2015 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

2015 Penn State Nittany Lions football
TaxSlayer Bowl, L 17–24 vs. Georgia
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	East Division
Record	7–6 (4–4 Big Ten)
Head coach	James Franklin (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	John Donovan (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Bob Shoop (2nd season)
Base defense	4–3
Captain	Christian Hackenberg Jordan Lucas Angelo Mangiro Von Walker Anthony Zettel
Home stadium	Beaver Stadium
Seasons ←  2014 2016  →

2015 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 6 Michigan State xy$^		7	–	1					12	–	2
No. 4 Ohio State x		7	–	1					12	–	1
No. 12 Michigan		6	–	2					10	–	3
Penn State		4	–	4					7	–	6
Indiana		2	–	6					6	–	7
Rutgers		1	–	7					4	–	8
Maryland		1	–	7					3	–	9
West Division
No. 9 Iowa xy		8	–	0					12	–	2
No. 23 Northwestern		6	–	2					10	–	3
No. 21 Wisconsin		6	–	2					10	–	3
Nebraska		3	–	5					6	–	7
Minnesota		2	–	6					6	–	7
Illinois		2	–	6					5	–	7
Purdue		1	–	7					2	–	10
Championship: Michigan State 16, Iowa 13
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2015 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by second year head-coach James Franklin and played its home games at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. They were a member of the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 7–6, 4–4 in Big Ten play to finish in fourth place in the East Division. They were invited to the TaxSlayer Bowl where they lost to Georgia.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 5	3:30 p.m.	at Temple *	Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA	ESPN	L 10–27	69,176
September 12	12:00 p.m.	Buffalo *	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN2	W 27–14	93,065
September 19	8:00 p.m.	Rutgers	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	BTN	W 28–3	103,323
September 26	3:30 p.m.	San Diego State *	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	BTN	W 37–21	95,107
October 3	12:00 p.m.	Army *	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPNU	W 20–14	107,387
October 10	12:00 p.m.	Indiana	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN	W 29–7	97,873
October 17	8:00 p.m.	at No. 1 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH (rivalry)	ABC	L 10–38	108,423
October 24	3:30 p.m.	vs. Maryland	M&T Bank Stadium Baltimore, MD (rivalry)	ESPN	W 31–30	68,948
October 31	12:00 p.m.	Illinois	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN2	W 39–0	94,417
November 7	12:00 p.m.	at Northwestern	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	ESPNU	L 21–23	34,116
November 21	12:00 p.m.	No. 14 Michigan	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	ABC	L 16–28	107,418
November 28	3:30 p.m.	at No. 6 Michigan State	Spartan Stadium East Lansing, MI (rivalry)	ESPN	L 16–55	74,705
January 2, 2016	12:00 p.m.	vs. Georgia *	EverBank Field Jacksonville, FL (TaxSlayer Bowl)	ESPN	L 17–24	58,212
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Roster

