Week 14 Awards

There you have it folks, 12 games, no more, no less.  Thanks to the NCAA, Penn State will once again not be going bowling this holiday season, but that almost seems ok in light of Saturday’s incredible upset win.  I almost feel bad for Wisconsin, who has now lost their regular season finale to the Nittany Lions two years in a row despite fielding arguably better teams.  The awesomeness of the game was overshadowed by the events down in Alabama, but for Penn State fans, I think this game will serve as a perfectly serviceable ending to the 2013 season.  Now, without further adieu, it’s time to hand out awards one last time!

The final Beast Mode Award could have gone to any number of players who poured their heart out in the final game of the season, but one star shined brighter than the rest.  18 year old true freshman QB Christian Hackenberg walked into Camp Randall Stadium having yet to win a true road game.  All he did was throw for 339 yds and 4 TDs with no INTs against a defense that was only allowing an average of 179 passing yds/game this year.  He picked apart the Badger defense with ease and solidified the Big Ten Freshman of the Year Award in the process.  Congratulations Christian, I think we’re all excited to see what you do as an encore next year!

For the final Transformer Award of the season, I've decided to go with Allen Robinson.  Possibly the best overall player on the entire team, Robinson caught 8 passes for 122 yds to wrap up yet another record setting season.  After beating his own records set one year ago, Penn State's new single-season receptions record now stands at 97 while the single-season receiving yds record now stands at 1,432.  Additionally, Robinson is now 2^nd on Penn State’s career receptions list and 3^rd on the career receiving yds list.  Breaking those records and completing his degree might just be enough to convince the junior to come back for one more year instead of bolting for the NFL.  He has said he’s currently 50/50 and he’ll make his decision over Christmas break.  Fingers crossed!

The breakout freshman of the game and Matrix Award winner is Eugene “Geno” Lewis.  Lewis is a fantastic athlete that is poised to break out as soon as next season.  He gave us a sneak peak on Saturday.  Although he only had 3 catches, he scored a TD on 2 of them.  Moreover, Lewis ran back a kick off for 36 yds, the longest return of the season.

I’m breaking away from the norm for my final In Disguise Award and giving it to the entire Penn State defense.  They were truly the unsung heroes of the game, giving their best performance of the season.  Wisconsin came into Saturday’s game averaging 297.3 yds/game rushing.  All the Penn State defense did was hold them to a meager 120 yds!  Add to that 3 interceptions and I think they more than deserve this award.

Last and possibly least, the final Megatron Award goes to false start penalties.  I don’t have time to look it up, but I think it’s safe to assume that the 8 false starts committed by the offensive line are a Penn State record.  Donovan Smith especially showed his youth by committing 4 of those 8.  Coach Mac was steaming on the sidelines, at one point throwing his headset on the ground and his hands in the air in a gesture that seemed to say, “are you f***ing kidding me?!”  Let’s just hope they get that worked out in the offseason.

And that will officially wrap up my regular season coverage.  Thank you sooooo much to everyone who has taken the time to read even just 1 of my posts this season!  I truly hope you have enjoyed this blog and that you’ll continue to read my random offseason musings.  I had a blast doing this and, as of right now, I plan to pick up right where I left off next September for the Croke Park Classic in Dublin, Ireland between Penn State and Central Florida.  Continue to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus for the latest news and notes.  Send your questions or suggestions for future posts to PSUOptimus@gmail.com.  And as always, GO STATE!!!

Newsflash: It was announced today that backup quarterback Tyler Ferguson has decided to transfer at the end of the semester.  This isn't very surprising in today’s football world where lack of playing time, especially for QBs, inevitably leads to unnecessary transfers.  3 walk on QBs, D.J. Crook, Austin Whipple, and Jack Seymour remain on the team.  4-star 2014 recruit Michael O’Connor will enroll in January, so this is just a temporary issue.  He will likely be Hackenberg’s backup come next season, unless one of the walk ons really steps up their game.