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2006 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

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2006 Penn State Nittany Lions football
Outback Bowl champion
Outback Bowl, W 20–10 vs. Tennessee
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 25
APNo. 24
Record9–4 (5–3 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorGalen Hall (3rd season)
Offensive schemePro-style
Defensive coordinatorTom Bradley (7th season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumBeaver Stadium
Seasons
← 2005
2007 →
2006 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 2 Ohio State $   8 – 0     12 – 1  
No. 8 Michigan %   7 – 1     11 – 2  
No. 7 Wisconsin   7 – 1     12 – 1  
No. 24 Penn State   5 – 3     9 – 4  
Purdue   5 – 3     8 – 6  
Minnesota   3 – 5     6 – 7  
Indiana   3 – 5     5 – 7  
Northwestern   2 – 6     4 – 8  
Iowa   2 – 6     6 – 7  
Illinois   1 – 7     2 – 10  
Michigan State   1 – 7     4 – 8  
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • % – BCS at-large representative
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2006 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was Joe Paterno. It played its home games at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.

Preseason

[edit]

The team had key losses due to graduation, including Michael Robinson, Tamba Hali, Alan Zemaitis, Anwar Phillips, Calvin Lowry, and Ethan Kilmer. Paul Posluszny and offensive tackle Levi Brown decided to return to the team for the 2006 season, despite speculation both players would enter the NFL Draft.[1] Posluszny and star receiver Derrick Williams returned from injuries that caused them to miss time in 2005.

Paul Posluszny and Levi Brown were elected co-captains of the football team for 2006. Posluszny becomes the team's first two-time captain since 1969.[2] Posluszny was also named the 2006 Big Ten and consensus national pre-season Defensive Player of the Year.[3]

Penn State was ranked No. 19 in both the AP and Coaches college football preseason polls.

Recruiting class

[edit]
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Chris Bell
WR 		Norfolk, VA Granby HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 4.50 Oct 17, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 81
Navorro Bowman
LB 		Forestville, MD Suitland HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 218 lb (99 kg) 4.70 Dec 8, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Brett Brackett
QB 		Lawrenceville, NJ Lawrenceville, NJ 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 4.71 May 12, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 75
Brent Carter
RB 		Pottstown, PA Pottsgrove SHS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 4.55 Jan 29, 2006 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Pat Devlin
QB 		Downingtown, PA Downingtown East HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 4.70 Jan 23, 2006 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 82
Lou Eliades
OL 		Oakhurst, NJ Ocean Township HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 283 lb (128 kg) 5.00 Dec 27, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Maurice Evans
DE 		Middle Village, NY Christ The King Regional HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 252 lb (114 kg) 4.70 Jan 7, 2006 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 91
Bani Gbadyu
LB 		Gaithersburg, MD Quince Orchard HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 4.60 Dec 14, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 81
Cedric Jeffries
S 		Egg Harbor Twp, NJ Egg Harbor Township HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 4.60 Dec 20, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 74
Doug Klopacz
OL 		Montvale, NJ St. Joseph Regional HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 260 lb (120 kg) 4.75 Aug 12, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:2/5 stars   Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Abe Koroma
DT 		Hershey, PA Milton Hershey School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 270 lb (120 kg) 4.90 Jul 30, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Eric Latimore
DE 		Middletown, DE Middletown HS 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 240 lb (110 kg) 4.90 Oct 10, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 76
Antonio Logan-El
OL 		Forestville, MD Forestville HS 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 310 lb (140 kg) 5.20 Jan 24, 2006 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Aaron Maybin
DE 		Ellicott City, MD Mt. Hebron HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 4.67 Oct 17, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Travis McBride
S 		McKeesport, PA McKeesport Area SHS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 4.50 Dec 12, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 76
Tom McEowen
DT 		Langhorne, PA Neshaminy HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 280 lb (130 kg) 5.10 Jul 11, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Jared Odrick
DT 		Lebanon, PA Lebanon SHS 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 285 lb (129 kg) 5.00 Dec 19, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 76
Ollie Ogbu
DT 		New Berlin, NY Milford Academy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 300 lb (140 kg) 4.96 May 13, 2005 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:2/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 40
Andrew Quarless
TE 		Uniondale, NY Uniondale HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 4.50 Jan 13, 2006 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Evan Royster
RB 		Chantilly, VA Westfield HS 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 4.45 Jan 19, 2006 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 72
Phillip Taylor
DT 		Brandywine, MD Gwynn Park HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 340 lb (150 kg) 5.50 Jan 24, 2006 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Johnnie Troutman
DE 		Pemberton, NJ Pemberton Twp. HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 270 lb (120 kg) 4.90 Jan 21, 2006 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
A.J. Wallace
CB 		Pomfret, MD Maurice J McDonough HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 4.40 Jan 7, 2006 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 82
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 6   Rivals: 6
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Penn State Commit List for 2006". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
  • "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Penn State". Scout.com. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
  • "RecruitTracker 2006: Penn State". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
  • "2006 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 8, 2007.

