the wrong end of a 27-25 final score. But that was the only regular season loss for Penn State in the 2005 season.
Penn State went on to win the remainder of their games, including a 35-14 victory over No. 14 Wisconsin as Penn State went on to win the Big Ten championship and advance to the Orange Bowl. The Rose Bowl was being used to host that year’s BCS National Championship Game between USC and Texas, which turned out to be one of the most epic games in college football history. Penn State’s Orange Bowl was also quite a memorable game, at least for Penn State fans.
In a season otherwise dominated by USC and Texas, who would go on to play for the BCS National Championship, Penn State was one play away from at least having an argument to being considered for the national championship. But none of it would have even be possible if not for that one night in October.
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Former Seattle Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson and defensive end Michael Bennett will join the team’s preseason broadcast in 2022.
The Seattle Seahawks have announced the 2022 preseason broadcast information, including the addition of two former players to the mix – fullback Michael Robinson and defensive end Michael Bennett.
Two of the Seahawks’ preseason games will air on KING, channel 5 in the Seattle area. The Aug. 13 matchup at Pittsburgh and Aug. 26 contest at Dallas will be called by play-by-play announcer Curt Menefee and Robinson in the broadcast booth, along with Paul Silvi and Ray Roberts on the pre and postgame shows. Bennett will also join as an analyst throughout the broadcasts.
ESPN has the rights to the Aug. 18 home preseason game against the Bears.
Regarding the radio side of the broadcasts, Steve Raible and Dave Wyman will once again call the action on 710 am Seattle Sports and KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM with Jen Mueller reporting from the sidelines. Michael Bumpus will host the pre and postgame shows alongside former Seahawks Jordan Babineaux, Paul Moyer, Ray Roberts, Marcus Trufant and Robert Turbin.
Last but certainly not least, the Seahawks announced that former Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch will “act as a special correspondent for the team, where he will produce creative content for a variety of projects” later in the season.
The first preseason game of the summer is set for this Saturday against the Steelers.
Seattle Seahawks tight end Noah Fant says quarterback Drew Lock has made “some Pat Mahomes-type throws” so far at training camp.
Tight end Noah Fant came to Seattle with quarterback Drew Lock in the same trade that sent Seahawks QB Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. Now, just one week into training camp, Fant says he has already seen some impressive throws from Lock.
In fact. . . he even compared Lock’s efforts to those of Chiefs signal-caller, Patrick Mahomes.
Watch below as Fant chats with former Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson, now with the NFL Network.
A look at Penn State’s all-time 2,000-yard single-season passers and how the game is changing.
Penn State has a storied history when it comes to running the football, but the newer generation of football and the way the game is played is seeing the quarterbacks begin to have a larger impact on the field. And the stats certainly back that up.
Penn State doesn’t have a long list of passers who have eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark through the air the way some other schools have, but it is more and more expected that a Penn State quarterback will not only pass for 2,000 yards in a season, but go for over 3,000 yards in a single year.
Three quarterbacks in Penn State have history have multiple 2,000-yard seasons but [autotag]Trace McSorley[/autotag] is the only player in school history with multiple 3,000-yard seasons.
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.
Remembering the time Penn State lost the nation’s top recruit to Virginia Tech because of a coin flip.
When James Franklin was introduced as head coach at Penn State, he set a mission to dominate the state on the recruiting trail. Franklin has done well in securing some of the top talent from within the state on a fairly regular occasion, with some years netting more of the state’s top talent than others, but sometimes the best player in the state ultimately decides to go to a different school.
That was the case back in 2000 years ago when Kevin Jones committed to Virginia Tech over Penn State. It is a story that has lived with Penn State and Virginia Tech fans for years and was recently highlighted with a look back at the decision by The Athletic.
Jones was a multi-sport standout in high school and he was a native of Chester, Pennsylvania. Jones was the first recipient of the U.S. Army Player of the Year Award as a senior and he was rated as the nation’s top recruit, not just the top recruit in Pennsylvania. Naturally, former Penn State head coach [autotag]Joe Paterno[/autotag] wanted to keep Jones close to home, but the decision came down to Penn State and the rising national power that was Virginia Tech, home to Mike Vick and a legitimate national title contender at the time.
Jones ended up deciding to go to Virginia Tech and revealed his decision in one of the earliest nationally televised commitment decisions that has become so common today.
“If you’re a blue-chipper from Pennsylvania, you go to Penn State. But I’ve always been a little contrary,” Jones said to ESPN in 2011. “On the day of my press conference, I still hadn’t decided between Virginia Tech and PSU. As I sat down in front of everybody, I had both jerseys with me. I pulled the Penn State jersey out of a bag and said, “I will … not be attending Penn State.” Then I ripped off my sweater and had a Mike Vick jersey on underneath. The entire room was flabbergasted.”
It was an early signing announcement press conference stunt at the time, and it rankled many Penn State fans following the recruiting buzz along the way.
Jones has made it known it was a tough decision for him to choose between Penn State and Virginia Tech. Now, all these years later, Jones says the decision came down to a flip of a coin. And he flipped the coin in the bathroom leading up to his announcement. From The Athletic;
Jones had a Penn State jersey in his possession, but he also had a Virginia Tech one. His indecision leading up to the bathroom coin flip forced him to prepare for all contingencies.
So what if the coin had landed on heads? It is an amazing question to explore with our imaginations today, knowing what we know about what happened with Penn State’s football success and failures in the years to come.
It is unlikely Paterno would have used his freshman prize Jones as a featured quarterback in the 2000 season with [autotag]Rashard Casey[/autotag] entrenched as his starter. But freshman [autotag]Zack Mills[/autotag] emerged on the scene in 2001. Could that have been the beginning of Jones as Penn State’s quarterback? Would it have avoided a 5-6 season for the Nittany Lions? Very possibly. Mills was Penn State’s starting quarterback for the next three seasons before [autotag]Michael Robinson[/autotag] finally got his chance to lead the program back to respectability in 2005. Penn State went 3-9 in 2003 and 4-7 in 2004.
Penn State had losing seasons in three of the four years Jones played at Virginia Tech. The Hokies never quite reached their national title aspirations while Jones was in Blacksburg, where Frank Beamer was using the former No. 1 recruit as a running back quite effectively. It would seem things worked out for Jones at Virginia Tech overall, and perhaps he avoided the misery that was playing Penn State football during that rough era for the program on the field.
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.
