Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/617289
att Baney, Anthony Zettel and Christian Hackenberg each took a turn in front of the reporters who had gathered in Penn State's media room. For regulars Zettel and Hack- enberg, it was the last midweek press con- ference before what was likely their last game in Beaver Stadium. For Baney, it was his first. A key scout-team player, the leader of the defensive line and the starting quar- terback – although their team responsi- bilities differ greatly, Baney, Zettel and Hackenberg were the faces PSU wanted to place in front of the cameras that week, leading up to the final home game of the year. They personify three types of stu- dent-athlete who have helped hold Penn State's storied program together through what could have been the most divisive times, achieving a winning record in four consecutive seasons in the face of what were supposed to be program-killing sanc- tions set forth by the NCAA. As head coach James Franklin said, "They're the glue and the foundation that stood strong when Penn State needed them most." Hackenberg was not among the pregame honorees when Penn State played Michigan in November, but the parade of departing players did include Baney, a State College townie who abandoned a full-ride schol- arship one year into his career at a smaller Division I university – after starting as a true freshman – in favor of paying his own way at University Park. That, after M STANDING A resilient band of upperclassmen prepare to play their final game LAST MEN FLOWER POWER Franklin greets Zettel during his introduction on Penn State's sen- ior day. Photo by Bill Anderson