University Park, Pa. – The Towson men’s lacrosse team (10-7) withstood a late rally from No. 9 Penn State (12-4) to defeat the Nittany Lions, 11-10, and claim its first Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title since 2005 Friday afternoon at PSU Lacrosse Field.

PSU outscored Towson 4-3 in the fourth quarter to try and rally from an 8-6 deficit at the end of the third. The game was tightly contested until late in the second quarter and into the third when the Tigers broke it open with a five-goal run.

Towson was making its first appearance in a CAA final since 2010, when the Tigers fell to Delaware, 12-9 on May 8. Today’s championship is Towson’s fourth title in its ninth appearance at the CAA Tournament. Towson’s Thomas DeNapoli, Jordan Fortmann and Ben McCarty were named to the All-Tournament team. Senior goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage received Most Outstanding Player. It is Head Coach Shawn Nadelen’s first CAA championship.

Sophomore Greg Cuccinello’s second hat trick of the season led the Tigers. He also had one assist. DeNapoli added two goals and two assists, while senior Matt Hughes scored his fourth and fifth goals in four games.

TJ Sanders’s three goals led the Nittany Lions. Jack Forster and Shane Sturgis each posted two goals. Goalie Austin Kaut made six saves.

McCarty opened the game’s scoring with his seventh goal in two games off a pass from DeNapoli at 11:10 in the first quarter. The Tigers took a 2-0 lead at 10:25 when sophomore Cuccinello beat PSU’s Kaut middle right.

Penn State struck back with a three-goal run starting at 9:28, getting scores from Forster, Kyle VanThof and Steven Bogert. But DeNapoli cut short the rally with his 40th goal of the season at 2:05. Hughes caused a Penn State turnover, picked up the ground ball and fed it to DeNapoli for the score. Hughes capped the quarter with his seventh goal of the year and, fourth in four games, with one second left.

The Nittany Lions started the second quarter on another three-goal rally when Forster connected with Tom LaCrosse on a fast break at 13:53. Sanders scored at 11:11 and Gavin Ahern followed at 10:18 to give PSU a 6-4 lead.

Junior Andrew Hodgson notched a goal for Towson at 6:59 when Towson worked the ball around the back of the net to Cuccinello who fed Hodgson. He dodged a defender and beat Kaut high to low from 12 yards out. His goal inched Towson to within one, 6-5, and Mabus’ tally at 4:28 pulled the Tigers even, 6-6.

Cuccinello started the third quarter with a bullet at 12:30 to put Towson up, 7-6, before Hodgson scored just over eight minutes later to give the Tigers an 8-6 advantage they carried into the fourth quarter.

The final frame was a wild one, seeing a total of seven goals – four in the final four minutes. Cuccinello posted his final goal of the game at 13:19 from 13 yards out, but the Lions showed they still had some fight when Sanders scored his 41st of the season 45 seconds later. Hughes answered with his second of the game when freshman Dan Livingston cleared the ball and passed to a waiting Hughes right in front of the goal at 6:51. That put Towson up three,10-7.

Towson was whistled for a slash at 4:54 and Penn State capitalized just 24 seconds into the penalty with a Sturgis goal at 4:31 to make it 10-8. DeNapoli posted his 41st of the year at 2:33, unassisted to increase the Tigers’ lead to 11-8. It gave Towson just enough breathing room to withstand Penn State goals from Sturgis and Sanders, at 2:14 and 1:42 respectively.

With the win, the Tigers earned the CAA’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. They will find out their opponent during the NCAA selection show on Sunday, May 5.

College Men’s Lacrosse: Towson 11, No. 9 Penn State 10
Towson (10-7)               4-2-2-3/11
Penn State (12-4)           3-3-0-4/10

GOALS: TOW – Cuccinello 3, DeNapoli 2, Hodgson 2, Hughes, 2, Mabus, McCarty; PSU – Sanders 3, Forster 2, Sturgis 2, Ahern, VanThof, Bogert. ASSISTS: TOW – DeNapoli 2, Cuccinello, Livingston, Mabus; PSU – Ahern 2, Manley 2, LaCrosse, Zittel. SAVES: TOW – Wascavage (12, 60:00, 10 GA); PSU – Kaut (6, 60:00,11 GA). SHOTS: TOW – 32; PSU – 35. GROUND BALLS: TOW – 21; PSU – 33. FACE-OFFS: TOW –5-24; PSU – 19-24. CLEARS: TOW – 22-24; PSU – 19-23. EMO: TOW – 0-2; PSU 2-2. ATT: 796.