2015 Penn State Nittany Lions football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 2 Jake Kiley  Jr WR 3 DeAndre Thompkins  Fr QB 4 Tommy Stevens Fr WR 5 DaeSean Hamilton  So RB 6 Andre Robinson Fr WR 7 Geno Lewis  Jr RB 8 Mark Allen  Fr QB 9 Trace McSorley  Fr WR 10 Brandon Polk Fr TE 11 Brent Wilkerson  Jr WR 12 Chris Godwin So WR 13 Saeed Blacknall So QB 14 Christian Hackenberg Jr QB 16 Billy Fessler  Fr QB 17 Jackson Erdmann Fr TE 18 Jonathan Holland Fr WR 19 Gregg Garrity Jr RB 20 Johnathan Thomas  Fr RB 22 Akeel Lynch  Jr RB 24 Nick Scott  Fr RB 26 Saquon Barkley Fr RB 27 Brandon Johnson Sr TE 30 Charles Idemudia  Jr TE 34 Dominic Salomone  Jr RB 36 Troy Shorts Fr WR 39 Josh McPhearson So G, C 52 Ryan Bates Fr G, C 53 Derek Dowrey  Jr C, G 55 Wendy Laurent  Jr G, C 57 Steven Gonzalez Fr OT 58 Chance Sorrell  Fr OT 59 Andrew Nelson  So OT 60 Noah Beh  Fr G 61 Jack Lasher Fr G 62 Zach Simpson Fr OL 66 Angelo Mangiro  Sr OL 68 Kevin Reihner  Sr G, C 69 Adam De Boef  Fr G, C 70 Brendan Mahon  So OT 71 Albert Hall  Jr G, C 72 Brian Gaia  Jr OT 73 Paris Palmer Jr G, C 74 Evan Galimberti  So OT 75 Brendan Brosnan  Fr OT 76 Sterling Jenkins Fr G, C 77 Chasz Wright  Fr C, G 78 Tom Devenney  So OT 79 Charlie Shuman  Fr WR 80 Matt Zanellato  Sr TE 81 Adam Breneman  So WR 82 Tyler Shoop Fr TE 83 Nick Bowers Fr WR 84 Juwan Johnson Fr WR 85 Irvin Charles Fr TE 87 Kyle Carter  Sr WR 87 Dan Chisena Fr TE 88 Mike Gesicki So WR 89 Gordon Bentley  So TE 89 Tom Pancoast  So	Defense Pos. # Name Class CB 1 Christian Campbell So S 2 Marcus Allen So CB 4 Daquan Worley  Fr LB 5 Nyeem Wartman-White  Jr S 6 Malik Golden  Jr LB 7 Koa Farmer  Fr LB 8 Gary Wooten Jr.  Jr S 9 Jordan Lucas Sr CB 10 Trevor Williams Sr LB 11 Brandon Bell Jr CB 12 Jordan Smith Jr S 14 Jarvis Miller Fr CB 15 Grant Haley So S 16 John Petrishen Fr CB 17 Garrett Taylor Fr DE 19 Torrence Brown  Fr LB 20 Jordan Dudas Sr CB 21 Amani Oruwariye  Fr S 23 Ayron Monroe Fr S 24 Anthony Smith  So LB 25 Von Walker Jr S 27 Colin Harrop  Jr S 28 Troy Apke So CB 29 John Reid Fr DE 30 Kevin Givens Fr CB 31 Desi Davis  So S 32 Joe Berg  Fr LB 32 Jack Haffner  Jr LB 33 Jake Cooper Fr LB 34 Jan Johnson Fr LB 35 Matthew Baney Sr CB 37 Kyle Alston  So CB 38 Desi Davis  So LB 38 Ben Kline  Sr LB 40 Jason Cabinda So DT 41 Parker Cothren  So LB 42 Troy Reeder  Fr LB 43 Manny Bowen Fr S 45 Bryant Harper Jr DE 46 Colin Castagna Fr LB 47 Brandon Smith  So DE 48 Shareef Miller Fr DE 49 Will Eikenberry  Fr S 49 Brian Tomasetti  So DE 52 Curtis Cothran  So DT 54 Robert Windsor Fr DE 55 Kam Carter Fr DT 63 Ryan Monk Fr DE 90 Garrett Sickels  So DT 91 Tarow Barney Sr DT 92 Joe Holmes  Fr DT 93 Antoine White  Fr DE 94 Evan Schwan  Jr DE 95 Carl Nassib Sr DT 96 Immanuel Iyke Fr DE 97 Ryan Buchholz Fr DT 98 Anthony Zettel Sr DT 99 Austin Johnson  Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K, P 37 Chris Gulla  So SN 41 Zach Ladonis  So SN 44 Tyler Yazujian  Jr K, P 91 Nick Boumerhi Fr P 92 Daniel Pasquariello So P 93 Robby Liebel  Fr K, P 95 Tyler Davis  So SN 96 Kyle Vasey  Fr SN 97 Nick Cox Fr K, P 98 Jordan Wombacker Fr K 99 Joey Julius  Fr	Head coach James Franklin Coordinators/assistant coaches Bob Shoop (defensive coordinator/safeties) John Donovan (offensive coordinator/tight ends) Charles Huff (running backs/special teams coordinator) Brent Pry (assistant head coach/co-defensive coordinator/linebackers) Ricky Rahne (quarterbacks/passing game coordinator) Josh Gattis (wide receivers/offensive recruiting coordinator) Terry Smith (cornerbacks/defensive recruiting coordinator) Herb Hand (run game coordinator/offensive line) Sean Spencer (defensive line) Dwight Galt (strength and conditioning) Joe Brady IV (graduate assistant) Tommy Galt (graduate assistant) Andrew Jackson (graduate assistant) Ryan Smith (graduate assistant) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Staff

