Blue White Illustrated

this football program." Penn State will be honoring 17 seniors, including nine regular starters. One of those seniors is Ty Howle, who took over the first-team center position this year and has started all 10 games so far. A North Carolina native, Howle grew up 450 miles from Penn State but signed with the Nittany Lions in part because of the continual success the football program had enjoyed over the years. His father, David, is head coach at Bunn High School, and that has made for some busy weekends. After the Bunn High Wildcats finish their game on Friday night, the Howles get in the family car and drive seven hours to University Park. Saturday will be their last game-day trip to Penn State, and Ty expects it to be an emotional afternoon. "It's been a long time here at Penn State, and this is what I've known for the past five years," he said. "As far as this week goes, I'm trying not to think about it. I'm focusing on playing Nebraska and going out and getting this win, but it's obviously going to be on all of our minds. "It's bittersweet," he added. "We're looking forward to the opportunity to play Nebraska and play in Beaver Stadium again. But it's going to be tough knowing this is our last opportunity." O'Brien praised the seniors' academic commitment. While John Urschel has gotten a lot of media attention for his success at combining football with graduate-level mathematics, he's not been the only classroom standout. "We've got a lot of guys who have already graduated and are working on a second degree," O'Brien said. "That, to me, is very, very impressive. And like I said, you've got a lot of good football players. You have guys in this senior class who have really embraced their role, whether it's Stephen Obeng or Pat Zerbe or Alex Butterworth, Brandon Felder, Garry Gilliam, whoever it may be. "That is a big part of it, too. To me, they set the tone every week. They showed our younger guys how to practice and came back with intensity whether it was following a win or a loss. They stuck with this university, they stuck with this program, and they didn't have to after the sanctions came out. I think that says it all about this class. " N O V E M B E R Gilliam, Baublitz opt to forgo final season with Nittany Lions Among the Nittany Lions who will be playing their final home game on Saturday are three scholarship players who have opted to forgo their final season of eligibility: defensive tackle Kyle Baublitz, offensive tackle Garry Gilliam and receiver Alex Kenney. Of the three, Gilliam was the biggest surprise. Kenney has played sparingly, catching only three passes for 25 yards this season, and Baublitz is a secondary education major who is eager to start his teaching career. But Gilliam, who suffered a severe knee injury as a redshirt freshman, had petitioned for an extra year after moving from tight end to tackle during the past off-season and had given no indication that he wasn't going to use it. Coach Bill O'Brien declined to discuss the specifics of his conversations with those players, saying only that "they've decided to move on to the next stage of their lives next year. " Baublitz and Gilliam have combined to make 12 starts for the Nittany Lions so far this season. Said O'Brien, "They've been really good players for us and good leaders for us. We're looking forward to watching them play these last two games, especially this last home game. " Another player who will be introduced to the crowd before the Nebraska game – senior tight end Matt Lehman – may yet return to the team next season. Lehman is expected to petition for an extra year of eligibility after his 2013 season ended when he went down with a knee injury in the Nittany Lions' opener against Syracuse. O'Brien said Lehman's inclusion with the graduating seniors on Saturday was "more of a 'just in case' deal." "I think it's a special thing when you get introduced in front of the home crowd, O'Brien said, "so I want these " guys, if this is their last home game, to have that opportunity because I think 2 0 , 2 0 1 3 13 GARRY GILLIAM Bill Anderson SENIOR DAY HONOREES NAME POS Kyle Baublitz DT Kevin Blanchard OT Alex Butterworth P Glenn Carson LB Bryan Davie OG Brandon Felder WR Garry Gilliam OT Adam Gress OT Ty Howle C DaQuan Jones DT Alex Kenney WR Matt Lehman TE Stephen Obeng-Agyapong Saf./LB Eric Shrive OT John Urschel OG Malcolm Willis Saf. Pat Zerbe FB CLASS 2010 2011 2010 2010 2012 2009 2009 2009 2009 2010 2010 2011 2009 2009 2009 2009 2009 Penn State will also honor student managers Justin O'Brien, Tony Pernice and Chris Venturino it's a special thing. It's a special stadium. "I hate to use the word hope. I'm not a big fan of that word sometimes, but I'm hoping that it's a great crowd. I think these kids deserve a great crowd, so I wanted to make sure he got introduced. " – M.H. B LUE WH I T E ON L I N E. COM

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