Ressurection: The Story of Penn State

[St. Francisco]

2016 PRESEASON PREVIEW











TOP PLAYERS BY POSITION

[St. Francisco]

Minor change to the depth chart: moved Greg Mitchell from starting outside linebacker to starting middle linebacker. Moved Dustin Silva from backup outside linebacker to starting outside linebacker. Moved Sean Dickson from starting middle linebacker to backup outside linebacker.

[St. Francisco]

AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK ONE-

[St. Francisco]

WEEK TWO
-RIVALRY GAME-


.....


PENN ST. NITTANY LIONS (0-0, 0-0)
VS.
#12 OHIO ST. BUCKEYES (0-0, 0-0)

Four years of heavy NCAA penalties saw a once-proud program falter, failing to win more than seven games in any single season in that time frame. Hoping to get back to business in 2016, the Nittany Lions opened the season on the road against their former conference rival, who has managed to assemble arguably one of the best rosters in college football history.

Penn State never stood a chance.

Led by senior quarterback Cardale Jones, the Buckeyes faced little resistance in their season opener, racking up over 500 total offensive yards and five touchdowns in a lopsided 44-10 victory. Jones was nearly unstoppable on the day, completing 22 of 36 passes for 401 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. His biggest target was senior tight end Ben Petty, who had an incredible ten catches for 194 yards and a touchdown, while go-to receiver T.J. Ramsour caught five balls for 147 yards and two scores. With the passing game facing little resistance, Heisman hopeful runningback Brionte Dunn received little play but still made an impact, rushing for 47 yards and two touchdowns off 11 carries. Defensively, the Buckeyes recorded three sacks and an interception, while holding the Nittany Lions to just ten points despite giving up 443 total offensive yards. With the first win of the season under their belt, the Buckeyes will stay at home next week to host FCS Midwest before hitting the road in week four to face their first true challenge of the season against the Oklahoma Sooners.

On the other side of the ball, junior quarterback Anthony Williams had a decent outing, completing 53% of his 28 passes for 265 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Sophomore wide receiver Michael Brown led the receiving corps with three catches for 104 yards and a score, while senior tight end Brent Wilkerson caught five balls for 72 yards. Senior runningback Akeel Lynch rushed for 108 yards off 20 carries for an average of 5.4 yards per touch, but the offense as a whole could not sustain drives long enough to reach the endzone. The lone bright spot on the defense came from senior Greg Mitchell (MLB), who recorded 11 tackles and two sacks. But the team's experienced secondary allowed 400 passing yards, and the Buckeyes managed to score 31 points in five redzone trips.

The loss was a painful wake-up call for the team, but there won't be any time to dwell on what could have been. Next week, the Nittany Lions will open up their Big East conference schedule when they make the short trip across the state to face off against the Pittsburgh Panthers, who suffered a shocking 44-41 loss to Central Michigan in their season opener. Led by seniors Chad Voytik (QB) and Connor Crane (WR), the Panthers will be just as anxious as their opponents to secure their first victory of the year, and start their quest for a Big East title on the right foot.

Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio State Buckeyes
Sep 3, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Penn State Nittany Lions (0-1, 0-0)	7	0	3	0	10
#12 Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0, 0-0)	7	20	0	17	44

Team Stats Comparison
	PSU	OSU
Total Offense	443	537
Rushing Yards	178	136
Passing Yards	265	401
First Downs	17	25
Punt Return Yards	0	30
Kick Return Yards	106	56
Total Yards	549	623
Turnovers	1	0
3rd Down Converstion	7-15 (46%)	4-11 (36%)
4th Down Conversion	0-2 (0%)	1-1 (100%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1-0-0 (0%)	5-4-1 (100%)
Penalties	14-81	5-30
Posession Time	28:43	31:17

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		PSU	OSU
6:52	(OSU) TD: Brionte Dunn, 1 yard run	0	7
4:32	(PSU) TD: Michael Brown, 58 yard pass from Anthony Williams	7	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		PSU	OSU
14:37	(OSU) FG: Jeremy Ortiz, 33 yard kick	7	10
8:55	(OSU) FG: Jeremy Ortiz, 38 yard kick	7	13
4:59	(OSU) TD: Ben Petty, 3 yard pass from Cardale Jones	7	20
0:20	(OSU) TD: T.J. Ramsour, 49 yard pass from Cardale Jones	7	27
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		PSU	OSU
10:17	(PSU) FG: Pat Smith, 40 yard kick	10	27
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		PSU	OSU
12:30	(OSU) TD: T.J. Ramsour, 12 yard pass from Cardale Jones	10	34
7:41	(OSU) FG: Jeremy Ortiz, 43 yard kick	10	37
0:27	(OSU) TD: Brionte Dunn, 1 yard run	10	44

[St. Francisco]

AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK TWO-

[St. Francisco]

WEEK THREE
-RIVALRY GAME-


.....