Position	Name	Alma mater
Head coach	James Franklin [1]	East Stroudsburg (1994)
Defensive coordinator/Safeties	Bob Shoop [2]	Yale (1988)
Offensive coordinator/tight ends	John Donovan [2]	Johns Hopkins (1997)
Linebackers/co-Defensive coordinator/assistant head coach	Brent Pry [2]	Buffalo (1993)
Running backs/Special teams coordinator	Charles Huff [2]	Hampton (2005)
Quarterbacks/Passing Game Coordinator	Ricky Rahne [2]	Cornell (2002)
Wide receivers/offensive Recruiting coordinator	Josh Gattis [2]	Wake Forest (2006)
Cornerbacks/defensive Recruiting coordinator	Terry Smith [2]	Penn State (1991)
Offensive line/Run Game Coordinator	Herb Hand [2]	Hamilton College (1990)
Defensive line	Sean Spencer [2]	Clarion (1995)
Strength and Conditioning	Dwight Galt [2]	Maryland (1981)
Graduate Assistant	Joe Brady IV	College of William & Mary (2013)
Graduate Assistant	Tommy Galt	Maryland (2009)
Graduate Assistant	Andrew Jackson	LIU Post (2011)
Graduate Assistant	Ryan Smith	College of William & Mary (2014)

Game summaries

Temple

See also: 2015 Temple Owls football team

Penn State vs. Temple – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Penn State	10	0	0	0	10
Temple	0	7	10	10	27

at Lincoln Financial Field

• Date: September 5
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C); partly cloudy
• Game attendance: 69,176
• Referee: Daniel Capron
• TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, Shannon Spake
• ESPN Box Score

Game information

First quarter PSU – Joey Julius, 34 yard field goal, 10:47 (PSU 3–0) PSU – Akeel Lynch, 41 yard run, Julius XP good, 6:34 (PSU 10–0) Second quarter TU – Jahad Thomas, 1 yd run, Austin Jones XP good, 2:25 (PSU 10–7) Third quarter TU – Jones, 40 yard field goal, 6:23 (TIE 10–10) TU – P.J. Walker, 1 yd run, Austin Jones XP good, 1:00 (TU 17–10) Fourth quarter TU – Thomas, 24 yd run, Austin Jones XP good, 11:14 (TU 24–10) TU – Jones, 30 yard field goal, 5:41 (TU 27–10) Top passer Christian Hackenberg – 11/25, 103 yards, INT Top rushers Akeel Lynch – 10 carries, 78 yards, TD Top receiver Chris Godwin – 5 receptions, 81 yards Top defender Carl Nassib – 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL), sack

This was Penn State's first loss to Temple since 1941.

Buffalo

See also: 2015 Buffalo Bulls football team

Buffalo vs. Penn State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Buffalo	0	0	7	7	14
Penn State	0	10	3	14	27

at Beaver Stadium

• Date: September 12
• Game time: 12:00 noon EDT
• Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C); light rain
• Game attendance: 93,065
• Referee: Don Willard
• TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins, Anthony Becht, Paul Carcaterra
• ESPN Box Score

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter PSU – Brandon Polk, 22 yard run, Joey Julius XP good, 6:57 (PSU 7–0) PSU – Julius, 22 yard field goal, 3:58 (PSU 10–0) Third quarter UB – Ron Willoughby, 14 yard pass from Joe Licata, Adam Mitcheson XP good, 5:33 (PSU 10–7) PSU – Julius, 21 yard field goal, 0:20 (PSU 13–7) Fourth quarter PSU – DaeSean Hamilton, 5 yard pass from Christian Hackenberg, Julius XP good, 12:04 (PSU 20–7) PSU – Saquon Barkley, 9 yard run, Julius XP good, 9:02 (PSU 27–7) UB – Marcus McGill, 10 yard pass from Licata, Mitcheson XP good, 4:38 (PSU 27–14) Top passer Christian Hackenberg – 14/27, 128 yards, TD Top rushers Saquon Barkley – 12 carries, 115 yards, TD Top receiver Chris Godwin – 5 receptions, 75 yards Top defender Austin Johnson – 9 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss (TFL), 1.5 sacks

Rutgers

See also: 2015 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

Rutgers vs. Penn State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Rutgers	0	0	0	3	3
Penn State	0	21	0	7	28

at Beaver Stadium

• Date: September 19
• Game time: 8:00 p.m EDT
• Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C); rain
• Game attendance: 103,323
• Referee: Jerry McGinn
• TV announcers (BTN): Kevin Kugler, Matt Millen, Lisa Byington
• ESPN Box Score

