Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/95089
The best and the rest from the Nittany JUDGMENT P LAYER OF THE GAME If it has to be nar- rowed down to one guy, it's tough to ignore the play of Jor- dan Hill, who racked up a monster afternoon with 12 tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss. That said, everything about the day revolved around Penn State's seniors, who ce- mented their place in program his- tory with the win. PLAY OF THE GAME On fourth-and-6 from the Wisconsin 41-yard line, Matt Mc- Gloin sat back in the pocket and found tight end Jesse James wide open to his left 20 yards downfield. James caught the pass and scooted into the end zone. BEST RUN Wisconsin running back Montee Ball's 17-yard scamper down the right sideline went for a touch- down, offering the Badgers an early 14-7 lead. It was Ball's 79th touch- down in his career, setting an NCAA record. BEST CATCH Wisconsin receiver Melvin Gordon opened the afternoon with a bang for the Badgers, taking a short screen pass 57 yards down the right sideline to take a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. WORST DROP Wisconsin receiver Kenzel Doe had a sure first down on a quick slant early in the fourth quarter, but the ball slipped through his hands COACHSPEAK CLEARING THE AIR Bill O'Brien discusses a third-quarter touchdown call that was overturned after replay review. "I want to know what was said from upstairs to downstairs," he said. "I want to know what that conversation entails." Steve Manuel N O V E M B E R 2 4 , 2 0 1 2 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Steve Manuel and to the turf, setting up a punt. BEST EFFORT Stephon Morris managed to bat away a nice pass by Wiscon- sin's Curt Phillips on a key third down midway through the third quarter. BEST SACK Wisconsin's Brendan Kelly halted Penn State's drive to open the second quarter when he sacked Mc- Gloin for a 13-yard loss. BEST KICK Sam Ficken nailed his first field goal attempt of the afternoon, a 23-yarder. A 32-yarder later in the quarter was even better. None, though, were as good as his 37-yard winner in overtime. BEST RETURN With his team trailing 21- 14 early in the fourth quarter, Doe took Ficken's kickoff 44 yards, shift- ing and cutting his way across the field, twice, before finally coming down at the Penn State 49. MOST TELLING MOMENT With Penn State leading 21-14 early in the fourth quarter, Beaver Stadium's sound sys- tem blared Frank Sinatra's "Let it Snow!" as flurries fell from the sky onto the exuberant crowd of 93,505. - NATE BAUER PLAYER OF THE GAME Playing his final game in Beaver Stadium, Jordan Hill wreaked havoc on the Wiscon- sin offense, fin- ishing with 12 tackles and two sacks. Lions' thrilling overtime victory CALLS