PENN ST. NITTANY LIONS (0-1, 0-0)
VS.
PITTSBURGH PANTHERS (0-1, 0-0)

Reeling from a 44-10 loss to rival Ohio State last week, the Nittany Lions came into Saturday's contest against in-state foe Pittsburgh with something to prove. And while the offense still struggled a fair amount, the defensive secondary played lights out, recording four interceptions and two touchdowns as the Nittany Lions built a 28-0 lead in the first half, and never looked back in a dominating 45-14 victory.

Despite an abundance of opportunities handed to them by the defense, Penn State's offense still sputtered for the most part, racking up 351 total yards of offense, and converting just two of their nine 3rd down attempts. Junior quarterback Anthony Williams completed just 8 of 19 passes for 169 yards, but did throw two touchdowns. His go-to man was sophomore Michael Brown, who had three catches for 73 yards and a score. On the ground is where the team impressed on offense, as senior runningback Akeel Lynch rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown off 14 carries, while backup Gabe Alvarez carried the ball 11 times for 54 yards and a score. But the day was truly won by the defensive secondary, who recorded four interceptions and two touchdowns in the win. Player of the game honors went to senior Gary Novak (CB), who had two picks and a 39-yard return for a score.

As for the Panthers, senior quarterback Chad Voytik completed 17 of 31 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw four interceptions in the team's crushing loss. Senior tight end J.P. Holtz led the receiving corps with nine catches for 132 yards and a touchdown, while senior Connor Crane (WR) caught seven balls for 107 yards and score. Defensively, Pittsburgh recorded two sacks, and certainly held their own against a weak Penn State offense, but simply couldn't overcome the multitude of mistakes made by the offense. Still seeking their first win of the year, the Panthers will take a bye week before playing host to Big XII foe Colorado in week five.

As for Penn State, they'll wrap up their three-game road stretch to open the season next week when they face off against the Tennessee Volunteers (3-0, 3-0), who have jumped out to an early lead in the southern division of the conference. They are led by senior quarterback Anthony Alford, who has completed 60% of his passes for nearly 700 yards and seven touchdowns with just one interception through the first three games of the season. Meanwhile, the dynamic duo of senior runningbacks Davante' Bourque and Quenshaun Watson are averaging a combined 6.5 yards per carry to lead the ground game.

Penn State Nittany Lions at Pittsburgh Panthers
Sep 10, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Penn State Nittany Lions (1-1, 1-0)	21	14	3	7	45
Pittsburgh Panthers (0-2, 0-1)	0	7	7	0	14

Team Stats Comparison
	PSU	PITT
Total Offense	351	463
Rushing Yards	178	215
Passing Yards	173	248
First Downs	13	23
Punt Return Yards	27	36
Kick Return Yards	114	106
Total Yards	492	605
Turnovers	0	4
3rd Down Converstion	2-9 (22%)	7-14 (50%)
4th Down Conversion	0-1 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3-1-0 (33%)	2-1-0 (50%)
Penalties	3-25	6-50
Posession Time	23:48	36:12

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		PSU	PITT
14:50	(PSU) TD: Michael Brown, 9 yard pass from Anthony Williams	7	0
11:19	(PSU) TD: Seth Lewis, returned interception 70 yards	14	0
5:24	(PSU) TD: Gary Novak, returned interception 39 yards	21	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		PSU	PITT
12:54	(PSU) TD: Akeel Lynch, 63 yard run	28	0
8:36	(PITT) TD: Connor Crane, 5 yard pass from Chad Voytik	28	7
5:09	(PSU) TD: Jesse James, 37 yard pass from Anthony Williams	35	7
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		PSU	PITT
11:02	(PSU) FG: Pat Smith, 46 yard kick	38	7
1:34	(PITT) TD: J.P. Holtz, 38 yard pass from Chad Voytik	38	14
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		PSU	PITT
2:50	(PSU) TD: Gabe Alvarez, 6 yard run	45	14

[St. Francisco]

AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK THREE-

[St. Francisco]

Sometimes, I really hate the logic in this game.

Senior quarterback D'Shaie Landor of Louisiana Tech won the Heisman trophy last year with some damn impressive stats, throwing for 3,846 yards and 34 touchdowns, and rushing for 863 yards and 11 more touchdowns. This year? Through two games, he's completed 48% of his passes for 397 yards, one touchdown, and seven interceptions, and has only added 64 yards on the ground...yet he's still on top of the Heisman watch. WTF?

[St. Francisco]

WEEK FOUR


.....


