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S E P T E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 14 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 DaeSean Hamilton has done it. The senior wide receiver from Fredericks- burg, Va., has now caught more passes than any other player in Penn State his- tory. In the Nittany Lions' 45-14 victory over Indiana Saturday in Beaver Sta- dium, Hamilton posted a game-high nine receptions for 122 yards and three touch- downs – all en route to setting the school record for receptions. It was his seventh and eighth recep- tions that did it. Hamilton entered his final season as one of multiple Nittany Lions who were closing in on school history. He began the year only 18 catches shy of Deon Butler's career mark of 179 receptions. With a 24-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter against the Hoosiers, Hamilton tied record. Then with a leap- ing sideline grab for 25 yards in the fourth, he surpassed the mark of Butler, who played for the same high school coach as Hamilton. "It means a lot," Hamilton said of his feat. "It's a credit to all my teammates I've had here. It was a lot of hard work, and I appreciate all the guys who worked hard with me. They basically battled through and basically got to me this point. ... It hasn't really hit me yet, but it's going to hit me later on." He wasn't done yet. Hamilton began building on the history books with his 181st catch in the fourth quarter. Hauling in a trick-play throw from Saquon Barkley, he scored a 16-yard TD to cap the scoring for the day. It was his third TD grab of the a?ernoon, a?er catching an 8-yarder in the first quarter. Not only does he now sit alone atop the record chart for receivers, Hamilton also has a multi-touchdown game on his re- sume. Before Saturday, he had never scored more than one touchdown in a game. Coaches, teammates and Hamilton himself couldn't have been happier on Saturday. SETTING THE STANDARD DaeSean Hamilton stands atop the Nittany Lions' career receiving chart "I think he's a great example for our younger players. I think he's a great ex- ample in general. He gets here as a true freshman he has a pre-existing injury and sits out his entire freshman year. The next year he plays as a redshirt fresh- man and has a huge year. One year he leads the Big Ten in catches. The next year his numbers go way down. He stays positive. He just keeps working and grinding through it, and he's had a great career. He's been a great leader. He's been a great teammate. He's a great student. They've been playing football at Penn State for a long time. There have been a bunch of really good players, so whenever you can say you're the all-time leader at Penn State, then that's pretty special." JAMES FRANKLIN "He's a playmaker. Rarely does he drop the ball in practice. I've never seen him drop the ball in practice. If you ask me – I might be a little biased – but we have the best receiving corps in the Big Ten, even the country. They're play- makers, and when they get the rock in their hand they can make things happen. You see videos and you can ask anyone on the staff, anyone on the team, he has the best work ethic on the team. He's there from sunup to sundown. I'm not the only one saying that. You can ask anybody on the team." RYAN BATES "There is no guy on this team who is a better leader and better player and a better role model. No guy deserves it more than him. He works countless hours, hours that nobody even knows about – early mornings and late nights at times. He's 100-percent bought-in on football. That's what he dedicates his life to." TRACE McSORLEY "It's huge. That guy works so hard. You see him before practice, a?er practice running more routes, just perfecting his cra? in general. To me you look at that and see what he does and what he does in practice all you can do is be proud and be happy for him. You're not necessarily surprised. He is a dude who works. All he knows is work. He has such a great work ethic. That comes from his parents, the way he grew up, so he's a very special person. I'm very happy for him." JASON CABINDA "His routes are crispy. If you're not on him, he's open. You might be a little off of him and he's going to make that catch. That's why I love going against him in practice and one-on-ones. He gets me better. He's someone who is going to get you better. … He hasn't changed. His demeanor and work ethic, it's just even more. He's always had that work ethic [and strives] to be something extra or doing something before practice or a?er practice. That's always been him. That's his motto." MARCUS ALLEN W H A T T H E Y ' R E S A Y I N G

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