Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/216213
Brandon Bell played a great game today. Makes me feel a little better about the linebackers for next seacpn1sgm son. Bill Anderson SENIOR MOMENT Penn State said goodbye to 17 seniors Saturday, including Jones and Urschel. LONG FAREWELL Departing seniors put their unique stamp on Penn State LORI SHONTZ | After watching the game and letting the loss sink in a little, it really felt like the team was playing not to lose instead of playing to win. I mean, to me, the kids gave 110 percent today, however, FROM some of the playTHE calling was suspect. WEB My point: This team online has nothing to lose Reaction to Psu's and everything to latest Game gain. To me, there are three different types of play calls: conservative, gutsy and risky. In my opinion, this team should be playing more toward the middle type at this point in the season. dane63 blue white contRibutoR It wasn't about the seniors, senior defensive tackle DaQuan Jones said. Of course the Nittany Lions wanted to beat Nebraska, but that was for the whole team, not just for the seniors playing their final game in Beaver Stadium. "Unfortunately," he said, "that didn't happen. " The overtime loss to Nebraska was the final game for 17 players, including probably Penn State's best-known defensive player, Jones, and its most highly publicized offensive player, John Urschel, who's gotten as much attention for his mathematical ability as his football ability – both of which are considerable. "This senior class stuck with this program and stuck with this university during a very tough, tough time," Coach Bill O'Brien said. "I think everybody needs to remember that." Urschel was clearly feeling nostalgic in his last game. When he arrived in the media room afterward, before any of the media asked a question, he asked if he could ask one. He wanted to know whether any of the reporters were not going to Wisconsin next week, and when the answer was yes, he said he needed to say something first. n o V e m b e R "I really want to thank you guys for covering us over the years, he said. "I re" ally appreciate all you guys and what you do. Sometimes you say nice things about us, sometimes not so nice. But it's always the truth. It's been a great five years for us, and I appreciate you guys. " Among the seniors honored was tight end Matt Lehman, who had a seasonending knee injury in the first quarter of the season, against Syracuse. He was one of the game captains; O'Brien said that was because Lehman probably won't get the sixth year he petitioned the NCAA for. "I couldn't think of a better guy to be captain," O'Brien said. The loss would have been tough to take in any case, Jones said. But being a senior did make it worse. "I think it amplifies it a lot," he said. "You're not ever coming back; it's your last time playing here. It makes it that much more hard to swallow. " Urschel agreed. "It was a tough loss for us," Urschel said. "It's a game we really wanted to win, our last game here at Beaver Stadium. But all in all, I can say my five years here at Beaver Stadium were some great experiences and great memories. " 2 3 , 2 0 1 3 11 It seems like Sam Ficken has not been the same since Ryan Keiser broke his hand and has been unable to hold on PATs and field goals. I noticed that the angle of the ball on the ground with either Adam Geiger or Alex Butterworth holding is tilted at a different angle, thus causing more misses to the right. dlsmithjr Bo Pelini's play-calling shows guts. Pelini called a pass on third-and-10 at the 1 in the fourth quarter. It was gutsy and saved the game for Nebraska. Give him credit. I'm sure we would have scored if we had forced them to punt. joepa2 The craziest thing I saw was Craig Fitzgerald on the sideline. I'm convinced he doesn't even own a longsleeve shirt. That's the coldest I've been in a while and he's down there dressed like it's mid-July. Crazy, man. WTNuke b l u e w h i t e o n l i n e . c o m