The Baltimore Ravens selected Kansas State LB Arthur Brown in the 2nd round (56th pick) and Missouri Southern State DL Brandon Williams in the 3rd round (94th pick) of the NFL Draft. Here’s a look at some of the video on Brown and Williams…

Here is an overall highlight package on Brown…

Brown against Oregon in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl…

Brown in Kansas State’s 2012 win over Oklahoma…

Perhaps the quintessential video of Brown, from the Wildcats’ 2011 upset win over Heisman Trophy winner and Washington Redskins Pro Bowl QB Robert Griffin III…

We decided to make a GIF of the former K-State star running down the Skins’ QB…

Our own Luke Jones and Glenn Clark thought Brown reminded them of someone they had seen before…

Moving to Williams, he didn’t have a ton on film before the Senior Bowl…

Here is an overall highlight package on the former Lions DT…

Ravens coach John Harbaugh referenced this incredible video of Williams walking on his hands during the press conference…

If you want that in GIF form…

Courtesy of Bleacher Report, here’s this look at Williams’ arms…

A few of Williams’ friends shared this video of how the former MSSU D-Lineman was blowing off steam before the Draft Friday. It’s quite athletic.

You can hear from both players, as well as Harbaugh, GM Ozzie Newsome, Assistant GM Eric DeCosta and Director of College Scouting Joe Hortiz in the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault at WNST.net.  

Our WNST Purple Roadtrip to Detroit will leave White Marsh Mall area on Susaturday, Dec. 14 at 8 a.m. We’ll arrive in Canton in time for lunch at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We’ll depart Canton at 4 p.m. and will be in Detroit in time for dinner on Saturday night. We’ll be staying at the Detroit Courtyard by Mariott.

WNST.net will host a Sunday NFL viewing party in Detroit. Details TBA.

Our Gunther Motorcoach will return from downtown Detroit at 8 a.m. on Tuesday arrive back in Baltimore around 5 p.m.

TRIP INCLUDES:

Roundtrip Gunther Motorcoach transportation

One entrance to Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday afternoon

One upper deck game ticket at Ford Field

3 Hotel Night at Courtyard by Marriott Detroit

Snack and sandwiches for the ride to be washed down with a limited supply of beer, soda and water

Plenty of DVDs, purple films and trivia for the ride to and from Detroit

SINGLE — $600

DOUBLE — $500

TRIPLE — $450

QUAD — $400

Simply click on ADD TO CART below…

How many in your room?

SINGLE $600.00 USD DOUBLE $500.00 USD TRIPLE $450.00 USD QUAD $400.00 USD

University Park, Pa. - Three Tigers scored two goals each, but No. 11 Penn State (9-3, 4-0 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)) took home a 10-8 victory over Towson (7-6, 3-1 CAA) Saturday afternoon at Penn State Lacrosse Field.

Junior Andrew Hodgson and sophomores Justin Mabus and Greg Cuccinello all had two-goal games for Towson. Hodgson and Mabus each added an assist as well. Senior goalie Andrew Wascavage made 11 saves for the Tigers. TJ Sanders posted his third five-goal game of the year for Penn State.

Towson and Penn State were evenly matched. The teams split the face-offs, 10-10, and each took 33 shots. Both teams were 2-3 on extra man opportunities. But the Tigers couldn’t overcome 17 turnovers, including five in the first quarter. Penn State scored two goals directly off Towson turnovers.

Sanders got Penn State on the board first at 13:00 in the first quarter before Brian Bolewicki and Cuccinello scored back-to-back goals to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead with 4:55 in the first frame. Sanders and Hodgson traded goals to start the second quarter before the Nittany Lions reeled off four unanswered goals to take a 6-3 lead at 8:34 in the third quarter. PSU held a four-goal lead, 8-4, at 2:10 in the same frame.

