Honoring Service at Beaver Stadium
Mariah Younker ’20
Few Saturdays at Beaver Stadium carry more meaning than Penn State’s annual Military Appreciation Game. On Nov. 8, the Nittany Lions and fans honored those who serve as part of Military Appreciation Week, running Nov. 7 through 16.
The emotion was immediate. During the national anthem, ROTC and student veterans unfurled a massive American flag while the Pennsylvania National Guard presented the colors. Redshirt freshman linebacker Dakaari Nelson led the team onto the field carrying the American flag, joined by his mother, Maj. Stacie Pritchett, a 24-year U.S. Army veteran. Their story, shared on the video board, earned a standing ovation.
Tributes throughout the game highlighted Penn State’s enduring military ties, including a special recognition of Medal of Honor recipient and alumnus Lt. Michael P. Murphy ’98. As his story appeared on the stadium screens, “God Bless the USA” filled Beaver Stadium, and more than 105,000 fans rose to their feet in a powerful moment of unity and gratitude.
Halftime brought one of the season’s most memorable Blue Band performances, honoring all six branches of the U.S. armed forces. The band formed symbolic shapes across the field, culminating with “America the Beautiful” and “Stars and Stripes Forever” as “U.S.A.” appeared in bold letters. Fans stood proudly, sang along, and cheered until the last note.
Saturday’s celebration captured the spirit of Penn State, a community united in pride and gratitude. Military Appreciation Week continues through Nov. 16 with more tributes and opportunities to support veterans and military families. For a more in-depth recap of Military Appreciation Week, including additional details of the military recognition during the game against Indiana, stay tuned for the December release of our AlumnInsider monthly newsletter.
Special thanks to Alumni Association colleague Mariah Younker ’20 for the great write-up. Also, several planned aspects of the Military Appreciation Game were canceled due to the government shutdown. We’ve added a collection of photos, showcasing the sights that were available, at the end of the article.
Watch Party Spotlight
Our Jacksonville Chapter gathered at Culhane’s Southside on Saturday. Visit the group’s Facebook page for photos and to see the chapter celebrating Penn State scores with pushups.
Tailgate Report
Leaving the stadium, I spotted volunteer leader Dave McClung ’79, who serves on the Alumni Association’s Executive Board and Alumni Council as treasurer. Also part of the group: fellow alumni leader Lori Uhazie ’82, and her husband, David ’82, both Blue Band alumni (Lori owns the distinction of being the first Blue Sapphire). Always enjoyable to see such warm and welcoming faces after a game.
Dozens of groups figured it best to enjoy the food and camaraderie a bit longer with the temperatures mild for November (mid-50s) instead of sitting in traffic along Park Avenue and nearby roadways.
Honorary Captain
Given that Saturday was Terry Smith’s first home game as interim head coach, the pick for honorary captain made sense: Lydell Sargeant. The superstar defensive back played on two Big Ten title teams for the Nittany Lions (2005, 2008) and made a legendary interception at Ohio State during the ’08 season to help seal a win over the Buckeyes. Sargeant greeted the crowd along Curtin Road during team arrival and also led a “We Are” cheer during the game—that video is below.
Sargeant comprised part of the large family and friends contingent, along with Smith’s son, Justin King, a standout defensive back for Penn State from 2005–07, and Smith’s wife and daughter. Last week, Smith said that as an assistant coach, he received four complimentary tickets for each game. As head coach, his allotment goes up, though so does the number of requests he receives.
You can read more about Sargeant and his impressive career, both on and off the field, on Penn State News.
What You Didn’t See on TV
Check out some of the sights from game day, including team arrival and the Lionettes performing, with a special appearance from drum major Ellie Sheehan in the latter. We’ve also added the alma mater, which we posted Saturday to Facebook.
Game Notes
Penn State is now 25-3 all-time against Indiana, including 13-1 in home matchups.
The Nittany Lions are 8-27 all-time against teams ranked Top 2 in the AP Poll.
Receiver Jeff Exinor Jr. and tight end Matt Henderson made their collegiate debuts. Exinor and Henderson are two of 24 Nittany Lions to make their collegiate debut and two of 15 true freshmen who have played this season.
Penn State has not allowed a special teams touchdown in 86 straight games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
Penn State had 219 yards passing today. Since 2014, Penn State has recorded 200-plus passing yards on 97 occasions. Penn State is 73-24 in those games.
