Blue White Illustrated

S E P T E m B E R 6 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O m 10 T I M   O W E N | O W E N . T I m . B W I @ G m A I L . c O m While Mike Hull answered questions during postgame interviews, at times his voice would crack and he could barely be heard amid the buzz of the Beaver Sta- dium media room. Asked if he had lost his voice, Hull smiled and responded yes, adding that it was because he was "getting everyone fired up on the sidelines." Not always what you'd expect from Hull, normally a mild-mannered leader. But he said in this game, it was needed. "It was a tough game, 7-0 for most of it," Hull said, "so I had to keep everyone fired up." That he did. In addition to being vocal on the sideline and in the halAime locker room, Hull, a fiAh-year senior, led by ex- ample on the field. In the first half – dur- ing which the score was 7-0 for 27 of the 30 minutes – Hull was the defense's biggest playmaker. He tallied eight tack- les, a sack and a violent pass breakup in the first two quarters. And when they went into the locker room at half, Penn State still only led by seven points. In order to make sure his team would build on that advantage, while not allowing a touchdown from the Zips, Hull took the floor. "Every time you go out there, you have to be prepared for a dogfight," he said. "I knew we played a good first half; we just had to keep it going. I didn't want anyone to rest on their laurels at halAime. I just wanted to keep them pumped up." Per his teammates, the halAime speech worked. The defense kept Akron out of the end zone for the remainder of the game, allowing only a field goal in Penn State's 21-3 home-opening victory. And when it mattered most – on fourth down in the fourth quarter in the red zone – one of Hull's fellow linebackers came up big. Brandon Bell hit Akron QB Kyle Pohl as he was throwing the ball and it fell incomplete, clinching the win for Penn State. It was Bell who disrupted the throw, but he said it was Hull who pushed him to make the play. "Mike is always doing the right thing," Bell said. "If you follow behind him, you'll do just fine." With this new O-line, Belton and Lynch are much better than Zwinak because they can make defenders miss. I also have to question Hack in the game with four minutes left. McSorley should get a shot. Don't risk getting Hack injured for no reason. Nitfan The video boards are nice, but the addi- tional ads displayed are an eyesore. Also, it would be nice if they displayed the game clock, yard lines, timeouts, etc., at the bottoms. Tough to see that stuff on the digital boards under the ribbon things. TPSU_Lion I hate to keep hammering them, but the Big Ten looks awful. It is just embarrassing. I hate to say it, but I hope Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State win tonight. LioninHouston We start getting turnovers, and we're going to be a real tough out. I liked the game. Had to listen to it on radio, but it seemed to me our de- fense had to step it up two times at the start of each half and came up big in the red zone. What's not to like about that? This is all about team. I like it! theXbomber On to Rutgers... 2 and 0, and after the Rutgers game we will be 3 and 0. A lot of my PSU buddies are going to this one, and they all live in New Jersey. A ton of PSU alumni in the Pliladelphia superb of South Jersey. I think the PSU turnout makes this feel more like a "home" game. dawgduice Steve Manuel FROM THE WEB ONLINE REAcTION TO PSU'S LATEST GAmE HIT MAN Hull leads a fierce PSU defensive effort vs. Akron THE BIG HURT Hull led the Nit- tany Lions with 11 tackles against Akron.

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