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter PSU – DeAndre Thompkins, 2 yard run, Joey Julius XP good, 12:10 (PSU 7–0) PSU – Saquon Barkley, 15 yard run, Julius XP good, 2:06 (PSU 14–0) PSU – Akeel Lynch, 75 yard run, Julius XP good, 1:04 (PSU 21–0) Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter RU – Kyle Federico, 34 yard field goal, 10:35 (PSU 21–3) PSU – Barkley, 16 yard run, Julius XP good, 4:21 (PSU 28–3) Top passer Christian Hackenberg – 10/19, 141 yards, 1 INT Top rushers Saquon Barkley – 21 carries, 195 yards, 2 TD Top receiver DaeSean Hamilton – 5 receptions, 86 yards Top defender Marcus Allen – 11 tackles

San Diego State

See also: 2015 San Diego State Aztecs football team

San Diego State vs. Penn State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
San Diego State	7	7	7	0	21
Penn State	10	17	0	10	37

at Beaver Stadium

• Date: September 26
• Game time: 3:30 p.m EDT
• Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C); mostly sunny
• Game attendance: 95,107
• Referee: Jeff Maconaghy
• TV announcers (BTN): Kevin Kugler, Matt Millen, Lisa Byington
• ESPN Box Score

Game information

First quarter PSU – Saquon Barkley, 22 yard pass from Christian Hackenberg, Joey Julius XP good, 4:20 (PSU 7–0) SDS – Rashaad Penny, 100 yard kickoff return, Donny Hageman XP good, 4:08 (TIE 7–7) PSU – Julius, 40 yard field goal, 0:43 (PSU 10–7) Second quarter PSU – Julius, 24 yard field goal, 11:59 (PSU 13–7) SDS – Mikah Holder, 19 yard pass from Maxwell Smith, Hageman XP good, 10:23 (SDS 14–13) PSU – Mark Allen, 13 yard pass from Hackenberg, Julius XP good, 1:03 (PSU 20–14) PSU – Chris Godwin, 11 yard pass from Hackenberg, Julius XP good, 0:17 (PSU 27–14) Third quarter SDS – Donnel Pumphrey, 1 yard run, Hageman XP good, 8:11 (PSU 27–21) Fourth quarter PSU – Austin Johnson, 71 yard fumble recovery, Julius XP good, 13:44 (PSU 34–21) PSU – Julius, 26 yard field goal, 9:52 (PSU 37–21) Top passer Christian Hackenberg – 21/35, 296 yards, 3 TD Top rushers Saquon Barkley – 8 carries, 62 yards Top receiver Chris Godwin – 5 receptions, 78 yards, TD Top defender Anthony Zettel – 7 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL), 0.5 sack

Army

See also: 2015 Army Black Knights football team

Army vs. Penn State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Army	0	0	7	7	14
Penn State	7	3	10	0	20

at Beaver Stadium

• Date: October 3
• Game time: 12:00 p.m EDT
• Game weather: 46 °F (8 °C); light drizzle
• Game attendance: 107,387
• Referee: Todd Geerlings
• TV announcers (ESPNU): Anish Shroff, Ahmad Brooks
• ESPN Box Score

Game information

First quarter PSU – Nick Scott, 11 yard run, Joey Julius XP good, 9:57 (PSU 7–0) Second quarter PSU – Julius, 37 yard field goal, 0:25 (PSU 10–0) Third quarter PSU – Julius, 27 yard field goal, 9:53 (PSU 13–0) USMA – A.J. Schurr 3 yard run, Daniel Grochowski XP good, 5:36 (PSU 13–7) PSU – Mike Gesicki, 33 yard pass from Christian Hackenberg, Julius XP good, 0:00 (PSU 20–7) Fourth quarter USMA – Schurr, 56 yard run, Grochowski XP good, 11:04 (PSU 20–14) Top passer Christian Hackenberg – 10/19, 156 yards, TD Top rushers Nick Scott – 12 carries, 54 yards, TD Top receiver Chris Godwin – 4 receptions, 66 yards Top defender Jason Cabinda – 14 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss (TFL), 2 sacks