Ethan Grunkemeyer threw for a career-high 219 yards on 22 of 31 passes. His previous passing yards high was 145 at Ohio State. He also had a career-high 22 completions. His previous high was 19 at Ohio State.
Grunkemeyer’s 31 attempts are also a career high. Previously, he had 28 attempts on two occasions, last at Ohio State. The redshirt freshman tossed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Nicholas Singleton in the fourth quarter, the second touchdown pass of his career.
Grunkemeyer completed a 43-yard pass to Trebor Peña in the second quarter. It was his longest career completion, bettering a 26-yard completion against Nevada.
The Ohio native completed 9 of 11 pass attempts for 90 yards in the first half.
On his ninth carry of the day, Kaytron Allen became the career rushing attempts leader at Penn State, passing Evan Royster (686; 2006–10). He now owns 697 career carries.
Nicholas Singleton tallied 143 all-purpose yards (71 rushing, 22 receiving, 50 kick return). He scored three touchdowns today (two rushing, one receiving) giving him 51 for his career (41 rushing, 9 receiving, and 1 kick return). He is just two touchdowns behind Saquon Barkley’s program record (53; 2015-17).
Singleton now owns 41 career rushing touchdowns. He is two rushing scores behind Barkley’s program mark (43; 2015–17). The senior’s 71 rushing yards on Saturday give him 3,275 career rushing yards, moving him into seventh place at Penn State. On the day, he passed D.J. Dozier (3,227; 1983–86) and Curtis Enis (3,256; 1995–97).
Singleton posted his 11th career game with multiple rushing touchdowns and third career game with both a rushing and a receiving touchdown. He had a season-long 59-yard rush in the fourth quarter, his 23rd career run of 20-plus yards and sixth career run of 50-plus yards. He also recorded a 33-yard kick return in the first quarter.
Receiver Trebor Peña finished the game with six catches for 99 yards. He had a 43-yard catch in the second quarter and added a 21-yard reception in the third quarter and a 20-yard grab in the fourth quarter. The three catches of 20-plus yards give Peña 24 career 20-plus yard receptions.
Receiver Koby Howard had a 22-yard catch in the third quarter. It was his second 20-plus yard catch this season.
Tight end Khalil Dinkins caught three passes for 33 yards in the first half and finished the game with four receptions for 40 yards. The four receptions are a career high, topping his previous high of three on two occasions, last at UCLA.
King Mack picked off a pass in the fourth quarter and added a pass breakup, the third of his career. It was his first career interception and Penn State’s 11th takeaway this season (six interceptions, five fumbles).
Since 2022, Penn State has forced 87 takeaways (52 interceptions, 35 fumbles).
Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton recorded a sack in the fourth quarter, giving him 19 career sacks. He finished the day with one tackle for loss, giving him 29 career TFL.
Defensive end Zuriah Fisher tallied a career-high 1.5 tackles for loss. His previous high was one tackle for loss on five occasions and last against Northwestern in 2025. He recorded a half-tackle for loss in the first quarter and added a solo tackle for loss in the second quarter.
Defensive tackle Zane Durant had a sack in the fourth quarter, giving him nine in his career.
Durant’s one tackle for loss moved him to 21 career TFL.
Linebacker Dominic DeLuca registered a career-high two tackles for loss. His previous high was 1.5 tackles for loss, on two occasions and last against Ohio State in 2024. He recorded a solo tackle for loss on Indiana’s opening drive and added another tackle for loss in the first quarter.
Linebacker Amare Campbell recorded six tackles in the first half and finished the game with a team high-tying eight stops. He notched a half-tackle for loss in the first quarter and added a solo tackle for loss in the second quarter. Campbell’s 1.5 tackles for loss on Saturday give him 20 in his career.
Cornerback A.J. Harris recorded four tackles in the first half and finished the game with a career-high eight stops. His previous career high was seven, done twice and last versus Oregon.
Cornerback Daryus Dixson recorded his first career sack in the second quarter, as well as the second forced fumble of his career. He has 1.5 career tackles for loss.
Cornerback Zion Tracy tied a career high with five tackles. He had five in 2024 vs. Washington. Tracy also had his second career pass breakup.
Ryan Barker converted a 36-yard field goal in the third quarter, making him 27 of 31 on career field goal attempts. He converted all three extra points today, boosting him to 79 of 80 on career extra points.
Gabriel Nwosu landed a punt at the Indiana 14 in the first quarter, his 11th punt inside the 20 this year. He also had a 63-yard punt, giving him seven punts of 50-plus yards.