Schedule

[edit]
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 23:30 p.m.Akron*No. 19
ESPN2W 34–16106,505
September 93:30 p.m.at No. 4 Notre Dame*No. 19
NBCL 17–4180,795
September 163:30 p.m.Youngstown State*No. 25
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA
ESPNUW 37–3104,953
September 233:30 p.m.at No. 1 Ohio StateNo. 24
ABCL 6–28105,266
September 303:30 p.m.Northwestern
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA
ABCW 33–7108,837
October 712:00 p.m.at Minnesota
ESPN PlusW 28–27 OT45,227
October 148:00 p.m.No. 4 Michigan
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA (rivalry)
ABCL 10–17110,007
October 2112:00 p.m.Illinoisdagger
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA
ESPN2W 26–12108,112
October 2812:00 p.m.at Purdue
ABCW 12–058,025
November 412:00 p.m.at No. 17 Wisconsin
ABCL 3–1381,777
November 113:30 p.m.Temple*
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA
ESPN PlusW 47–0105,950
November 1812:00 p.m.Michigan State
  • Beaver Stadium
  • University Park, PA (rivalry)
ESPN2W 17–13108,607
January 1, 200711:00 a.m.vs. No. 17 Tennessee*
ESPNW 20–1065,601
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

Personnel

[edit]

