Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M TOP FIVE INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES 1. Zakee Wheatley versus Boise State, 2024 Considering that Penn State won this game handily, 31-14, Wheatley's Fiesta Bowl defensive MVP performance might not be memorable to ev- eryone. But his play in that contest is part of the reason why the margin of victory was so big. In the first half, with the Lions up 14-0, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty took a handoff and was approaching midfield when Kobe King jarred the ball loose. Wheatley snared it out of the air and toe-tapped along the sideline to end the Broncos' drive. Then in the fourth quarter, with PSU leading 24-14, he intercepted quarterback Maddux Madsen's third-and-forever heave inside Lions territory to end another possession. Wheatley also recorded 3 tackles in the win. 2. Jaylen Reed versus Wisconsin, 2024 Penn State looked to be in trouble in its Oct. 26 visit to Madison. The Nittany Lions trailed 10-7 midway through the third quarter, and backup quarterback Beau Pribula was in for the injured Drew Allar. However, the tide turned for good when Reed intercepted an off-target pass from Badgers quarterback Braedyn Locke and raced 19 yards for a touchdown. Reed's score gave Penn State a 14-10 lead, and it never trailed again in a 28-13 victory. 3. Zakee Wheatley versus Notre Dame, 2024 Wheatley was a man on a mission in the Lions' first and only College Football Playoff semifinal appearance. Because of the outcome, a 27-24 Fighting Irish win, fans don't look back on this game with much fondness. But it featured some outstanding individual efforts, which is why we're highlighting it here. Wheatley made 16 tackles, tying for the third-most in a postseason game in program history. One of those stops was a sack, and he also pulled down an interception that led to a Penn State field goal and 3-0 lead early in the contest. 4. Kobe King versus Minnesota, 2024 The story of this game was Penn State taking its first lead in the third quarter and then hanging on to win late and stay on pace to make the College Football Playoff. Without King, it might not have been possible to do so. The linebacker recorded a team-high 9 tackles, including 1.5 for loss. One of those stops was on first-and-goal with Minnesota looking to take a late lead. Two in - completions followed, forcing a field goal attempt that was successful but left the Gophers trailing by a point, 26-25. Penn State's offense ended up running out the clock. 5. Christian Veilleux versus Rutgers, 2021 Make no mistake: The Penn State defense stifled Rutgers in this contest. But Veilleux did some heavy lifting of his own to help lead the Lions to a 28-0 win. The freshman quarterback made his college debut when he replaced an ailing Sean Clifford early in the contest. Veilleux ended up completing 15 of 24 attempts for 235 yards and 3 touchdowns and added 36 rushing yards to help PSU get back on track following losses in four of its previous five games. Zakee Wheatley had a fumble recovery and interception in the Lions' win over Boise State in the quarterfinals of the 2024 College Football Playoff. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 10 9