PENN ST. NITTANY LIONS (1-1, 1-0)
VS.
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (3-0, 3-0)

Penn State outgained the Volunteers 431 to 329 in total offensive yards on Saturday, but the difference maker came in the redzone. While the Nittany Lions were forced to settle for field goals in three of their five redzone trips, Tennessee scored four touchdowns in six trips to take home a 34-22 victory, and remain unbeaten in 2016.

Despite throwing two interceptions, senior quarterback Anthony Alford led his team to victory, completing 18 of 35 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns. His biggest target was junior tight end Mike McDaniel, who had eight catches for 121 yards and a score. But the offense's biggest threat was senior runningback Devonte' Bourque (pictured above), who rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown off 14 carries for an average of 6.8 yards per touch, and also had five receptions for 49 yards and another score. Tennessee's defense recorded two sacks, and limited the Nittany Lions to 16 points in five redzone trips despite giving up more than 400 total offensive yards. Halfway through their 2016 conference schedule, the Volunteers will hit the road next week to face off against floundering Notre Dame (1-3, 0-3) before meeting former SEC foes #19 Florida and #3 Georgia in October.

On the other side of the ball, junior quarterback Anthony Williams continued to struggle with accuracy issues, completing just 46% of his 30 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown. His go-to guy was senior tight end Brent Wilkerson, who had nine catches for 182 yards and a score. Senior runningback Akeel Lynch performed well, rushing for 103 yards and a touchdown off 19 carries, but also had two fumbles in the loss. Penn State's front seven did an amazing job on Saturday, recording an incredible eight sacks and forcing two bad passes that resulted in interceptions, but could not contain the Volunteers once they hit the redzone as Tennessee scored 31 points in six trips.

Hoping to get back to .500 on the season, the Nittany Lions will host their first home game of the season next week against TCU (2-0, 1-0), another undefeated conference foe. Senior quarterback Tyler Matthews is the undisputed leader of the team, displaying a strong arm and uncanny accuracy, while seniors James Lee and Andrew Fine lead the receiving corps. The defense must also account for senior runningback Scott Montgomery, the fastest player on TCU's talented roster.

Penn State Nittany Lions at Tennessee Volunteers
Sep 17, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Penn State Nittany Lions (1-2, 1-1)	10	6	6	0	22
Tennessee Volunteers (4-0, 4-0)	7	14	6	7	34

Team Stats Comparison
	PSU	TENN
Total Offense	431	329
Rushing Yards	201	131
Passing Yards	230	198
First Downs	23	19
Punt Return Yards	3	35
Kick Return Yards	171	177
Total Yards	605	541
Turnovers	2	2
3rd Down Converstion	6-15 (40%)	7-17 (41%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0 (0%)	1-2 (50%)
2-Point Conversion	0-1 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	5-1-3 (80%)	6-4-1 (83%)
Penalties	11-112	4-55
Posession Time	30:18	29:42

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		PSU	TENN
12:18	(TENN) TD: Mike McDaniel, 19 yard pass from Anthony Alford	0	7
8:10	(PSU) FG: Pat Smith, 35 yard kick	3	7
4:36	(PSU) TD: Akeel Lynch, 9 yard run	10	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		PSU	TENN
15:00	(PSU) FG: Pat Smith, 21 yard kick	13	7
8:40	(PSU) FG: Pat Smith, 34 yard kick	16	7
4:42	(TENN) TD: Davante' Bourque, 7 yard run	16	14
0:45	(TENN) TD: Mike McDaniel, 2 yard pass from Anthony Alford	16	21
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		PSU	TENN
6:39	(TENN) FG: Brad Bowling, 39 yard kick	16	24
4:48	(PSU) TD: Brent Wilkerson, 37 yard pass from Anthony Williams (2-pt. conv. no good)	22	24
1:58	(PSU) FG: Brad Bowling, 27 yard kick	22	27
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		PSU	TENN
1:30	(TENN) TD: Davante' Bourque, 8 yard pass from Anthony Alford	22	34

[St. Francisco]

AROUND THE LEAGUE
-WEEK FOUR-

[St. Francisco]

Been giving this dynasty a lot of thought lately, because I'm just not having fun with it like I thought I would. It's becoming tiresome already, and I feel like it's because I really don't personally care about Penn State at all. But I was going to continue with the dynasty until I realized...wait a minute, the reason I've been doing franchise/dynasty reports for the last 10 years is because I enjoy doing it.

So, it is with that in mind that I'm going to go ahead and put the lid on this one, but no worries, I will be starting a new one shortly, with a modified reporting approach that should enable me to keep my interest.

[cf24]

^ I just ran into the same problem haha. I was going to be doing a Fresno State dynasty..even made banners and whatnot for it..fun team to play with, but I just couldn't stay into it. I've already got stuff made for my new one..which I'll be posting and it will be my first time posting one.