Penn State transfers make their mark in Nittany Lions win

Some of Penn State’s new faces were key cogs in its 35-31 season-opening win over Purdue on Thursday evening. The Nittany Lions once again turned to the Transfer Portal to plug holes on the roster and saw immediate returns in the win. 

Five former transfers, including four appearing in their first game for the program, contributed to the win in one way or another. Maryland transfer Chop Robinson, though credited with just one tackle in the final official stats, slammed the door shut on Purdue by forcing an Aidan O’Connell incompletion on the game’s final play. Robinson, who gained effectiveness as the game wore on, dipped under Boilermakers right tackle Eric Miller and wrapped up O’Connell, who harmlessly fluttered the ball to no one in particular to end the game. 

“There are very few people that get a ton of sacks against these guys,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said when asked about Robinson following the win. “They do a really good job with it. But we were able to get sacks when it mattered most.” 

Debuting Tinsley leads Nittany Lions in receiving

Leading the way on the offensive side of the ball was former Western Kentucky wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley. He not only started the Nittany Lions’ season point tally with a 12-yard catch-and-run touchdown early in the second quarter but also finished as the team’s leading receiver with seven grabs for 84 yards. Dating back to his time with the Hilltoppers, Tinsley has now caught at least seven passes in his last six games. His 27-yard scoot up the sideline on Penn State’s final drive got the offense within striking distance for a go-ahead score. 

Tinsley was targeted 12 times on the evening and his connection with roommate Sean Clifford was apparent.

“[There’s] confidence,” said Tinsley. “At the end of the day, [Clifford] was just doing what he does. That’s really what I saw.”

Amor shines in Penn State debut

Former FCS punter Barney Amor stepped into the shoes of the top punter selected in the 2022 NFL Draft and put forth a dazzling performance on the road. Amor punted eight times for an average of 46.9 yards with three efforts downed inside the 20. His best kick was a 51-yarder that seemed destined to pin the Boilermakers inside their own 1-yard-line but was bungled into the end zone for a touchback. 

Amor was at Colgate from 2017 through the 2020 season and joined the Nittany Lions in January of 2021. He made headlines last week when presented with a scholarship by former Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning at practice. On Thursday night, he put together a terrific debut on the big stage. 

“The biggest thing from me is bringing some game experience,” said Amor. “Obviously it’s a little different than Colgate University. There was about 62,000 people here, which is probably 58,000 more than we at [Colgate].”

Amor won the job over incoming scholarship freshman Alex Bacchetta coming out of Penn State’s camp, but it was more the culmination of an offseason of work following the departure of Jordan Stout for the NFL. 

“The biggest thing for punting is consistency. When I was doing it in spring ball, then fall camp and doing it throughout the summer I asked how could I get that much more consistent. So when you’re mis-hitting, you’re not mis-hitting right and left, you’re mis-hitting,” he said. “Worst-case scenario, you’re hitting those 38-yarders that are fair caught but survivable. So we continue to bring that with us and bring it onto the field today. I think today was a good example of where I want to be and it was a good extension of camp.”

Other Nittany Lions transfer contributions

Former South Carolina cornerback Johnny Dixon shook off two pass interference penalties to finish with a pair of pass breakups and a key sack in the fourth quarter. The junior beat a block and dropped O’Connell for a 10-yard loss on the game’s final drive. The sack not only moved the Boilermakers back, but also made Jeff Brohm use one of his two remaining timeouts with 35 seconds to play. 

Cornell offensive line transfer Hunter Nourzad didn’t start his first game, but the redshirt senior played 42 snaps and was in the game at left guard on the Nittany Lions’ game-winning drive.