Indiana

See also: 2015 Indiana Hoosiers football team

Indiana vs. Penn State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Indiana	7	0	0	0	7
Penn State	7	12	0	10	29

at Beaver Stadium

• Date: October 10
• Game time: 12:00 p.m EDT
• Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C); sunny
• Game attendance: 97,873
• Referee: Jeffrey Servinski
• TV announcers (ESPN): Beth Mowins, Anthony Becht, Paul Carcaterra
• ESPN Box Score

Game information

First quarter PSU – Brandon Polk, 39 yard pass from Christian Hackenberg, Joey Julius XP good, 7:35 (PSU 7–0) IU – Zander Diamont, 12 yard run, Griffin Oakes XP good, 4:11 (TIE 7–7) Second quarter PSU – DaeSean Hamilton, 39 yard pass from Hackenberg, Julius XP missed, 5:40 (PSU 13–7) PSU – Hackenberg, 1 yard run, Julius XP missed, 0:36 (PSU 19–7) Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter PSU – Hackenberg, 5 yard run, Tyler Davis XP good, 10:37 (PSU 26–7) PSU – Davis, 30 yard field goal, 5:33 (PSU 29–7) Top passer Christian Hackenberg – 21/39, 262 yards, 2 TD Top rushers Nick Scott – 8 carries, 57 yards Top receiver Chris Godwin – 4 receptions, 41 yards Top defender Austin Johnson – 9 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL), 1 sack

Ohio State

See also: 2015 Ohio State Buckeyes football team and Ohio State–Penn State football rivalry

Penn State vs. Ohio State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Penn State	3	0	7	0	10
#1 Ohio State	0	21	0	17	38

at Ohio Stadium

• Date: October 17
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 42 °F (6 °C); mostly cloudy
• Game attendance: 108,423
• Referee: Daniel Capron
• TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Heather Cox
• ESPN Box Score

Game information

First quarter PSU – Joey Julius, 33 yard field goal, 11:32 (PSU 3–0) Second quarter OSU – J. T. Barrett, 5 yard run, Jack Willoughby XP good, 13:43 (OSU 7–3) OSU – Ezekiel Elliott, 11 yard run, Willoughby XP good, 9:26 (OSU 14–3) OSU – Barrett, 13 yard run, Willoughby XP good, 3:17 (OSU 21–3) Third quarter PSU – DaeSean Hamilton, 8 yard pass from Christian Hackenberg, Julius XP good, 13:59 (OSU 21–10) Fourth quarter OSU – Willoughby, 39 yard field goal, 12:54 (OSU 24–10) OSU – Braxton Miller, 5 yard pass from Barrett, Willoughby XP good, 6:25 (OSU 31–10) OSU – Michael Thomas, 6 yard pass from Barrett, Willoughby XP good, 4:14 (OSU 38–10) Top passer Christian Hackenberg – 7/13, 120 yards, TD Top rushers Saquon Barkley – 26 carries, 194 yards Top receiver Chris Godwin – 3 receptions, 103 yards Top defender Jordan Lucas – 9 tackles

Maryland

See also: 2015 Maryland Terrapins football team and Maryland–Penn State football rivalry

Penn State vs. Maryland – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Penn State	7	10	7	7	31
Maryland	7	6	14	3	30

at M&T Bank Stadium

• Date: October 24
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C); cloudy
• Game attendance: 68,948
• Referee: Michael Cannon
• TV announcers (ESPN): Dave LaMont, Ray Bentley, Dawn Davenport
• ESPN Box Score

Game information

First quarter PSU – Saquon Barkley, 6 yard run, Joey Julius XP good, 2:49 (PSU 7–0) UM – Perry Hills, 12 yard run, Brad Craddock XP good, 1:36 (TIE 7–7) Second quarter UM – Craddock, 44 yard field goal, 9:35 (UM 10–7) UM – Craddock, 27 yard field goal, 3:51(UM 13–7) PSU – Chris Godwin, 37 yard pass from Christian Hackenberg, Julius XP good, 3:09 (PSU 14–13) PSU – Julius, 40 yard field goal, 0:31 (PSU 17–13) Third quarter UM – Brandon Ross, 10 yard run, Craddock XP good, 9:17 (UM 20–17) PSU – DaeSean Hamilton, 20 yard pass from Hackenberg, Julius XP good, 5:32 (PSU 24–20) UM – DeAndre Lane, 10 yard pass from Hills, Craddock XP good, 0:51 (UM 27–24) Fourth quarter PSU – Geno Lewis, 27 yard pass from Hackenberg, Julius XP good, 13:39 (PSU 31–27) UM – Craddock, 29 yard field goal, 10:15 (PSU 31–30) Top passer Christian Hackenberg – 13/29, 315 yards, 3 TD Top rushers Saquon Barkley – 20 carries, 65 yards, TD Top receiver DaeSean Hamilton – 5 receptions, 96 yards, TD Top defender Troy Reeder – 10 tackles

