College bowls and recruiting
The college football bowl season is winding down, and the games seem to happen so quickly.
Sure, there are too many bowl games, but they give fans the chance to watch a few last games before going into football hibernation.
Penn State and Pitt picked up bowl wins, and let鈥檚 take a look at both.
Having been in Dallas for Penn State鈥檚 Cotton Bowl win over Memphis, I was really impressed with how many Memphis fans showed up.
It isn鈥檛 often that Penn State is outdrawn at bowl games, but Memphis fans made the seven-hour drive and were loud.
Having watched the game back on my DVR, it sounded like the crowd was quiet, but that is because of how massive AT&T Stadium is.
Both fan bases made noise, but it did not translate to TV.
Unless you have been to the venue 鈥� I was previously there for WrestleMania 32 鈥� you truly can鈥檛 begin to believe the stadium鈥檚 size.
Penn State won, 53-39, and Rob Kuchar of Perryopolis was impressed with Penn State having four different players scoring touchdowns in the first half.
鈥淥ur offensive depth was on display in the first half,鈥� said Kuchar, who attended the game with his wife Veronica and their grandkids, Robert and Carly Burk, of nearby Aledo, Texas. 鈥淚t was great to be able to come down and see our family and take the kids to the game.鈥�
Penn State gained 396 yards on the ground and Micah Parsons recorded 14 tackles, three of which were for losses, two sacks and two passes defended.
A pair of Belle Vernon Area graduates who attend Penn State, Meghan Lovett and Bailey Parshall, also were at the game.
鈥淚t was awesome and knowing this was my last game as a student, I had goosebumps from the minute Coach Franklin and the team walked out of the tunnel until when they held up the Cotton Bowl trophy,鈥� said Lovett, a senior, who also attended the 2017 Rose Bowl.
鈥淚t was a great experience to watch the team play in a different environment,鈥� said Parshall, who is a sophomore on the Penn State softball team. 鈥淚t was remarkable to see how many Penn Staters traveled to Dallas and these memories will last a lifetime.鈥�
Pitt came from behind to down Eastern Michigan last Thursday night in the Quick Lane Bowl, 34-30.
The win is the team鈥檚 first in five tries under Narduzzi.
Eastern Michigan unraveled late and the Panthers rode the Kenny Pickett-to-Maurice Ffrench connections.
The duo combined for 12 completions for 165 yards while Pickett had an accurate night as he completed 27 of 39 attempts for 361 yards.
Capel signs first five-star
Jeff Capel is entering his second year as the Pitt men鈥檚 basketball coach and he picked up his first five-star commit when Jalen Hood-Schifino made a verbal commitment to the Panthers.
A Pittsburgh native, Hood-Schifino could be the first piece to a solid recruiting class.
Happy New Year!
Here is to a Happy New Year for you and yours!
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