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KICKIN' FICKEN Ficken made all three of his field goal attempts, in- cluding the 37- yard game-winner. GAME GRADES QUARTERBACKS It wasn't Matt McGloin's most productive day – 19 of 37 for 200 yards – but he got the job done. A fitting end to a valiant career. GRADEB RUNNING BACKS Zach Zwinak concluded his breakout season with his biggest game yet. He finished with 179 yards and didn't fumble (although there was one close call). GRADE A Sam Ficken caps his season with a decisive field goal 'ICING ON THE CAKE' LORI SHONTZ | B L U E W H I T E C O N T R I B U T O R Sam Ficken didn't look. When Wis- consin kicker Kyle French lined up in overtime to attempt to tie the score, Ficken deliberately turned his back. And deputized back-up running back Derek Day to keep him informed. "When he went running around, and everyone was screaming on the field, that was a great feeling right there," Ficken said. The overtime win, of course, was part of that feeling, especially after the emotional Senior Day ceremonies. As was kicking the game-winning field goal. "I love touchdowns," Ficken said. "But you know, when you have that opportunity as a kicker, that's really your dream. That's what you want when you go out on the field. Every time, you want that game-winner." But there was also a bit of personal redemption for a kicker who had missed an extra point and four field goals – including the potential game- winner – against Virginia in game two, endured harsh words from fans, and then finished the season by making 10 consecutive field goals, including three against Wisconsin. His 34-yarder in overtime pulled to the left, but it was good enough to be Ficken's first game-winner in college. "I couldn't be prouder of Sam Ficken," coach Bill O'Brien said. "To think of where he came from to where we are tonight, kicking the winning kick." Never one to pass up a good-natured shot at the media, O'Brien continued: "I know none of you guys thought he was going to do that. Now, we did in the walls of Lasch. I'm kidding about that. I'm sure some of you thought he was going to get better." To hear Ficken tell it, he never wa- vered. "I have never really struggled in practice," he said. "It was just the Vir- ginia game and the Illinois game. Re- ally, other than that, I've been pretty confident in myself. In practice, I make almost every field goal. … It's fi- nally paying off, all of the little details making me more consistent." Plus, Ficken said, he had a strong circle of supporters, including his family and his teammates. One of them, punter Alex Butterworth, tweeted after the game, "I told u I wouldn't want anyone else taking that kick." Ficken did watch his own overtime kick, and he said he knew it was good immediately after he kicked the ball and looked up. "It was pretty gusty, and I was hoping the wind didn't knock it off track." Which made the ending, he said, "icing on the cake, I guess." N O V E M B E R 2 4 , 2 0 1 2 7 Steve Manuel RECEIVERS The Lions didn't have much success getting the ball to Allen Robin- son and Brandon Moseby-Felder. The two standout receivers combined for five catches for 45 yards. GRADEB- OFFENSIVE LINE The Nittany Lions opened up some nice holes for Zwinak, and while McGloin was sacked twice and pressured often, PSU outgained the Badgers 363 yards to 349. GRADEB DEFENSIVE LINE The Lions got some big- time pressure on quarterback Curt Phillips in the second half and did a nice job of keeping the Badgers in second- and third-and-long situa- tions. Fare thee well, Jordan Hill. You will be missed. GRADE A LINEBACKERS The Lions didn't need to use the Roadrunner very often, so Glenn Carson stayed on the field and had a game-high 13 tackles. Gerald Hodges went out with a bang (albeit in Michael Mauti's jersey), finishing with seven stops. GRADE A DEFENSIVE BACKS All's well that ends well. The Lions surrendered some big com- pletions late in the game, but not enough to fall behind after finally gaining the lead. GRADEB SPECIAL TEAMS Sam Ficken was 3 for 3 on field goals, continuing one of the sea- son's most impressive comeback sto- ries. GRADE A COACHES Bill O'Brien's no-guts-no-glory approach yielded the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. GRADE A CROWD The temperature was 34 degrees at kickoff, helping account for the rel- atively sparse attendance. But Penn State's definition of "relatively sparse" is 93,505 fans, which, given the weather and the absence of a post- season game to look forward to, is pretty darn respectable. GRADEB B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

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