Week 12 Awards

Believe it or not, we've reached the end.  This will serve as both my final awards post of the year and my final regular season post.  It was an exciting, and many times frustrating season.  The team went all the way to Ireland to start things off, and now we're headed to a bowl game!  Throughout the year, inexperience gave way to more than a few rookie mistakes from the plethora of freshmen, but when all was said and done, it was the seniors that we'll remember.  As the last full class that Joe Paterno recruited, their graduation signifies the end of an era.  Yet it is their loyalty to Penn State, through Paterno's death, 2 new coaches, scandal, and sanctions, that will forever be their legacy.  THANK YOU SENIORS!  Unfortunately, the team wasn't able to pull out the victory against Michigan State so that those seniors could ring the victory bell one last time.  However, there is still the previously mentioned bowl game, and more importantly, this week's awards!

Oh, that's just me outside the greatest stadium in college football, NBD

The final Beast Mode Award of the year goes fittingly to DT Anthony Zettel who had an All-Big Ten caliber season after switching over from DE.  His freakish athleticism was apparent from the very first game and allowed him to accrue 3 INTs as an interior lineman!  Besides helping to pressure opposing QBs, he was an integral part of the nation's #1 rush defense which made elite backs like Ezekiel Elliott and Tevin Coleman look silly.  And as a junior, we get Zettel back for another year!

I've never pinned down a criteria for the Transformer Award, but I think LB Mike Hull would fit nearly any interpretation.  He transformed into the Butkus-Fitzgerald Big Ten Linebacker of the Year, and made First Team All-Big Ten!  Adhering to the greatest linebacker tradition in all of college football, Hull not only led the team in tackles this year, he led the entire conference!  The fact that he was left off the list for the actual Butkus Award (given to the nation's best linebacker) is a damn joke.  But we'll always love him!  Now ride off into the draft!

With the second youngest team in the country, it was pretty easy to find an impact freshman each week.  But the final Matrix Award goes to the punter from down under, Daniel Pasquariello!  Improving his average in each game he started, Pasquariello finally got up to a respectable 40 yds per punt and even nailed a 63 yarder against MSU to showcase his potential.  His job is probably safe moving forward as fellow freshman Chris Gulla will most likely take over kicking duties from the graduating Sam Ficken.  That should hopefully solidify our special teams for the foreseeable future.

All season long an outstanding player has been forced to lurk in the shadows.  That's why the final In Disguise Award goes to LB Nyeem Wartman whose consistent play has remained hidden behind Mike Hull's heroics all year.  On Saturday he added a decent 8 tackles, including 1 for a loss to his totals for the season.  With Hull gone, he'll take over as the leader of the defense in 2015 and he'll be expected to uphold the Linebacker U tradition.  Something tells me he'll do just fine.

Last, and most certainly least, the final Megatron Award goes to Michigan State RB Jeremy Lanford.  The Nittany Lions were able to avoid facing Melvin Gordon and Ameer Abdullah, but they couldn't escape Langford who carried the rock 30 times for an impressive 122 yds and 2 TDs.  Along with QB Connor Cook and WR Tony Lippett, the Spartan offense scored more points on Penn State than any team managed to this year, even potential Big Ten Champions Ohio State!  More power to them, at least we don't have to take home the Land Grant Trophy.

Alright, that about wraps up my posts for the regular season!  I'll be spending the next few days thinking up something special to do for the bowl game.  One thing's for sure, just like last year we'll be having the second annual Prime Pick 'Em Challenge!  So keep an eye out for that.  Always feel free to send questions or comments to PSUOptimus@gmail.com.  You can keep up with all things Penn State football, including the imminent bowl announcement, by liking my page on Facebook.  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!