Roster

[edit]
2006 Penn State Nittany Lions football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
WR 2 Derrick Williams So
WR 3 Deon Butler  So
WR 4 Terrell Golden  Jr
QB 5 Brett Brackett Fr
QB 6 Mike Hart  Jr
QB 7 Pat Devlin Fr
RB 8 Rodney Kinlaw  Jr
TE 10 Andrew Quarless Fr
QB 13 Kevin Suhey  Fr
QB 14 Anthony Morelli Jr
QB 15 Paul Cianciolo  So
TE 16 Francis Claude  Fr
QB 17 Daryll Clark  Fr
WR 18 Patrick Mauti  Fr
WR 19 Chris Bell Fr
RB 22 Evan Royster Fr
WR 24 Jordan Norwood So
WR 25 Brendan Perretta  Jr
RB 26 Tony Hunt Sr
WR 28 Graham Zug Fr
FB 30 BranDon Snow Sr
RB 32 Brent Carter Fr
RB 33 Austin Scott Sr
RB 34 Matt Hahn Jr
WR 35 Jesse Alfreno Fr
FB 38 Dan Lawlor  So
RB 39 Nick Pinchek  Jr
RB 42 Charles Ramsey  Fr
TE 44 Patrick Hall Sr
G 56 Austin Hinton  So
C 57 A.Q. Shipley So
G 58 Greg Harrison  So
C 60 Patick Weber  Jr
OT 61 Matt Lowry Fr
C 62 Ross Muir  So
G 63 Joe Toriello  So
G 64 Rich Ohrnberger So
G 65 Robert Price  Sr
OT 67 Levi Brown (C)  Sr
OL 68 Doug Klopacz Fr
OL 69 Mike Lucian  So
OT 70 Wyatt Bowman  So
OT 71 Mark Farris Sr
G 73 Dennis Landolt  Fr
OT 74 Johnnie Troutman Fr
OT 75 Lee Kuzemchak Sr
OL 75 Antonio Logan-El Fr
G 76 Gerald Cadogan  So
OL 77 Lou Eliades Fr
OT 78 John Shaw  Jr
OT 79 Chris Auletta  Jr
TE 81 Brennan Coakley  Fr
FB 82 Mickey Shuler  Fr
WR 83 Kevin Cousins  Fr
WR 84 James McDonald  Fr
TE 87 Greg Miskinis  So
TE 88 Kevin Darling Sr
TE 89 Jordan Lyons  So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
CB 1 Justin King So
LB 5 Jerome Hayes  Fr
S 6 Donnie Johnson Sr
S 7 Anthony Scirrotto So
S 9 Jason Ganter  Jr
CB 10 Lydell Sargeant So
CB 11 Tony Davis  So
CB 12 A.J. Wallace Fr
DT 13 Jay Alford Sr
LB 15 Bani Gbadyu Fr
LB 18 Navorro Bowman Fr
LB 19 Andy Kubic Sr
LB 20 Tim Shaw  Sr
CB 21 Knowledge Timmons  Fr
S 22 Darien Hardy Sr
S 23 Nolan McCready Sr
CB 25 Devin Fentress So
S 27 Ben Gummo  Fr
DB 27 Travis McBride Fr
CB 28 Willie Harriott  Fr
DB 29 Cedric Jeffries Fr
LB 31 Paul Posluszny (C) Sr
S 37 Spencer Ridenhour  So
DB 39 Doug Rheam  Fr
LB 40 Dan Connor Jr
LB 41 Nic Yocum  Jr
LB 43 Josh Hull  Fr
LB 45 Sean Lee So
LB 46 Tyrell Sales  So
DE 47 Josh Gaines  So
DE 48 Maurice Evans Fr
LB 51 Joe Cianciolo  Sr
LB 52 Dontey Brown  So
DT 53 Steve Roach Sr
DE 54 Jed Hill  So
DT 55 Tom McEowen Fr
LB 57 Chris Mauriello  Jr
DE 59 Aaron Maybin Fr
DT 74 Abe Koroma Fr
S 80 Mark Rubin  So
DT 85 Ollie Ogbu Fr
DE 87 Chris Rogers So
DL 90 Phillip Taylor Fr
DE 91 Jared Odrick Fr
DT 92 Ed Johnson Sr
DT 93 Chris Baker  Fr
DE 94 Tom Golarz  Fr
DT 95 Elijah Robinson  So
DE 99 Jim Shaw Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K 23 Kevin Kelly So
P 36 Jeremy Kapinos  Sr
K 42 Collin Wagner Fr
P 44 Jeremy Boone  Fr
P 49 Brandon Ream Sr
K 90 Nick Daise  Jr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster
Last update: August, 2006

Coaching staff

[edit]
The Nittany Lion

Game summaries

[edit]

September 2: Akron

[edit]
The Nittany Lions and Zips played in the remnants of Hurricane Ernesto in the season opener.
1 2 3 4 Total
Akron 0 3 6 7 16
Penn State 10 7 7 10 34

Penn State played the Akron Zips in its home opener. Akron was unranked, however the team finished as the 2005 MAC Champions. Anthony Morelli threw a 42-yard touchdown on his first pass attempt of his first start. Penn State won the game 34–16. Akron kept it respectably close for a while before Penn State pulled away with a commanding 34–9 lead, allowing a late Zips touchdown to once again make it look respectable.

September 9: Notre Dame

[edit]
See also: 2006 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Penn State 0 0 3 14 17
Notre Dame 3 17 14 7 41

Penn State played the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend, Indiana. After a close first quarter, Notre Dame pulled away from the young Penn State squad to win 41–17.

September 16: Youngstown State

[edit]
1 2 3 4 Total
Youngstown State 0 0 3 0 3
Penn State 0 20 10 7 37

Penn State defeated the Youngstown State Penguins by a score of 37–3 on September 16, 2006 at Beaver Stadium.

The Youngstown State Penguins were the 150th different team to face Penn State since 1887, the first year for Penn State football.

September 23: Ohio State

[edit]
See also: 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Penn State 0 3 0 3 6
Ohio State 0 0 7 21 28

