Welcome to Thanksgiving Eve here on the Prime Penn State
Football Blog! Tomorrow is Turkey Day
but this whole week might as well be Football Week. There is football (pro or college) on TV
every single day this week and Friday’s schedule is nearly as jam packed as
Saturday’s. To top it off, it’s rivalry
week. Now unfortunately Penn State
no longer plays Pitt (that’s changing soon!) so we don’t have a designated
rival, but there are still plenty of other hate-fueled matchups occurring
around the country, most notably Ohio State – Michigan in the Big Ten and
Alabama – Auburn in the SEC. However,
getting back to Thanksgiving, this is the time of year when we all take a
moment to reflect on what we’re thankful for.
I’m personally thankful for Energon, laser cannons, and of course, Penn State
football. I would've been thankful for a
win this past Saturday, but that didn't happen and we haven’t invented a time
machine… yet. Luckily, win or lose,
there’s always awards, so let’s roll them out!
For the 3rd week in a row the Beast Mode Award
goes to Zach Zwinak. Over these past 3
weeks he has rushed for 149 yds, 150 yds, and 149 yds. That’s about as consistently awesome as you
can get. It’s not just the yardage, it’s
the number of carries he’s been asked to handle – 35 this week alone! He’s become a true workhorse back and we love
it!
The Transformer Award this week goes to Jesse James. The sophomore tight end had 3 catches for 56
yds including a magnificent sideline-hugging touchdown reception in which he
transformed into a freight train and easily shed a would be tackler with an epic
stiff arm. It was glorious.
For the 3rd time this season, the Matrix Award
goes to Christian Hackenberg. The
freshmen was ironically outstanding on Senior Day as he threw for 217yds and 2
TDs before running in a 3rd.
His play earned him his 4th Big Ten Freshman of the Week
honors. Not bad for a self-proclaimed “game
manager.”
This week’s unsung hero and In Disguise Award winner is
Malcolm Willis. A senior safety, Willis
was 1 tackle away from leading the team against Nebraska with 9 total. But the reason he gets this award is because
of his 2nd quarter forced fumble on the goal line preventing the
Huskers from gaining any points on a promising drive. It wasn't enough to win the game, but it was
still pretty awesome.
Finally, the Megatron Award for biggest headache goes to Nebraska
WR Kenny Bell. The afro-aficionado had a
solid game with 5 catches for 33 yards, but it was his 99 yd kick off return
for a touchdown in which he leaped over poor Sam Ficken’s attempted tackle that
earns him this award. He made it look
too easy.
That will do it for Senior Day coverage. Be sure to come back after you've awoken from
your turkey coma and braved the crowds on Black Friday to check out my
prediction for Saturday’s game against Wisconsin . There will be plenty of football to keep you
entertained in the meantime, including Matt McGloin’s 3rd start for
the Raiders on Thanksgiving day against the Cowboys. Don’t worry, Sean Lee is injured, so we don’t
have to worry about him trying to sack McGloin.
Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone, and as always, go State!
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