Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1529598
1 6 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M By The Numbers PHOTO BY STEVEN WALTER/PENN STATE ATHLETICS 2 Penn State players who are pro- jected to go in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft by Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic. In a mock draft issued on Nov. 7, Baumgardner had junior de- fensive end Abdul Carter being selected 15th overall by Tampa Bay and senior tight end Tyler Warren going to Kansas City with the 32nd and final pick of the first round. Carter has transitioned to an edge- rushing role this year after playing two seasons at linebacker and is "far closer physically to Micah Parsons than Chop Robinson was last year," Baumgardner notes. As for Warren, Baumgardner likes his versatility but has been most impressed with his effectiveness as a conventional tight end, describing him as "a powerful presence at the line of scrimmage and the catch point [with] a lot of room to grow." 26 Games since 2022 in which Penn State has held its oppo- nent to fewer than 100 rushing yards. That figure tops the FBS over the past three seasons. Coming off their 49-10 victory over Purdue, a game in which the Boilermakers managed only 85 rushing yards, the Lions had held 18 of their past 21 Big Ten opponents below 100 yards on the ground. 5 0 - 1 Penn State's record during the James Franklin coach- ing era when leading by 10 or more points at halftime. Since 2014, the only time the Nittany Lions have blown a double-digit halftime edge was in 2017 when they led Ohio State 28-17 at the break, only to give up 19 points in the fourth quarter and fall to the Buckeyes in Columbus, 39-38. 54th Ace Baldwin Jr.'s rank in ESPN's list of the top players in men's college basketball this season. The graduate point guard is coming off a 2023-24 campaign in which he averaged 14.2 points and 2.7 steals per game, earn- ing recognition as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. There are nine Big Ten players ahead of Baldwin, with Rutgers freshman guard Airious "Ace" Bailey leading the way at No. 9 overall. 6 7 Catches by senior tight end Ty- ler Warren through Penn State's first 10 games this season. Warren broke the program's single-season record for most receptions by a tight end. The record previously belonged to Mike Ge- sicki, who had 57 catches in 2017. 78 Yards by true freshman running back COREY SMITH on a fourth- quarter carry in Penn State's 35-6 victory over Washington. It was Penn State's longest play of the season and its first rush of 70 or more yards since then- freshman Nicholas Singleton scored an 87-yard touchdown against Utah in the 2023 Rose Bowl. 1 0 8 Points by the Penn State men's basket- ball team in a season-opening victory over Binghamton Nov. 4 at the Bryce Jor- dan Center. With their 108-66 romp, the Nittany Lions tied the fourth-highest scoring mark in program his- tory. It was the team's first 100-point game since a 110-102 triple- overtime loss to Indiana on Feb. 1, 2017. The Lions hadn't reached 100 points in regulation play since defeat- ing Gardner-Webb, 104-57, on Dec. 19, 2009. Penn State followed its win over Binghamton by thrash- ing the University of Mary- land, Baltimore County, 103- 54, on Nov. 8. The victory marked the first time in pro- gram history that PSU topped 100 points in consecutive games. 1 1 1 , 0 3 0 Attendance for Penn State's foot- ball game against Ohio State. It was the best-attended game in Beaver Stadium history, eclipsing the previous record of 110,889 set on Sept. 29, 2018, when Penn State lost to the Buckeyes, 27-26. The stadium's official capacity is 106,572. 9.9 4 m i l l i o n Viewers who tuned in for Penn State's game against Ohio State. It was the highest viewership for any game on FOX this year, and the highest for a Big Ten game on any network.