Penn State lost to the number one ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio on September 23, 2006, by the score of 28–6 in a game closer than the final score would indicate. Despite the score, Penn State led in many statistical areas, such as first downs, controlling the clock, and total yards, but only had six points to show for their dominating effort. After a scoreless first half, in which the Nittany Lions messed up a chance to score an early touchdown because fullback Matt Hahn broke loose, but was tackled near the goal line and fumbled before the ball crossed the plane. However, Penn State scored a field goal right before halftime after putting together their second long drive of the first half. Penn State led 3–0 at halftime, and controlled the tempo in much of the second half, despite the Buckeyes going up 7–3 following a missed Penn State field goal. Early in the fourth quarter, Troy Smith threw the football away, down the field to avoid a sack in a tipped, nearly intercepted, up for grabs pass that happened to be caught for a touchdown by Brian Robiskie. The Nittany Lions, still playing like they were in control of the game, responded with a strong drive that was called back at the 1 yard line for a false start. The Nittany Lions had to settle for a field goal, which helped shift the momentum to the Buckeyes, but Penn State would gain a full head of steam late in the game. The score was 14–6 in favor of the Buckeyes and Penn State was driving downfield with less than three minutes left. As Penn State led another potentially scoring drive far down the field, hoping to tie the game up at 14–14, it was intercepted and returned for a touchdown with roughly 2 minutes left on the clock. However, Malcolm Jenkins spiked the ball at the one yard line, which rolled into the endzone untouched. This was only noticed after the game. Antonio Smith returned another interception to clinch the victory with 1:07 remaining on the clock, this time from midfield. As ESPN had said, this allowed the Buckeyes to make the victory look easy when, in fact, it was a hard-fought victory, some Penn State fans feel that the Nittany Lions were the better team and should have won that contest, failing to realize that the mistakes that they made, even if it was "handing the game over on a silver platter", are as much a part of football as any other element, which is why a defense that can force turnovers is so highly regarded.

September 30: Northwestern

[edit]
See also: 2006 Northwestern Wildcats football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Northwestern 0 7 0 0 7
Penn State 6 10 17 0 33

Penn State defeated the Northwestern Wildcats 33–7 on September 30, 2006 at Beaver Stadium. Deon Butler set a Penn State record with 216 receiving yards, breaking O.J. McDuffie's record of 202 yards set against Boston College in 1992. Tony Hunt ran for 137 yards and three touchdowns. Anthony Morelli completed 19-of-33 passes for 288 yards.

October 7: Minnesota

[edit]
See also: 2006 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team and Governor's Victory Bell
1 2 3 4OT Total
Penn State 7 7 0 77 28
Minnesota 7 0 0 146 27

Penn State defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers 28–27 in overtime. Tony Hunt rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns (2 rushing), the last in overtime for the game-winning touchdown. Anthony Morelli threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns despite playing with a dislocated ring finger on his left (non-throwing) hand. The game, tied at overtime, was decided by two factors, a missed extra point kick, and a pass interference penalty on Penn State's drive to give them a fresh set of downs. Both proved critical, as Penn State soon converted the touchdown and kicked the extra point to escape with the win.

October 14: Michigan

[edit]
See also: 2006 Michigan Wolverines football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Michigan 0 10 7 0 17
Penn State 0 3 0 7 10

Michigan's defensive front seven was the story of the game, collecting seven sacks and holding the Nittany Lions to −14 net rushing yards. On a third-quarter pass play, Alan Branch knocked Penn State's quarterback Anthony Morelli out of the game with a concussion; Penn State's backup quarterback Daryl Clark was later injured on a rushing attempt. Third-string quarterback Paul Cianciolo managed to throw the Nittany Lions' only touchdown pass of the game. The game was a homecoming for Pennsylvania native Henne, who played the only game of his career at Penn State. With Manningham not playing due to a knee injury suffered against Michigan State, Arrington and Breaston caught the bulk of Henne's passes, each collecting five receptions. Hart picked up his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season and scored the winning touchdown

October 21: Illinois

[edit]
See also: 2006 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Illinois 3 6 0 3 12
Penn State 3 0 14 9 26

Carried mostly by the play of its defense, Penn State defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini 26–12 during homecoming weekend. Strong safety Anthony Scirrotto had two interceptions and returned an attempted onside kick for a touchdown.[4]

Punter Jeremy Kapinos was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season, averaging 45.6 yards per punt, with a long of 57 yards. He pinned Illinois inside its own 20 yard line four times. He also surpassed Ralph Giacomarro to become first all-time in career punting yardage (9,578). Linebacker Paul Posluszny was also named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, notching a season-high 13 tackles and forced a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.[5]

October 28: Purdue

[edit]
See also: 2006 Purdue Boilermakers football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Penn State 3 3 0 6 12
Purdue 0 0 0 0 0

