This member benefit will help you get ready for kickoff with game day videos, Q&As with Penn State’s players and coaches, plenty of sights and sounds from the season, fun trivia, historical notes from Football Letter Emeritus Editors Ridge Riley and John Black, and much more.
Chapter Spotlight
The night before Penn State’s game in Iowa earlier this month, we partnered with our Central Iowa Chapter to host a Roar Tour Friday Night Mixer. Along with appearances from the Penn State Spirit Squad and food and drinks, the event featured a community service project that benefited the Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Located next to Kinnick Stadium, the hospital has gained national recognition over the years for The Wave tradition, when all the fans, players, and coaches wave to the children at the end of the first quarter during every home Iowa football game.
Alumni, fans, and volunteer leaders organized more than 40 care packages as part of The Jared Box Project, which started in State College in 2001. Along with painted lids that convey positive and encouraging messages, the containers include pick-me-ups such as toys, games, coloring books, small gifts, etc., to brighten the day for young children in emergency rooms, hospital rooms, surgical centers and clinics
Enjoy more photos on the chapter’s Facebook page, which also has more information on the event.
Game Day Videos
Our season playlist features the Blue Band, Penn State Cheerleaders, and more sights and sounds from Penn State’s home games this season.
Record Watch
Nicholas Singleton (3,186) is 41 yards behind D.J. Dozier for eighth all-time in rushing yards.
Nicholas Singleton (38) is tied with Lydell Mitchell for second all-time in rushing touchdowns.
Nicholas Singleton (5,042) is three yards behind Larry Johnson for second all-time in career all-purpose yards.
Kaytron Allen (33) is one behind Ki-Jana Carter for fifth all-time in rushing touchdowns.
Kaytron Allen (657) is 14 behind Saquon Barkley for second all-time in rushing attempts.
Kaytron Allen (3,985) is 49 yards behind Curtis Enis for 11th all-time in all-purpose yards.
Dani Dennis-Sutton (6) is tied with six Nittany Lions for seventh all-time in forced fumbles. He’s one behind Bruce Clark and Brandon Bell for fifth.
Tailgate Trivia
Each preview will include a 6-pack of trivia notes for when you want to impress your tailgate crew.
(1) Since the start of the 2022 season, Penn State leads the nation in turnover margin per game (+0.84).
(2) Kaytron Allen ranks fifth in the Big Ten this season with 612 rushing yards.
(3) Kaytron Allen’s career-high 145 rushing yards against Iowa eclipsed his previous career-best by one (he gained 144 yards earlier this season against Florida International).
(4) Since 2015, Penn State’s defense has recorded 414 sacks, ranking fourth in the country.
(5) Linebacker Amare Campbell and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton are tied for the team lead with 5.5 tackles for loss.
(6) As a player, interim head coach Terry Smith became the first Penn State player to record 50-plus receptions in a season (1991).
Mile Markers
Ridge Riley graduated from Penn State in 1932 and created The Football Letter in 1938, writing the weekly article until the 1975 season. Each week, we’ll share a story from Riley’s classic book on the rise of Penn State football to national prominence, “Road to Number One.” Through meticulous research—he often had only scant press clippings to go from for the program’s early decades—Riley makes you believe you were prowling along the sideline with Hugo Bezdek (1920-30) or standing in the huddle with Penn State legend William “Mother” Dunn, the program’s first All-American (1903-06).
We encourage you to pick up your own copy and revisit Penn State’s historic past. To learn more about Ridge, browse the Ridge Riley Papers housed within the Penn State Special Collections Library.
Pennsylvania-based bowl (1959 and 1960)
While Penn State had played in two bowls over the first 50 years of the 20th century, the Nittany Lions’ modern bowl era began in 1959, with consecutive appearances in the Liberty Bowl—with Rip Engle as head coach and Joe Paterno as an assistant. After playing the game in Philadelphia for the first five years of its existence, the Liberty Bowl moved to Atlantic City for a season, and has been played in Memphis every year since 1965. So if you’ve ever wondered why a bowl game hosted in Memphis is called the “Liberty Bowl,” there you go.
Penn State beat two national opponents, defeating Alabama 7-0 in 1959, and downing Oregon 41-12 the following year. Those two victories comprise part of Penn State’s storied bowl history, one of the most impressive in the country: The Nittany Lions rank in the Top 10 all-time in bowl appearances (56), bowl wins (33), and bowl winning percentage (60 percent, with a record of 32-21-2).
From the Desk of John Black
The last time Penn State visited Columbus with an interim head coach, the Nittany Lions earned a 20-14 victory in November 2011. That game represents the last time that Penn State bested Ohio State at The Horseshoe, and one of only two such victories since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten (2008).
If Penn State adds another victory this week, the Nittany Lions will record one of their biggest wins ever as an underdog, as top-ranked Ohio State is favored by more than three touchdowns. That wasn’t the situation back in ’08, when the teams clashed in Columbus. Way before any serious thought of what would be known as the College Football Playoff, No. 3 Penn State and No. 9 Ohio State faced off in a matchup that largely determined the Big Ten title race, and by extension, the national championship.
In 2019, superstar defensive back Lydell Sargeant reflected on the victory, one that he sealed when he, as John Black noted “outleaped Brian Hartline for an interception in the end zone on Ohio State’s final play.” Below is the conversation we had with Sargeant focusing on the 2008 game, along with two photos: Sargeant vying for the forced fumble that Mark Rubin forced and Penn State recovered, which led to the Nittany Lions’ game-winning touchdown, and defensive back Anthony Scirrotto celebrating with fans. Between the archived article and the photos, we’ve got links for John’s column from the 2011 contest. Hope you enjoy reliving and reminiscing two big Penn State wins.
