Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547107
W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 0 Shots allowed by the Penn State women's soccer team in a 1-0 victory over USC on Sept. 27 at Jeffrey Field. Red- shirt senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress enjoyed a stress- free afternoon en route to her 10th career shutout. The last time the Nittany Lions held an opponent without a shot was in a 5-0 victory over Division II West Chester in Au- gust 2024. They hadn't held a Big Ten opponent without a shot since posting a 1-0 victory over Ohio State in October 2000. 2 Penn State players on ESPN.com's list of "September surprises" in this year's transfer class. College football reporter Max Olson had redshirt sophomore center Brock Riker and redshirt freshman punt returner Zay Robinson on his "unexpected all-portal team." Riker, a Texas State import, "has transitioned nicely into the Big Ten and looks poised for a strong season," Olson noted. And Robinson, one of 24 former Iowa State players on PSU's roster, earned praise for his contributions in the kicking game and on offense as a backup wideout. 3 Dual meets slated to take place at the BRYCE JORDAN CENTER during the upcoming wres- tling season. The Nittany Lions will travel across campus to face West Virginia on Dec. 13, Michigan on Jan. 15 and Iowa on Feb. 5. Penn State brings an 86-match dual- meet winning streak into the upcoming campaign, which begins Nov. 12 when Bloomsburg visits Rec Hall. 11 Goals by then-freshman Jackson Smith last season, a total that led all Big Ten defensemen. A native of Calgary, Alberta, Smith was one of 12 players to receive preseason All-Big Ten honors in September, earning a second-team nod heading into his sophomore campaign. 59-2 Penn State's football record since 2014 in games in which it led by 10 or more points at halftime. The two losses came at the hands of Ohio State in 2017 and Wisconsin on Sept. 26. Nine years ago, the Nittany Lions led the Buckeyes by 11 points at the break, only to fall, 39-38, in Columbus. And in this year's Big Ten opener against the visiting Badgers, Penn State was up 17-7 after 30 minutes but couldn't hold on in the sec- ond half, losing 24-20. 62-0 Penn State's all-time record against Iowa in women's volleyball. The Nittany Lions earned the most recent of those wins on Oct. 3 at Rec Hall when they defeated the Hawkeyes in four sets (22- 25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-19). 40th Rocco Becht's spot in Bill Connelly's ranking of all Power Four quarterbacks nationally following the first month of the 2026 season. The ESPN.com analytics guru had the redshirt senior 34th coming out of spring practice but downgraded him in his first set of in-season rankings. "After torching three bad defenses to start the season, Becht faced Wisconsin, played iffy at first (5.0 yards per dropback in the first three quarters) and collapsed down the stretch (2.3 per dropback in the fourth)," Connelly wrote. "That's not in- credibly encouraging — nor is a No. 75 ranking in third-down conversions — but Becht has enough of a track record that we'll still assume some level of upside." 413 Rushing yards surrendered by Penn State in its 34- 13 loss to Northwestern on Oct. 2. It was the fourth- highest single-game rushing total ever compiled by a PSU opponent. Michigan State still holds the record after gouging the Nittany Lions for 452 yards in 1997. Trailing the Spartans are Notre Dame, which rushed for 425 yards versus Penn State in 1989, and Michigan, which amassed 418 yards on the ground in 2022. By The Numbers PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 6 17