Penn State's low-scoring win on the road against the Boilermakers saw running back Tony Hunt rush 31 times for 142 yards and a touchdown (along with 2 receptions for 36 yards) as the Nittany Lions posted a shutout against Purdue, their first ever under head coach Joe Tiller. The low score was primarily a result of the high winds and cold weather. It was Penn State's first shutout since a 49–0 win over the Northwestern Wildcats in October 2002.[6]

Recording a game-high 12 tackles and an interception, linebacker Dan Connor was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.[7]

November 4: Wisconsin

[edit]
See also: 2006 Wisconsin Badgers football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Penn State 0 3 0 0 3
Wisconsin 3 7 3 0 13

Penn State suffered a 13–3 loss on the road versus the Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin kicker Taylor Mehlhaff put the Badgers on the scoreboard first with a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Penn State kicker Kevin Kelly tied the score with a 39-yard field goal, but Badgers quarterback John Stocco countered with 14-yard touchdown pass to Paul Hubbard. Wisconsin added a 20-yard field goal in the third quarter. With the long-held ten point lead, the Badgers were the only Big Ten team that Penn State lost to that they had not played completely down to the wire. In both games, they had late chances to win the game, but in this game, again a stubborn defensive struggle, Penn State was unable to kick a second field goal that would have at least made it interesting late.

Recording 14 tackles, linebacker Paul Posluszny broke Greg Buttle's record for career tackles. Posluszny finished the game with 349 career tackles in a game where Penn State's defense did their part to hold Wisconsin to few yardage and points.[8]

Penn State head coach Joe Paterno was injured during a sideline collision in the third quarter. Although reluctant to leave the sideline, he was taken to the locker room for evaluation and flown back to Penn State ahead of the team. There it was revealed that Paterno had a pair of fractures to his tibia along with tears of his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments.[9]

November 11: Temple

[edit]
1 2 3 4 Total
Temple 0 0 0 0 0
Penn State 21 10 10 6 47

Running back Tony Hunt had a career day, scoring 4 touchdowns and rushing for 167 yards in two and a half quarters of play, as Penn State shut out the Temple Owls 47–0 with coach Joe Paterno absent from the sidelines for the first time since 1977. Derrick Williams scored on a 75-yard punt return, while placekicker Kevin Kelly added field goals of 19 and 33 yards. Reserve quarterback Daryll Clark scored on a 4th quarter run. Following the game, Penn State captains Levi Brown and Paul Posluszny visited Paterno at his home to present him with the game ball.

The game was the first in Happy Valley for former Nittany Lion tight end Al Golden as Temple head coach.

November 18: Michigan State

[edit]
See also: Land Grant Trophy and 2006 Michigan State Spartans football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Michigan State 10 3 0 0 13
Penn State 0 7 7 3 17

23 seniors helped close out their regular season careers as Nittany Lions by winning the Land Grant Trophy with a 17–13 win over the Michigan State Spartans. Coach Joe Paterno, still nursing a broken shinbone, coached from the pressbox. Running back Tony Hunt overcame 2 first quarter fumbles to tally his seventh 100-yard game this season, rushing for 129 yards on 29 attempts. Quarterback Anthony Morelli, who also had 2 fumbles, finished 17-of-37 for 220 yards.

January 1: 2007 Outback Bowl – Tennessee

[edit]
Main article: 2007 Outback Bowl
See also: 2006 Tennessee Volunteers football team
1 2 3 4 Total
Tennessee 3 7 0 0 10
Penn State 0 10 0 10 20

The 2007 Outback Bowl featured Penn State against the Tennessee Volunteers of the SEC. Penn State last participated in the game in 1999, when they won over the Kentucky Wildcats by the score of 26–14. Tennessee last played in Tampa in the 1993 Hall of Fame Bowl, defeating the Boston College Eagles 38–23. Before this game, Penn State's last game versus Tennessee was the 1994 Florida Citrus Bowl where they crushed the heavily favored Volunteers in an easy 31–13 victory.

Penn State defeated the favored Tennessee 20–10 for Joe Paterno's record 22nd bowl win. Tony Hunt led the PSU offense running for 158 yards on 31 carries. Tony Davis returned a fumble 88 yards for the game-winning touchdown. First Team All-Big Ten Conference strong safety Anthony Scirrotto also recorded his sixth interception of the season. The key play of the game was a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Late in the fourth, Penn State ran down the clock, but despite stalling in the red zone, kicked a field goal that put the game out of reach.