Illinois

See also: 2015 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

Illinois vs. Penn State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Illinois	0	0	0	0	0
Penn State	12	3	10	14	39

at Beaver Stadium

• Date: October 31
• Game time: 12:00 p.m EDT
• Game weather: 45 °F (7 °C); partly sunny
• Game attendance: 94,417
• Referee: John O'Neill
• TV announcers (ESPN2): Beth Mowins, Anthony Becht, Paul Carcaterra
• ESPN Box Score

Game information

First quarter PSU – Chris Godwin, 5 yard pass from Christian Hackenberg, Joey Julius XP missed, 5:52 (PSU 6–0) PSU – Geno Lewis, 6 yard pass from Hackenberg, Julius XP missed, 4:16 (PSU 12–0) Second quarter PSU – Tyler Davis, 42 yard field goal, 4:16 (PSU 15–0) Third quarter PSU – Hackenberg, 14 yard pass from Nick Scott, Davis XP good, 11:18 (PSU 22–0) PSU – Davis, 28 yard field goal, 3:56 (PSU 25–0) Fourth quarter PSU – Saquon Barkley, 7 yard run, Davis XP good, 13:07 (PSU 32–0) PSU – Mark Allen, 20 yard run, Davis XP good, 6:33 (PSU 39–0) Top passer Christian Hackenberg – 21/29, 266 yards, 2 TD Top rushers Saquon Barkley – 20 carries, 84 yards, TD Top receiver Chris Godwin – 7 receptions, 76 yards, TD Top defender Jason Cabinda – 7 tackles

Northwestern

See also: 2015 Northwestern Wildcats football team

Penn State vs. Northwestern – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Penn State	0	7	7	7	21
Northwestern	0	20	0	3	23

at Ryan Field

• Date: November 7
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C); sunny
• Game attendance: 34,116
• Referee: Don Willard
• TV announcers (ESPNU): Clay Matvick, John Congemi
• ESPN Box Score

Game information

First quarter No scoring Second quarter NU – Christian Jones, 14 yard pass from Zack Oliver, Jack Mitchell XP good, 12:56 (NU 7–0) NU – Oliver, 1 yard run, Mitchell XP missed, 6:00 (NU 13–0) PSU – Saquon Barkley, 7 yard run, Tyler Davis XP good, 2:18 (NU 13–7) NU – Solomon Vault, 96 yard kickoff return, Mitchell XP good, 2:04 (NU 20–7) Third quarter PSU – DaeSean Hamilton, 32 yard pass from Geno Lewis, Davis XP good, 5:04 (NU 20–14) Fourth quarter PSU – Barkley, 13 yard run, Davis XP good, 12:22 (PSU 21–20) NU – Mitchell, 35 yard field goal, 0:09 (NU 23–21) Top passer Christian Hackenberg – 21/40, 205 yards, INT Top rushers Saquon Barkley – 25 carries, 120 yards, 2 TD Top receiver Chris Godwin – 8 receptions, 104 yards Top defender Austin Johnson – 10 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss (TFL), sack

Michigan

See also: 2015 Michigan Wolverines football team

Michigan vs. Penn State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
#14 Michigan	7	7	7	7	28
Penn State	3	7	0	6	16

at Beaver Stadium

• Date: November 21
• Game time: 12:00 p.m EST
• Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C); mix of clouds, sun
• Game attendance: 107,418
• Referee: Ron Snodgrass
• TV announcers (ABC): Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, Shannon Spake
• ESPN Box Score

