Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/703041
team's first play from scrimmage. Sanders had been lined up in the slot, and he slipped free down the right sideline, catching the ball over his outside shoul- der as he tumbled into the end zone. "It felt awesome, it was an amazing ex- perience," Sanders told the Centre Daily Times. "They actually told me before the game started that I was going to get the [ball on the] first play of the game. I was like, 'Dang, that's a lot of pressure.' " Named a captain before the game, the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Sanders went on to score two more touchdowns, reaching the end zone on runs of 5 and 19 yards to help Pennsylvania build a 26-point lead and hold on for a 26-14 victory on June 18 at Hersheypark Stadium. He was named Pennsylvania's MVP after finish- ing with 73 yards rushing on seven car- ries to go with his 21 receiving yards. Sanders' performance didn't come as any surprise to the Pennsylvania coach- ing staff. Indeed, it was entirely in keep- ing with their expectations. "Miles is just so special," said Matta, head coach at Downingtown East High. "The thing I like most about Miles is that he's a doer, not a talker. He's never carry- ing on and messing around on the side- lines. He's all about working hard and helping the team however he can. In games like this, you have so many players who care all about their image and how they're going to perform individually. We know Miles is going to perform for us, but you can just tell that he hasn't let all the accolades go to his head. He's been an excellent teammate all week. He's a guy who you really want to have on your squad, from a character perspective." The Nittany Lions are indeed thrilled to have him on campus. He was a rarity at Woodland Hills, playing all four varsi- ty seasons in one of the state's best high school football programs. He finished his career with 4,573 rushing yards and 59 touchdowns and was one of the most highly regarded prospects in Penn State's Class of 2016, rated the No. 1 all- purpose running back in the country by Rivals.com. Sanders wasn't the only Penn State re- cruit to excel in the Big 33 game. Line- backer Cameron Brown and wide receiv- er Dae'lun Darien played for Maryland, and both had big nights. Brown was named Maryland's defen- sive MVP after finishing the game with a team-best four tackles, all solo stops. A team captain, the 6-5, 210-pound Brown impressed the coaching staff throughout his stay at Big 33 camp with his leader- ship and athleticism. "He's done everything we've asked and always has a smile on his face when he's doing it," Maryland coach DaLawn Par- rish said. "Some of these guys just want to focus on whatever spot is best for them. They want to have the best game that they can have for themselves, but Cam is the opposite. For someone like myself and my staff, who are trying to make sure this squad is as good as it can be before Saturday night, we really ap- preciate everything he's been doing for this team this week. He came to play from the moment we got here. He's going to be a great teammate at Penn State." Darien was a late addition to Maryland's roster. Parrish, who coaches at Wise in Upper Marlboro, said he had been im- pressed by the film he had seen of the 6- 4, 205-pound receiver while putting to- gether his team. But he had been reluctant to put him on the initial roster due to con- cerns about how early Temple, the school to which Darien had originally commit- ted, would want him on campus. Those concerns became moot when Darien signed instead with Penn State. He went on to finish the Big 33 game with 40 re- ceiving yards, scoring Maryland's only of- fensive touchdown on a 35-yard catch with 5:53 to play in the fourth quarter. "He has great hands," Parrish said dur- ing the week of practice leading up to the game. "He's also very long, which is nice for us. We think he'll be great for us at the X position. One thing he's really good at is jump balls. We've thrown a couple up and to the sideline for him al- ready and he comes down with it basi- cally every chance he gets. His IQ level is very high, which is great for us. He picked up on things very fast for us. … Everything I've seen so far tells me that this young man is a real steal for not only our team here, but also Penn State." – MATT HERB & RYAN SNYDER TOUCHDOWN MAKER Darien scored Mary- land's only offensive TD in the Big 33 game, catching a 35-yard pass in the fourth quarter. Photo by Ryan Snyder