Rankings

[edit]
See also: 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP19192524———————————24
Coaches1919—————————————25
HarrisNot released———————————Not released
BCSNot released—————25——Not released

Awards

[edit]

Watchlists

[edit]

Players

[edit]

Post season

[edit]

Penn State finished the season ranked number 24 in the final AP college football poll and number 25 in the final USA Today college football poll, earning Penn State its 32nd Top 25 finish under Joe Paterno.[36]

The team's success helped Penn State finish second in football attendance for the fourth time this decade and in the top four for the 16th consecutive year, averaging 107,567 for seven home games, including a crowd of 110,007 on October 14 to watch Penn State host Michigan in primetime, the second-largest in Beaver Stadium history. Penn State finished the season with a sellout crowd of 65,601 at the Outback Bowl.[37]

Five players participated in the NFL Scouting Combine, held February 22–27 in Indianapolis, IN: Jay Alford, Levi Brown, Tony Hunt, Paul Posluszny, and Tim Shaw.[38]

NFL draft

[edit]

Five Penn State players were selected in the 2007 NFL draft.[39][40]

Round Pick Overall Name Position Team
1st 5 5 Levi Brown Offensive tackle Arizona Cardinals
2nd 2 34 Paul Posluszny Linebacker Buffalo Bills
3rd 18 81 Jay Alford Defensive tackle New York Giants
3rd 27 90 Tony Hunt Running back Philadelphia Eagles
5th 27 164 Tim Shaw Linebacker Carolina Panthers

All-star games

[edit]
Game Date Site Players
61st Hula Bowl January 14, 2007 Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii Jay Alford, Ed Johnson, Tim Shaw
58th Senior Bowl January 27, 2007 Ladd–Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama Levi Brown, Tony Hunt, Paul Posluszny

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "All-Americans Brown & Posluszny Returning to Penn State For Senior Seasons". Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. January 13, 2006. Archived from the original on May 7, 2006. Retrieved January 22, 2007.
  2. ^ "Brown & Posluszny Elected 2006 Nittany Lion Co-Captains". Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. April 22, 2006. Archived from the original on December 7, 2006. Retrieved January 22, 2007.
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  6. ^ "Nittany Lions Blank Boilermakers, 12–0". Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. October 28, 2006. Retrieved July 18, 2008.
  7. ^ "Connor Earns Second Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Honor". Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. October 30, 2006. Retrieved July 18, 2008.
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  9. ^ "Joe Paterno Suffers Injuries to Left Leg". Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. November 5, 2006. Retrieved July 18, 2008.
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  13. ^ "2006 Doak Walker Award Candidates". Doak Walker Award. Southern Methodist University Athletics. Retrieved January 25, 2007. [dead link]
  14. ^ "Kapinos Among Ray Guy Award Candidates". Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. October 18, 2006. Archived from the original on November 4, 2006. Retrieved January 22, 2007.
  15. ^ "NFF Announces 2006 Draddy Trophy Semifinalists". National Football Foundation. October 17, 2006. Archived from the original on October 28, 2006. Retrieved October 2, 2008.
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  17. ^ "Simpson Named to Lott Trophy Watch List". University of Alabama Athletics. April 5, 2006. Retrieved January 25, 2007. [dead link]
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  22. ^ a b c d "2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Football Team" (PDF). College Sports Information Directors of America. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  23. ^ "Five Players Share Weekly Conference Honors After Undefeated Opening Week for Big Ten". Big Ten Conference. September 4, 2006. Archived from the original on July 8, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2007.
  24. ^ "Indiana's Lewis, Penn State's Connor and Wisconsin's Mehlhaff Named Football Players of the Week". Big Ten Conference. October 30, 2006. Archived from the original on January 5, 2009. Retrieved January 22, 2007.
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  27. ^ Outback Bowl (January 1, 2007). "Penn State Post-Game Notes". Outbackbowl.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2007.
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  32. ^ "Posluszny repeats as Bednarik Trophy winner". ESPN. December 7, 2006. Retrieved January 22, 2007.
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  40. ^ "Carolina Selects Linebacker Tim Shaw; Five Nittany Lions Chosen in 2007 NFL Draft". Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. April 29, 2007. Archived from the original on May 4, 2007. Retrieved April 30, 2007.
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