No. 7 Penn State Football Receives Multiple Awards Ahead of Big Ten Championship Game
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No. 7 Penn State Football Receives Multiple Awards Ahead of Big Ten Championship Game

No. 7 Penn State Football (10-2, 8-1) will come away a winner from this season no matter what.

From proving critics wrong to turning a No. 2 program on its head earlier this season, the Nittany Lions represent perseverance in the face of adversity.

While Head Coach James Franklin likes to keep his team honest and humble, multiple awards were granted to the team this past week, and we feel they deserve a little extra publicity.

First off, Coach Franklin was awarded the Big Ten Media Coach of the Year.

The media members of the Big Ten vote on the most impressive and wholesome coach of the year, and this year, there was no doubt who that is.

Penn State coaches have won this award five times, with Joe Paterno accepting the award three times and Bill O’Brien receiving the honor during his time here in 2012.

Quarterback Trace McSorley (Ashburn, Va.) earned two impressive awards this past week: Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and the Rose Bowl Player of the Week.

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McSorley recorded 376 passing yards and four touchdown passes this past weekend against Michigan State for a 73.9% completion rate.

Standout kicker Tyler Davis (St. Charles, Ill.) has notched 113 points for the Nittany Lions during his tenure at Penn State. He was awarded the co-Big Ten special teams POW (player of the week) award, shared with a Hawkeye special teams player.

Defensively, Penn State has been shining the past few games, and the media and critics have taken notice and named multiple Nittany Lions to All-Big Ten honors teams.

Garrett Sickels (Red Bank, N.J.) was named to the second team by coaches and the third team by the media.

Evan Schwan (Harrisburg, Pa.), Jason Cabinda (Flemington, N.J.), and Marcus Allen (Upper Marlboro, Md.) were named to the third team by the coaches

Senior captain and linebacker Brandon Bell (Mays Landing, N.J.), defensive tackle Parker Cothren (Huntsville, Ala.), and cornerback John Reid (Mount Laurel, N.J.) were all awarded honorable mentions.

The Nittany Lions continue to impress. No doubt more recognitions and awards will soon come their way after what is sure to be a stellar weekend in Indianapolis!