STATE COLLEGE — The win couldn’t have felt better.
The circumstances couldn’t have been more heartbreaking, though, for star defensive tackle Anthony Zettel.
Zettel’s father, Terry, died in their native Michigan on Friday after a lengthy battle against cancer. He was just 46. His son played anyway, climbing into the stands before the game to give family members a hug before going on to record a team-high seven tackles, half a sack and a key fumble recovery.
“He was extremely tough,” Penn State captain and center Angelo Mangiro said. “He showed a lot of character. A lot of courage.”
Zettel wasn’t available for comment after the game, but a group of Penn State players will be traveling to a memorial service to be with him this afternoon. Head coach James Franklin said the team’s Sunday practice would have to be altered to allow the trip, but added that the team has created such a family atmosphere, the entire team was touched by Zettel’s loss.
“This is something you guys found out about this morning or last night, but this is something he and his family have been dealing with for quite some time now,” Franklin said. “Really, the last three weeks, it has been tough. It has been pretty intense for him and his family.”
Zettel drove home to Michigan after each of Penn State’s first three games to spend more time with his father, trips Franklin said took a toll on his dominant senior.
Zettel chose to play, he said, when there was no pressure from the coaching staff for him to do so.
“He felt like that’s what his family and his dad would have wanted him to do,” Franklin said.
Trouble in paradise
For a half, Penn State’s rushing attack looked dynamic again.
In a matter of minutes, thanks to a pair of injuries, it all went away.
Freshman Saquon Barkley and junior Akeel Lynch both left the game with apparent leg injuries in the first half. Barkley had his ankle retaped on the sideline and came out after halftime, but he didn’t get into the game. Lynch needed help getting off the field and didn’t return from the locker room.
Franklin said he could not provide an update on either’s condition after the game, but the statistics showed how important losing both were. With both in the lineup, the Nittany Lions rushed 14 times for 54 yards.
After Barkley’s injury, Penn State managed just 18 yards on their next 20 attempts.
Taking what they had
Penn State knew San Diego State’s defense brought a bit of a different look, lining up down after down with five defensive backs, but bringing exotic blitzes to control running games.
That left plenty of one-on-one coverage for the receivers, and sophomore Saeed Blacknall was the one who took the most advantage. His 101 receiving yards were a career high.
His 45-yard, first-quarter catch on a beautifully thrown ball up the right sideline from quarterback Christian Hackenberg set up Barkley’s 22-yard touchdown reception and Penn State’s first score.
“We knew San Diego State had a weird defense, not the usual kind we’re used to,” Blacknall said. “We just knew, with man coverage, we were going to be challenged.”
Safety troubles
The last time Penn State played a game without safety Jordan Lucas, it was in Dallas. The Nittany Lions were facing Houston in the 2012 TicketCity Bowl. A long time, in the college football world.
Lucas’ 40-game streak in the lineup — 27 of which came as a starter — for the Nittany Lions ended Saturday, when he sat with an undisclosed injury. He did leave the game against Rutgers on Sept. 19 with a shoulder injury, although he did return to the lineup.
The only player who has started more games for Penn State over the last three seasons than Lucas: Hackenberg, who started his 29th straight game Saturday.
Things got worse for the Nittany Lions’ safety crew after the game’s second play, when sophomore Marcus Allen left the game and didn’t return because of an apparent arm injury.
Penn State also played without tackle Andrew Nelson, who missed his second straight game after suffering a leg injury against Buffalo. Backup tackle Chance Sorrell also sat out.