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has more immediate concerns. While Franklin acknowledged that the need to get freshmen up to speed quickly can "help build relationships and chemistry between older players and younger play- ers," it also can create tension. He re- counted a conversation he had last year with senior guard Miles Dieffenbach, who at the time was trying to come back from an off-season knee injury. "He was fifth-team on the depth chart, and our freshmen showed up last year and they were second-team and taking almost as many reps as he was in practice," Franklin said. "And I think there's a little bit of a rite of passage in football. You're sent to the scout team for a year and you earn your stripes down there and then kind of come up, whereas our guys didn't really have the ability to do that. "So yeah, I think having these [younger] guys playing allows the older guys and the young guys to form a bond and connect, but I also think that some of the old guys will say that Penn State is a blue-collar program and you come in and you earn your stripes. There were a lot of different dynamics that we had going on last year that maybe we hadn't had in the past." Many of those players went on to make major contributions last season, proving to the veterans that they belonged on the fast track. That process has recurred this season. The freshmen, Hackenberg said, "have done what they needed to do indi- vidually to make sure they prepared them- selves to be able to play. They've also done what they needed to do for our football team with how they've sacrificed and how they've prepared and how they've caught on to things and picked things up to be able to be put in a situation to play. "They've earned their jobs," he added. "Nothing is given to them. It's awesome to see those guys take that initiative and that type of focus and mentality and see how much they care about it. It obviously creates competition, and competition brings the best out in each and every one of us. So I think that's huge for our football team. They've done a great job of making plays for us, and they're going to continue to do so." ■ T H E 2 0 1 5 S E A S O N College football's regular season may be winding down, but its awards season is heating up. Here's a look at some Penn Staters who are in contention for national honors. CARL NASSIB As he gets set to wrap up a storybook senior season, Nassib is un- der consideration for a number of national postseason awards. The senior defen- sive end is a semifinalist for the Rotary Lombardi and Bednarik awards and was re- cently placed on the midseason watch lists for the Ted Hendricks Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy. He also has been nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy. The Lombardi Award is given annually to the nation's top offensive or defensive lineman or linebacker. Bruce Clark is Penn State's lone Lombardi winner, having claimed the award in 1978. The four finalists were set to be named on Nov. 17, and the winner will be announced at the Bayou Music Center in Houston on Dec. 9. As of mid-November, Nassib was one of 12 candidates. The Bednarik Award has been presented to the college defensive player of the year since 1995. Penn State players have claimed it four times, more than any school in the nation. Paul Posluszny, LaVar Arrington and Dan Connor are the Li- ons' Bednarik recipients, with Posluszny winning it twice. Nassib is one of 20 can- didates. Three finalists will be announced Nov. 24, and the winner will be named during the "Home Depot College Football Awards Show" Dec. 10 in Atlanta. The Hendricks Award goes to the nation's top defensive end and is named in honor of college football's first three-time first-team All-American. The selection committee will cast two votes: one to narrow the list of candidates to six or fewer finalists, and one to choose the winner. The final midseason watch list will be an- nounced in late November, with the winner to be named Dec. 9. The Lott IMPACT Trophy, presented by the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, is given annually to the defensive player who best embodies the characteristics ex- hibited by former USC and San Francisco 49ers great Ronnie Lott. Nassib joins teammate Anthony Zettel on the list. The Burlsworth Trophy goes to the nation's top player who began his career as a walk-on. Nassib is one of 55 nominees for the honor, which is to be presented by the Springdale (Ark.) Rotary Club on Dec. 7. Former Nittany Lion quarterback Matt McGloin won the award in 2012. CHRIS GODWIN After coming on strong in games against Ohio State and Mary- land, Godwin was added to the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, which goes to the nation's outstanding receiver. He joins teammate DaeSean Hamilton on the list. Bobby Engram was the inaugural award winner in 1994 and is the only Penn State player to claim the honor. This year's award will be presented live Dec. 10 during the "The Home Depot College Football Awards Show." BEN KLINE The senior linebacker is a nominee for the Wuerffel Trophy, which is presented by the All Sports Association in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and salutes players who excel athletically, academically and in community service. Kline has served as president of Penn State's Uplifting Athletes chapter for the past two years. In 2014, Uplifting Athletes raised $140,000 for kidney cancer awareness and research at its Lift for Life event. The 2015 edition of Lift for Life had approximately 2,500 fans in attendance and raised $120,000. Kline has also been involved in THON and Special Olympics and co-founded a student organization that benefits a Kenyan orphanage. TROY REEDER, TYLER YAZUJIAN Reeder, a redshirt freshman linebacker, and Yazujian, a junior long snapper, have been selected to the CoSIDA Academic All- District team and are now eligible for the Academic All-America team. Yazujian owns a 3.86 grade point average in information sciences and technology and is a six-time Dean's List honoree. Reeder has a 3.80 GPA and was a Dean's List recipi- ent his first two semesters on campus. A W A R D W A T C H

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