Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/162954
Unsung hero: Sam Ficken. All KO's into the end zone. 3-3 on FGs. 2-2 EPs. Career long FG. Rick76 ALL-PURPOSE ObengAgyapong played safety and linebacker for the Nittany Lions, filling in for Hull after the starting outside linebacker went down with a knee injury. Steve Manuel THE PUNISHER Obeng-Agyapong puts a hurting on Syracuse offense TIM OWEN | OW E N. T I M . B W I @ G M A I L . c O M EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Stephen Obeng-Agyapong is listed as a safety on Penn State's official roster, but after the Nittany Lions' game against Syracuse on Saturday, his days as only a defensive back are numbered. The senior from the Bronx, N.Y., played all over the field for Penn State in its 23-17 victory in MetLife Stadium. He lined up at safety, at nickel back, on special teams, and perhaps he was most effective when he lined up at Sam linebacker – a position at which he's been practicing throughout preseason drills, and one at which he was especially needed at when Mike Hull went down with a knee injury. While he played a variety of positions, he also made a variety of plays. ObengAgyapong finished the game with eight tackles, one forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception. But the play that was he most talkative about after the game was his fourth-quarter sack, which nearly knocked the helmet off quarterback Drew Allen. A U G U S T Obeng-Agyapong called it the biggest hit of his collegiate career. "I just felt good about it," he said. "I looked around to make sure no flags [were thrown], because I was kind of close to his head so I just put my head down and did what I had to do. " If there was ever a question whether he could handle the physicality of being a linebacker, that play answered it. Asked if that officially made him a linebacker, he responded by saying, "I guess that game sealed the deal. We'll see what happens down the line." He's OK with whatever Bill O'Brien wants him to do, and as O'Brien stated after the game, the Nittany Lions have a lot planned for him this season. "We've asked him to play safety, we've asked him to play linebacker, we've asked him to play nickel, we've asked him to learn how to blitz, how to play the run in the box, how to play coverage," O'Brien said. "What more can we ask of that guy? He's a fantastic kid, and he's a very important part of our program. " 3 1 , 2 0 1 3 10 The TD to Eugene Lewis was a thing of beauty! Just a beautiful TD. That was something that I hope to see more of, Hack going deep... wow. I haven't stopped smiling since that play. Our receiving corps looks FROM very good. Roadracertwo THE WEB We were conservative ONLINE REAcTION TO PSU'S at times, but you LATEST GAME think that having a true frosh QB in his first college game was maybe, just maybe, a factor? Also, except for a couple plays, the Syracuse offense did jack squat all game, so being conservative and relying on the defense made sense. BruceK-PSU83 It's for sure that the positive feedback on Lucas and Williams was spot on. I think it is safe to say that we look set at starting DB for several years looking forward. Love everything about their play today. Northwoods OB's play-calling showed the experience he has in both the NFL and college football. We may not like or understand it, but do any of you know where Hack or Ferg is? No we don't. All I will say is just watch and enjoy the ride. Try to understand that what actually took place today is very rare. A freshman QB won on a huge stage. Not only that, he showed tremendous poise. We are truly blessed to have what we have. Is it perfect? Not yet, but this is going to be fun and damn exciting. HotShoe B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M