Blue White Illustrated

BIG MAPLE Zach Zwinak, Bill Belton and Lynch (pictured) combined to rush for 259 yards and five touchdowns with an average of 8.9 yards per carry. Bill Anderson TRYING TO KEEP UP The Nittany Lions' running back trio sets the pace LORI  SHONTZ | blue white contRibutoR Akeel Lynch didn't get the news until halftime. His number was being retired in honor of John Cappelletti, who had worn No. 22 when he won the Heisman Trophy in 1973, as part of an undefeated Penn State team. Lynch knew all about Cappelletti. He had wanted No. 5 when he came to Penn State, but equipment manager Spider Caldwell had handed him No. 22 and mentioned that the number had a rich history. Lynch said he had made it his business to learn about the number's legacy. He said after the Blue-White Game that he was proud to wear it. And he's thrilled that he gets to keep it. Cappelletti sought him out in the locker room after the game and assured him that the number belonged to Lynch until his Penn State career was over. "Thank God — I don't want to change my number, Lynch said. "This is a beau" tiful number. " Lynch was equally happy to see his first action as a Nittany Lion. The redshirt freshman carried 13 times for 108 yards and a touchdown — and that touchdown was important, he stressed with a big grin after the game. His fellow tailbacks, S e P t e m b e R starter Zach Zwinak and backup Bill Belton, had each scored two touchdowns, and if he had gone down short of the end zone in the fourth quarter… well, let's just say he would have heard about it. Belton — who also rushed for 108 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter — confirmed Lynch's suspicion. "Just a little bit, he said. "Not too " bad. He's like my little brother. " Zwinak, Belton and Lynch combined for 259 yards and five touchdowns — and averaged 8.9 yards per carry. While this did come against an Eastern Michigan defense that gave up 202 yards to Howard, an FCS team, it was an improvement from Week One, when Penn State gained only 57 rushing yards. "It was nice to see them get it going," coach Bill O'Brien said. Belton played his best game since last season against Iowa, when he rushed for 103 yards, and Lynch not only played well, but showed he had captured the fans' attention. Lynch, a Canadian, said the fourth-quarter "USA" chants were his favorite part of the game, and he shook the hand of the fan who made a "Big Maple" sign in his honor. 7 , 2 0 1 3 11 Next week will tell us all we need to know about this team. UCF is good, big and fast. Remember, they are loaded with Florida athletes. dawgduice Third downs are going to kill this team. Happy with the win, but we cannot be this bad on third down and get a good result in the future weeks. Kasandro FROM THE WEB Today I thought we tackled reasonably online well. There were still Reaction some misses, but to PSu'S lateSt Game that will happen. This defense looks pretty good. Jones is a monster, and with Carson behind him we are strong in the gut. The secondary play is much better – both athletically and physically. I'm also impressed with Wartman. Physically, he looks the part of a future beast. dcbarbera Two players that I hope we see more of: Anthony Zettel and Matt Zanellato. I really like both of those guys. Ceasar I thought the pregame was pretty neat. Just before the Zombie Nation and the team coming out of the tunnel, the excitement was escalating. The video had our players on the screen telling the crowd to get up and get loud. Looked like the players had a great time filming it. Donovan Smith really was fired up! It was actually pretty good for a noon game. I expect it to be crazy for the big games. PennStateTurf2002 It wasn't a bad crowd at all. This team is exciting with a stud at quarterback. Go to a game and help with attendance. PSUPride1 b l u e w h i t e o n l i n e . c o m

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