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| P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> arcus Allen was nearly in tears. His Nittany Lions had just wrapped up one of the more improbable feats in college football, bouncing back from a 21-point deficit to beat Wisconsin in the Big Ten Champi- onship Game. His 11 stops, including a win-sealing stuff of Badgers running back Corey Clement on fourth-and-1 late in the fourth quarter helped open the possibility of a berth in the College Foot- ball Playoff. Yet in that celebratory moment, the usually effervescent safety was consumed by a year's worth of emotion, not the whims of the CFP selection committee. "It's whatever the committee wants to do. If they want to let us go to a bowl game, that's fine with us. If they want us to go to the playoffs, that's fine with us. I'm just enjoying this win right here, to be honest," Allen said. "I did this for my grandmother, my grandfather, my JV coach who just passed. It's crazy. I lost all of them in one year. I had to show them I was going to play this game for them, and I did, and it feels so good." Outwardly, Allen offered few indica- tions that his season had been so filled with personal struggles. He had set in motion a season-defining play for Penn State, as his block of a fourth-quarter field goal led to a 60-yard scoop-and-score by Grant Haley and a 24-21 upset of No. 2 Ohio State. He also finished the year with a team-best 110 tackles, and he recovered two fumbles, broke up three passes and had six tackles for loss. After the regular season, the Big Ten coaches named him to their third-team All-Conference squad. Through it all, Allen's heart was weighed down by personal losses. While he was taking part in last year's winter workout sessions, his grand- mother, Thelma Allen, died. That sum- mer, his grandfather, Clyde Allen, also passed away. Residents of Pittsburgh's Homewood neighborhood, the Allens had been close to their grandson, hosting him in the summer months and creating memories he still holds dear. "They had a whole bunch of cookouts. My grandmother would make deviled eggs, my grandfather would make Coco Wheats," Allen recalled. "So that hit hard. I just knew from the jump I was going to have them behind me for the rest of my life. I knew they were going to be there for me. I know for a fact they're there with me every step." Playing the season in their memory, Allen found introspection and motivation in their losses. At 20 years old, he had never before lost a family member, and while he took comfort in the idea that his grandparents were in a better place, he also began to think differently about his relationships. He had become known for his teeth-baring grin and for the light- hearted posts that he shared with his 35,000 Twitter followers on a daily basis, but suddenly he found himself thinking more deeply about the most important people in his life. "It made me feel like you can't take anything for granted," he said. "You al- ways wish that you could talk to them one more time. But when my grandmother started getting sick, when the bad stuff started kicking in, that's when you have to go see her. But why wait until that? So that opened my eyes to that, and I just tried to make sure I stayed in contact with the people that I love. You make sure that you call your family." Although he felt he had matured through the experiences, Allen's season of loss was not over. One day before the Nittany Lions would complete their regular season with a 45-12 win against Michigan State, another influ- ential figure in his life passed away. His junior varsity football coach at Wise High School in suburban Washington, D.C., Jeff Johnson, known to friends as Big Jeff, died unexpectedly after being found unrespon- sive at his home. Allen was devastated, and he dedicated his performance against the Spartans to Johnson's memory. Now, he's determined to do it for an en- tire season. After thinking about jumping to the NFL following his junior year, Allen decided to return to Penn State for his final season of eligibility. The feedback he had received from the league's draft advisory board had been largely positive, but an abundance of talent at safety in the 2017 class helped dissuade him from moving on. He returned to Penn State feeling com- pletely comfortable with his decision and excited about the opportunity to play with his teammates for one final season. He embraced the daily work necessary for RETURN MAN M Personal losses inspire standout safety Marcus Allen to make the most of his final season with the Lions C O V E R S T O R Y

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