Blue White Illustrated

WEB SURVEY WHAT WAS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT FROM PENN STATE'S PAST ATHLETIC YEAR? There were many, but the Wisconsin win was the culmination of a very wonderful and satisfying season. Winning the wrestling championship was second. bohucon Dumping Gatorade on Bill O'Brien after his first victory, a week after the potentially demoralizing loss at Virginia. In my opinion, the team could have packed it in right there. But with Michael Mauti, Michael Zordich and O'B leading the team, they clearly showed they still believed in themselves. That sent shivers down my spine. thade1 One of my greatest memories happened before the season even started. After the first practice, the team surprised a bunch of us in attendance for Rise and Rally by waving us onto the field. We joined the team in the post-practice huddle, and I met and talked with a few players, including Mauti. No matter their win-loss total, I knew this was a special team going into last season. cmjumper My favorite moment was as soon as the Wisconsin game ended. While everyone on the Penn State sideline erupted and started to celebrate, one player stood out – Mike Mauti. As soon as the game ended, Mauti's reaction was different. He walked directly onto the field and toward Glenn Carson. He put his arm around him and consoled a visibly shaken Carson. Two plays before the last, Glenn dropped a surefire interception that would have ended the game. Mauti knew he was upset about it and instead of celebrating, he knew one of his linebacker buddies needed a pep talk. To me, his actions exemplified the entire team last year. pennstatepelly Quentin Wright clinching the wrestling title, with the overtime win over the Badgers coming in at second. niteowlgt The Wisconsin kick sailing wide left in overtime… and the celebration afterward! psufrenzy 1.) Watching Jesse James catch that pass from Matt McGloin on the crossing pattern and sprinting down the sideline for a touchdown late in the Wisconsin game, and then watching Jordan Hill stuff the Wisconsin running game. 2.) Watching ESPN's Mark May squirm week after week when the Lions were stacking up wins in the Big Ten, and remembering May's facial expressions as Bill O'Brien kept winning Coach of the Year awards. 3.) Watching Quentin Wright seal the deal on another wrestling national championship. 4.) Looking at the final score after the Penn StateIllinois game and then looking at the chagrined face of their head coach on the sidelines. JoeHomsey We tailgate next door to some folks related to the Mautis, and Rich Mauti frequently joins their tailgate. For home games with a noon kickoff, it wasn't unusual for Mike Mauti to show up late in the day to say hello to his dad and his relatives. On one such occasion late in the day about midseason, my buddy who owns the tailgate spot was on his cellphone talking to his daughter, who had just started her freshman year at PSU. My buddy was trying to coax her into coming over to our tailgate to say hi, but she was having none of it. At that exact moment Mike Mauti and Mike Zordich showed up. My buddy casually mentioned that fact to his daughter. "Oh, there's Mike Mauti and Mike Zordich," and she literally hung up on him. Mere seconds later, she showed up around the corner of the RV, followed by about a dozen PSU freshman co-eds. They hovered around like a swarm of midgies on a hot August afternoon until Mike and Mike finally left. Then, the girls disappeared just as quickly as they arrived. I guess you had to be there. mhentz 1.) Watching Allen Robinson become a stellar receiver in the absence of Justin Brown. 2.) Seeing what O'Brien did with Matt McGloin, whom I gave up on during his entire career until I saw a miracle in the making during 2012. 3) Oh, and Zach Zwinak getting 1,000 bruising rushing yards after Silas Redd left. MD.NIT23 Not to diminish the football team's accomplishments; it was very satisfying to prove the "experts" wrong. But I have to go with Quentin Wright's victory to seal the national championship. It reminded me somewhat of the "Duel in the Desert." Before the match, ESPNU showed images of Dustin Kilgore posing WWE style for the cameras. Quentin simply gave his usual wry smile. Visually, it looked like a mismatch, but once again we learned matches are won in the arena, not prematch hype. jack66 Not sports-related but seeing the final tally cards go up at this year's THON had me crying and smiling. All of those involved in THON are just as important to Penn State as anyone else. Skeller Dweller Lions' jerseys tweaked for '13 More changes to Penn State's football jersey? It appears so. On May 24, the State College-based apparel store Lions Pride revealed the team's retail jerseys for the 2013 season. Though unofficial, the new swag features a small change to the iconic jerseys. The Nittany Lion "chipmunk" logo is embroidered at the center of the jersey's V-neck. The university has yet to indicate whether the jerseys will continue to bear players' names as they did last season for the first time in Penn State history.

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