Asked about what continues to stand out to him about that game and if he still recalls specific details, he laughed, just slightly, in a way that suggest he’ll remember them forever.
“Oh, my goodness. I still remember plays from 14 years ago,” Sargeant said, referencing his freshman season at Penn State.
He then summarized the last drive, beginning with, “I can tell you every last thing that happened.”
Sargeant remembered Bowman tipping a pass as the Buckeyes were driving with less than a minute left: “NaVorro made a really good play up the middle. I think if he didn’t tip the pass, it would have drastically changed that drive.”
Then, Sargeant’s versatility shined through. Typically a cornerback, Sargeant would switch to safety when Penn State played nickel in the secondary. As he saw Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor’s pass sail toward the end zone, he saw he had an opportunity to catch the ball instead of knocking it down. The former was more attractive, since Sargeant didn’t want to let the receiver get in front of him.
The approach worked, as Sargeant hauled in Pryor’s lofty pass right at the goal-line to secure Penn State’s 13-6 victory.
“One thing Coach Paterno always said was, ‘Do you want your name in the paper? When it’s time to make big plays, make them,’” said Sargeant, who also broke up a pass earlier in the fourth quarter, thwarting a potential 30-yard gain for the Buckeyes to midfield.
Sargeant added: “To me, The Horseshoe is the next best thing to Beaver Stadium, with regard to their fan passion and how loud they get.”
Ohio Stadium was certainly loud for the Nittany Lions’ visit in the 2008 season, when Penn State (No. 3) and Ohio State (No. 9) met in a battle of Top-10 teams.
It was the first victory for Penn State in The Horseshoe since beginning Big Ten play, and the Nittany Lions shut down Pryor, explosive Buckeye running back Beanie Wells, and their offensive teammates. Ohio State scored 30-plus points in six other games that season, and 40-plus on four occasions.
“We had a rock star defense,” Sargeant said, pointing out teammates and future NFL stars such as NaVorro Bowman, Jared Odrick, Aaron Maybin, and others.
Sargeant was perhaps always destined to attend Penn State, though he had something of a circuitous route to Happy Valley. He grew up in Pittsburgh, and then moved to California in 10th grade, a result of his father serving in the military.
He returned to Pittsburgh the next few summers for a month or so, working out with childhood friend (and future teammate) Justin King, along with current Penn State cornerbacks coach Terry Smith, who was coaching Gateway High School at the time.
There’s a lot of connectivity with that trio. Smith is King’s stepfather, with Sargeant and King serving as ball boys for Smith going back to his days at Duquesne University in the late 1990s. Sargeant originally committed to Stanford (Oregon was his other top choice, along with Penn State), before transferring.
As Sargeant tells it, he and King looked at each other and said, “Hey, do you want to play together?”
The incoming recruiting class helped elevate Penn State out of one of the few down periods in Joe Paterno’s coaching career, with Sargeant saying that guys like Derrick Williams and Sean Lee, who played AAU basketball with Sargeant, also played important roles in the process.
After graduating, Sargeant signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent, though retired from the NFL a few years later because of an injury. Then, he returned to Penn State for an internship that was facilitated by longtime offensive coordinator Fran Ganter, who transitioned into an administrative role after coaching.
Ganter mentored Sargeant, as the former defensive back learned what he was most passionate about in athletic administration. Sargeant earned his master’s in sports management studies from California University of Pennsylvania, then worked at Utah Valley University and Marquette University in development roles.
Currently, Sargeant serves as an assistant athletic director at UCLA, one of the most accomplished and impressive athletic departments in the country. UCLA is second overall in all-time national titles, with 118.
Even though he’s on the other side of the country, Sargeant returns to Happy Valley twice a year, for the Blue-White game and Homecoming. Additionally, he sits on the board of the Football Letterman’s Club and still is tight with King and Smith. He talks every day with King, who earlier this year accepted the position of manager of football operations for the startup XFL after previously working with Penn State football as a recruiting coordinator.
And Smith is as connected as ever to the program as cornerbacks coach after playing as a wideout for Joe Paterno in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
Sargeant speaks passionately about his days at Penn State and asked some questions of his own out of curiosity for how things are going back at his alma mater. Like Smith and King, he has an affinity for Penn State that’ll likely last a lifetime.
He cares, and he has a recognition for the importance that Penn State has played in his life, both during his playing days and now as he helps to oversee one of the most prestigious athletic departments in the country.
“I say all the time: nothing about what Coach Paterno taught was about football,” Sargeant said. “It’s fascinating, because he’s the most winningest coach in college football, and everything he emphasized was things outside of the game.
“As you get older, you start to realize he’s basically giving you the code to society. That shapes you, and you start to understand how successful Penn State guys are and how they’re able to navigate the professional world. There’s less of a deer-in-the-headlight look when you no longer have football. Coach Paterno was a huge factor in preparing us for life beyond football.”
See our photo gallery from Penn State’s thrilling win.
Plus: You can read John’s entire article from the 2011 contest, complete with game notes, photos, and a scoring recap, on our website. Your membership in the Alumni Association provides access to previous issues of The Football Letter, and you can visit our archives that are digitized back to the 2011 season.
