A pair of Penn State's All-Big Ten performers, Ollie Ogbu (Staten Island) and Evan Royster (Fairfax, Va.), have accepted invitations to play in the 86th East-West Shrine Game on Saturday, Jan. 22. The contest will be played at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Fla., the site of Penn State's win over LSU in the 2010 Capital One Bowl. The East-West Shrine Game will begin at 4 p.m. ET and be televised by NFL Network (Comcast Ch. 180, 275 and 860 in State College). (more)
Penn State wide receiver Brett Brackett (Lawrenceville, N.J.) is set to play in the inaugural Eastham Energy College All-Star Game on Sunday, Jan. 23. The contest will be played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. and kick at 5:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET and televised by Fox College Sports (Comcast Ch. 264 in State College). Fox Sports Arizona, Fox Sports West and Fox Prime Ticket Southwest also will carry the contest. (more)
The first meeting between Penn State and Florida in 13 years drew an impressive television audience for the 2011 Outback Bowl, with the contest producing the highest rating for a college football game on ABC during the 2010 season. The ESPN on ABC telecast of the clash between the Nittany Lions and Gators delivered a 7.1 rating, translating into 8.17 million TV households and 12.445 million viewers. (more)
Penn State continues to reside among the nation's football elite in on-field and academic success, earning a winning percentage the past six years that ranks among the top 10 percent nationally among the nation's 120 Football Bowl Subdivision programs. Since the start of the 2005 season, Penn State has earned a 58-19 (75.3) record, tied with Oregon for No. 12 in the nation. Over the past six years, Coach Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions have won two Big Ten Championships, captured four bowl games and played in five New Year's or Bowl Championship Series (BCS) games, the nation's third-highest total. (more)
Nine former Nittany Lions playing in the National Football League are on playoff teams, with at least one Penn Stater on seven of the squads vying for the Super Bowl XLV title. There are 31 former Nittany Lions on NFL rosters, placing Penn State in the top 12 nationally among schools in producing current NFL players. A total of seven former Nittany Lions are on the active rosters of NFL playoff teams. (more)
Penn State guard Stefen Wisniewski's list of All-America honors has risen to six with his selection to the Associated Press and Scout.com All-America teams. Scout.com named the senior standout a first-team All-American, joining his first-team honor from the American Football Coaches Association. Wisniewski was selected an Associated Press second-team All-American, joining previous second-team accolades from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, CBSsports.com and Rivals.com. (more)
With 29 Nittany Lions on National Football League rosters, Penn State is well represented in the professional ranks. Each week throughout the year, www.GoPSUsports.com, will provide updates on the exploits of these former Nittany Lion greats. Highlights from week 13 of the 2010 season include Dallas rookie linebacker Sean Lee notching not only his first two career interceptions but also his first NFL touchdown, Miami linebacker Cameron Wake taking over the NFL lead with 12 sacks for the season, and Kansas City linebacker Tamba Hali recording two sacks and a forced and recovered fumble in a key divisional win. In other news, wide receiver Jordan Norwood was added to the Browns' active roster but did not see action versus Miami. (more)
Penn State co-captain Brett Brackett (Lawrenceville, N.J.) has been named the Most Valuable Player of the 2010 Nittany Lion football team. Brackett was presented the Outstanding Senior Player Award to highlight the State College Quarterback Club's annual banquet honoring the Nittany Lion football team. A crowd of nearly 1,000 packed the main ballroom at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel to honor 18 seniors and the 2010 squad. (more)
The Penn State Student Outback Bowl Ticket Sale will be held this Saturday, Dec. 11, from 8 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at the Bryce Jordan Center Ticket Office (University Park Campus). Tickets are $70 each and there is a limit of two tickets per student. Tickets can be purchased with cash or credit cards. Lion Cash will not be accepted for the purchase of Outback Bowl Tickets. (more)
Penn State is heading back to Tampa Bay, as the Nittany Lions will meet Florida in the 25th Outback Bowl on New Year's Day. Penn State and the Gators were selected for a clash of national powers in the 25th Outback Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2011. The contest will kick at 1 p.m. ET in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium and will air on ABC and the Penn State Sports Network. Coach Joe Paterno's squad will be meeting a Southeastern Conference opponent in a bowl game for the third time in the past six years. (more)
