Penn State rises in rankings of nation's unbeaten teams; more awards roll in for Abdul Carter: Newsstand
Penn State is in the top five on a list ranking the nation’s undefeated teams after five weeks. More awards are in for Abdul Carter after his big day against Illinois. We cover all of that, headlines of the day, and more in Wednesday’s newsstand. But, before it, a quick question: Did you know Blue-White Illustrated has a FREE newsletter that delivers top stories and breaking news to your inbox at least five times a week? If not, Click here to sign-up!
Penn State tweets of the day
ESPN college football stats and analytics guru Bill Connelly has updated his rundown of 19 still unbeaten college football teams. Penn State was No. 8 on it last week. It now resides at No. 5 after beating Illinois 21-7, with only Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, and Ohio State in front of it in that order. The Nittany Lions return to action on Saturday against UCLA. Kickoff is set for Noon ET at Beaver Stadium. FOX will televise the contest.
“The missed field goals were disconcerting — Sander Sahaydak is just 1-for-4 on FGs of 40-plus — but this team is showing few other weaknesses,” Connelly writes. “The Nittany Lions are 13th in points per drive and 11th in points allowed per drive, quarterback Drew Allar has improved his efficiency by leaps and bounds in his first few games with coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, and Nicholas Singleton has thus far been one of the more efficient and explosive RBs in the country. Things are coming together nicely. PSU is a projected favorite of at least eight points in all but one remaining game, though tests like Week 7’s trip to Los Angeles could tell us a lot.”
In other news, Carter is both the Nagurski and Bednarik trophies national player of the week. He had seven tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup against the Fighting Illini. On Monday, Carter was named the Big Ten defensive player of the week. He is on Pro Football Focus’ All-Week 5 team, too.
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Headlines of the day
Penn State-UCLA X factors: The Lions and Bruins to watch in Saturday’s game at Beaver Stadium: Flounders, PennLive
What did we learn about Penn State football in September?: Pickel, BWI
What James Franklin Said Before the Penn State-UCLA Game: Wogenrich, SI
Layton von Brandt on Penn State: ‘So far, no other school has built that relationship as well as PSU’: Snyder, BWI
Nittany Lions in the NFL | Jaquan Brisker, Amani Oruwariye tally interceptions, Saquon Barkley runs free: Linderman, Daily Collegian
Four-star safety Joey O’Brien opens up about Penn State following weekend visit: Snyder, BWI
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: Reviewing Penn State football’s 21-7 win over Illinois: Sauber, CDT
Quote of the day
“I’m hearing from Penn State every week from multiple people. They are really showing how much they want me to stay home, so they are recruiting me hard. Some places, I don’t hear from [them] for three weeks. Penn State is consistent.”
–Four-star Class of 2026 safety Joey O’Brien.
