Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1507572
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 3 17 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M By The Numbers 6 Number of Penn State players on the 2023 edition of Bruce Feld- man's annual "Freaks List" for The Athletic. Junior defensive end Chop Robinson was No. 9 on Feldman's list, which showcases football play- ers whose athletic ability sets them apart even on teams full of high-level performers. Also making the list were redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg (No. 15), junior offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu (No. 23), sophomore running back Nick Singleton (No. 31), sophomore defen- sive tackle Zane Durant (No. 38) and sophomore linebacker Abdul Carter (No. 43). "It's just ridiculous how much talent they have, and explosive athletes," Feld- man told On3's Andy Staples. 16th Olumuyiwa Fashanu's ranking on ESPN's list of the top 100 players in college football for the 2023 season. The junior offen- sive tackle "passed up potentially being a first-round NFL draft selection to re- turn for another season," ESPN noted. "He was a big part of an offensive line that allowed Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen to enjoy such early suc- cess last season." Five other Nittany Lions appeared on the list: Singleton (29th), junior cor- nerback Kalen King (45th), sophomore running back Kaytron Allen (68th), junior defensive end Chop Robinson (73rd) and sophomore linebacker Abdul Carter (82nd). 20 Penn State games from 2015- 22 that drew 4 million or more viewers. The Nittany Lions were tied with LSU for ninth place, according to research by The Athletic on Sports Media Watch. Alabama headed up the list, with 50 of its games having drawn TV audiences of 4 million or more dur- ing that eight-season span. Ohio State was second with 46 and Michigan third with 40. $131 Cost of a Penn State "game- day experience," as calcu- lated by Oddspedia.com. The website factored in the cost of tickets, parking, beer, soda and hotdogs. The Nittany Lions were one of the bigger bargains in the country, ranking 52nd in estimated cost. The most expensive gameday ex- perience? Oklahoma at $276. 300 Career wins for PSU wom- en's soccer coach Erica Dambach following a 2-1 victory at West Virginia on Aug. 24. The win over the Mountaineers lifted Dambach's record to 300-118-29 overall and 260- 89-26 since taking over the program in 2007. A native of Huntingdon Valley, Pa., she's the winningest women's soc- cer coach in Big Ten history. 325 Passing yards by sophomore Drew Allar in the Nittany Li- ons' 38-15 win over the Mountaineers. Allar was making his debut as Penn State's starting quarterback. It was the most passing yards by a first-time starter since Michael Robinson threw for 379 yards in a 30-23 loss to Wis- consin in 2003. 2,684 Fans in attendance at Jeffrey Field for the Penn State men's soccer team's matchup against No. 1-ranked Syracuse on Sept. 1. The game ended in a 1-1 tie, with the Orange pulling even just 6 seconds after Penn State had taken the lead on a goal by freshman midfielder Caden Grabfelder in the 88th minute. It was the highest attendance for a Penn State men's soccer home game since the 2014 season. 110 , 747 Attendance at BEAVER STADIUM for Penn State's opener. It was the fourth-largest crowd in the stadium's history and the best-attended game at PSU since Sept. 29, 2018, when 110,889 fans turned out to watch the Nittany Lions drop a 27-26 decision to Ohio State. The noisy atmosphere didn't cause West Virginia to suffer the kind of line- of-scrimmage problems that previous opponents had experienced in Beaver Stadium, but it did provide a compelling backdrop for the nationally televised game. Said James Franklin afterward, "It was a special environment." PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL