Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien addresses the media after Saturday’s 24-21 overtime win against Wisconsin.
A first-year head coach, O’Brien talked about what he was thinking before Wisconsin attempted a game-tying field goal to force a second overtime and more.
Penn State senior quarterback Matt McGloin, sophomore kicker Sam Ficken and senior cornerback Stephon Morris talk about Saturday’s 24-21 overtime win against Wisconsin on Saturday night at Beaver Stadium.
The Nittany Lions finished the 2012 season with an 8-4 overall record. They went 6-2 in Big Ten play.
Penn State celebrated its 24-21 overtime win against Wisconsin with its fans at Beaver Stadium. Erie Times-News sport reporter Duane Rankin got right in the heart of the celebratory scene Saturday night.
Check out how Penn State senior right tackle Mike Farrell, senior linebacker Gerald Hodges and senior defensive tackle Jordan Hill each reacted to the win.
Erie Times-News sports reporter Duane Rankin captures Sam Ficken’s game-winning field goal of 37 yards in Penn State’s 24-21 overtime win against Wisconsin at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.
Kyle French missed a 44-yard field goal wide left that would have forced a second overtime.
Erie Times-News Sports reporter Duane Rankin captured Wisconsin’s game-tying touchdown with 18 seconds left in regulation to force overtime against Penn State at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 24.
Curt Phillips hit Jeff Duckworth for a 4-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-goal. The Badgers lost the game in overtime, 24-21.
Erie Times-News sports reporter Duane Rankin captured Penn State entering Beaver Stadium for the final time in this 2012 season.
The players wore No. 42 on their helmets for senior captain Michael Mauti, who is out with a knee injury. The Nittany Lions beat Wisconsin in overtime, 24-21, in their season finale.
Let’s recap Week 12, shall we?
Game of the week: No. 14 Stanford at No. 1 Oregon
Final score: Cardinal 17, Ducks 14 (OT)
Here are three college football games worth watching in Week 12.
Game of the week: No. 14 Stanford Cardinal (8-2, 6-1 Pac-12) at No. 1 Oregon Ducks (10-0, 7-0 Pac-12), Saturday, 8 p.m., WJET (ABC)
Pregame rant: The Ducks are No. 1 in both national polls and second in the BCS standings, but all that will mean nothing if they fall to Stanford.
They won’t, though. The Cardinal aren’t going into Eugene with a redshirt freshman quarterback and beating the Ducks in their final regular-season home game.
Don’t get me wrong. Kevin Hogan is good. Real good.
He was clutch in last week’s win against Oregon State in his first collegiate start. In addition, Stanford is first in the nation in rushing defense.
The Cardinal are allowing 58.60 yards on the ground. So they’re up to the challenge of stopping Heisman candidate Kenjon Barner, who is second in points with 120 (20 TDs) and fourth in rushing (136 ypg.).
Barner had what looked like a right hand or wrist injury against Cal. He’ll likely play Saturday, but if it keeps him from being the difference maker he is, the Ducks could be in the trouble.
The problem for Stanford is it will have the same problem every other team has had against the Ducks. You fall behind early and can’t go score for score with them.
Say Stanford trails 14-0 or 17-3 or 21-10 by the midway point in the second quarter. It will be down 42-20 going into the fourth.
No one can go score for score with the Ducks. No one.
Here are three college football games worth watching in Week 11.
Game of the week: No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies (7-2, 4-2 SEC) at No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0, 6-0 SEC), Saturday, 3:30 p.m., WSEE (CBS)
Pregame rant: Texas A&M has won seven of its last eight games since losing its opener. The Aggies’ two conference losses are to Florida and LSU.
Those defeats aside, Texas A&M has made a better adjustment to SEC football than Missouri has. So the Aggies will be ready Saturday. The question is will that matter against the Tide?
Alabama is No. 1 nationally in scoring defense (9.11 points allowed a game), but LSU exposed that D a little bit. The Aggies are fourth in the nation in scoring offense (44.67 points a game).
If freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel is on his game, the Tide will have their hands full. One of the most exciting players in college football, Manziel has 2,527 yards passing, 922 yards rushing and 31 total touchdowns (16 passing, 15 rushing).
Let’s recap Week 10, shall we?
Game of the week: No. 1 Alabama at No. 5 LSU
Final score: Tide 21, Tigers 17
Pregame rant: As good as this game will be, we don’t want to see the Tide and Tigers play in the national title game again.
Alabama hasn’t lost since it fell 9-6 in overtime at home to the Tigers. The Tide dominated LSU in the national title game, but the Tigers can avenge that loss and really put themselves in the national title picture.
The Tide are first in the nation in run defense. LSU is eighth. So the team that has the better quarterback should win Saturday.
Edge Alabama.
A.J. McCarron has thrown 18 touchdowns, no interceptions and can make all the throws. If Zach Mettenberger is called upon to beat the Tide, it’s not going down.
Post-game commentary: McCarron wasn’t his best until it matter most.
With that Death Valley crowd roaring and ready to pounce on him for predicting the Tide would win, McCarron was 4-of-5 for 72 yards and a game-winning touchdown pass with 51 seconds left to beat the rival Tigers.
Mettenberger actually played well. Was 24-of-35 for 298 yards and a touchdown.
Truth be told, the Tigers had this game won. They had more yards, won the turnover and time ouf possession battle and limited Alabama to 1-of-9 on third-down conversions.
So why did they lose? Penalties and bad play calling.
The Tigers had seven penalties for 51 yards and LSU coach Les Miles called a fake field goal on a 4th-and-12 play down 7-3 in the first half. It failed miserably.