Game information

First quarter PSU – Tyler Davis, 23 yard field goal, 11:09 (PSU 3–0) UM – Jake Butt, 26 yard pass from Jake Rudock, Kenny Allen XP good, 7:43 (UM 7–3) Second quarter PSU – Saeed Blacknall, 25 yard pass from Christian Hackenberg, Davis XP good 2:01 (PSU 10–7) UM – Amara Darboh, 11 yard pass from Rudock, Allen XP good, 0:51 (UM 14–10) Third quarter UM – Sione Houma, 1 yard run, Allen XP good, 6:07 (UM 21–10) Fourth quarter PSU – Davis, 24 yard field goal, 14:02 (UM 21–13) PSU – Davis, 18 yard field goal, 8:05 (UM 21–16) UM – De'Veon Smith, 1 yard run, Allen XP good, 5:12 (UM 28–16) Top passer Christian Hackenberg – 13/31, 137 yards, TD Top rushers Saquon Barkley – 15 carries, 68 yards Top receiver Chris Godwin – 3 receptions, 51 yards Top defender Marcus Allen – 12 tackles

Michigan State

See also: 2015 Michigan State Spartans football team and Land Grant Trophy

Penn State vs. Michigan State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Penn State	0	10	0	6	16
#6 Michigan State	6	14	14	21	55

at Spartan Stadium

• Date: November 28
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 34 °F (1 °C); partly cloudy
• Game attendance: 74,705
• Referee: Michael Cannon
• TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Brock Huard (analyst), Shannon Spake (sideline)
• ESPN Box Score

Game information

First quarter MSU – R.J. Shelton, 29 yard pass from Connor Cook, Michael Geiger XP no good, 9:35 (MSU 6–0) Second quarter PSU – Tyler Davis, 19 yard field goal, 14:14 (MSU 6–3) MSU – Gerald Holmes, 6 yard run, Geiger XP good, 7:12 (MSU 13–3) MSU – Demetrious Cox, 77 yard return of Kyle Carter's fumble, Geiger XP good, 2:36 (MSU 20–3) PSU – Chris Godwin, 8 yard pass from Christian Hackenberg, Davis XP good, 0:35 (MSU 20–10) Third quarter MSU – Aaron Burbridge, 29 yard pass from Cook, Geiger XP good, 11:40 (MSU 27–10) MSU – Josiah Price, 6 yard pass from Cook, Geiger XP good, 3:31 (MSU 34–10) Fourth quarter PSU – Godwin, 5 yard pass from Hackenberg, Hackenberg 2-point conversion failed, 14:51 (MSU 34–16) MSU – LJ Scott, 6 yard run, Geiger XP good, 11:18 (MSU 41–16) MSU – Malik McDowell, 13 yard interception return, Geiger XP good, 9:56 (MSU 48–16) MSU – Jack Allen, 9 yard run, Geiger XP good, 9:48 (MSU 55–16) Top passer Christian Hackenberg – 22/39, 257 yards, 2 TD Top rushers Saquon Barkley – 17 carries, 103 yards Top receiver Chris Godwin – 11 receptions, 109 yards, 2 TD Top defender Jason Cabinda – 13 tackles

Georgia

See also: 2015 Georgia Bulldogs football team and 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January)

Penn State vs. Georgia – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Penn State	0	3	0	14	17
Georgia	3	14	7	0	24

at EverBank Field

• Date: January 2
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C); partly cloudy
• Game attendance: 58,212
• Referee: Mike Mothershed
• TV announcers (ESPN): Allen Bestwick, Dan Hawkins, Tiffany Greene
• ESPN Box Score

Game information

First quarter UG – Marshall Morgan, 44 yard field goal, 7:02 (UG 3–0) Second quarter PSU – Tyler Davis, 34 yard field goal, 8:08 (TIE 3–3) UG – Malcolm Mitchell, 44 yard pass from Terry Godwin, Morgan XP good, 6:46 (UG 10–3) UG – Godwin, 17 yard pass from Greyson Lambert, Patrick Beless XP good, 0:24 (UG 17–3) Third quarter UG – Sony Michel, 21 yard run, Beless XP good, 4:15 (UG 24–3) Fourth quarter PSU – Geno Lewis, 17 yard pass from Trace McSorley, Davis XP good, 14:53 (UG 24–10) PSU – DaeSean Hamilton, 20 yard pass from McSorley, Davis XP good, 6:14 (UG 24–17) Top passer Trace McSorley – 14/27, 142 yards, 2 TD Top rushers Saquon Barkley – 17 carries, 69 yards Top receiver Chris Godwin – 6 receptions, 133 yards Top defender Brandon Bell – 11 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL)

References

1. "Penn State Selects James Franklin To Lead Football Program". Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
2. "Penn State Official Athletic Site - Football". Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2014.