Towson cut the advantage to two goals three times, 8-6 at 11:52 in the fourth on an EMO goal from Mabus, 9-7 after junior Thomas DeNapoli scored unassisted at 10:07 in the fourth and the final 10-8 after a Hodgson goal.

The Tigers return to action Saturday, April 20 at Drexel at 4 p.m.

Opening Face-Off
Towson and Penn State are both coming off wins last week. The Tigers defeated UMass 9-5, while PSU handed Drexel a 13-6 loss. The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and can be heard live on the Towson Sports Network on www.towsontigers.com with Spiro Morekas and former Tiger midfielder Hunter Lochte calling the action. It will also be televised on the Big Ten Network (BTN).

Updating the Tigers
The win over the Minutemen on April 6 pushed Towson’s win streak to four games coming into Saturday’s match up. The Tigers limited UMass to two goals through three quarters, holding the Minutemen scoreless in the first quarter. Stellar play in net from senior Andrew Wascavage helped the Tigers withstand a late comeback attempt from UMass. Junior Devin Grimaldi notched his first career hat trick and a career-best four points.

Last Time Out vs. Penn State – April 14, 2012 (Penn State 8, Towson 3)
Towson scored the final two goals of the second quarter to trail just 4-3 at halftime, but for the first time in 2012 the Tigers failed to register a goal in the second half. Penn State outshot Towson 39-28 en route to winning its third straight game. Shane Sturgis and Matthew Mackrides each posted hat tricks for the Nittany Lions. Andrew Wascavage made 17 saves in net for the Tigers. Carl Iacona (1) and Matt Lamon (2) scored for Towson.

Towson-Penn State Series History
Begun in 1981, the series was contested annually after that until 1995. The teams met in the first round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament, where the Tigers claimed an 11-6 victory to end PSU’s season. The series began again in 2010 when the Nittany Lions joined the CAA.

Towson-Penn State By the Numbers

Game Dates: Dec. 27 & 29, 2012
Opponent: Loyola Marymount, San Diego
Site: Los Angeles, Calif./San Diego, Calif.
Game Time: LMU 7 p.m. (PT)/San Diego 7:30 p.m. (PT)
MSU Coach: Todd Bozeman (114-90 – 7th yr)
Websites: MorganStateBears.com/ LMULions.com/USDToreros.com

BALTIMORE, Md. — Morgan State men’s basketball team will play a pair of holiday games on the west coast just before the New Year. The Loyola Marymount Lions will host Morgan State in the 2nd Annual LMU Holiday Classic on Thursday, Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. in Los Angeles, Calif. The Bears will also face the San Diego Toreros on Saturday, Dec. 29 as part of the Classic.

Bear Bits:

• After opening the season with a 71 point effort in a win against UTSA, the Bears have gone 3-5 while averaging 68 points and 45 percent shooting.

• Morgan State, who shot 67.6 percent from the line last season, continues to have hard times from the stripe … through the first eight games the Bears are shooting 59 percent (120-203 FT).

• The Bears, who held VMI to 9 of 32 from 3-point range, have allowed an average of 74.5 points and opponents are shooting 33 percent from 3-point territory.

• Morgan State shot a season-high 52.8 percent at South Carolina and a season best 65.0 percent from the stripe, with 11 steals.

• DeWayne Jackson has scored 119 points in eight games and ranks among the MEAC’s scoring leaders ranked No. 5 (14.9 ppg).

• One area where the Bears haven’t been inconsistent is under the basket. Morgan State ranks No. 3 in the league in total rebounding at 34.9 per game, No. 3 in offensive rebounds at 36.6 and No. 1 in field goal percentage at 45.6.

• Justin Black was just shy of posting a triple-double at Liberty. The junior guard finished with a career-high 12 rebounds to go along with nine points and nine assists … he enters the LMU Holiday Classic game looking to bounce back from a 2 point effort at Virginia.

• DeWayne Jackson is ranked among the top theft artists in school history. Jackson has collected 136 steals with the Bears steals with the Bears and currently ranks No. 5. The school record for career steals is held by Terrence Wright (1992-96) with 186 career steals … Jackson is 52 steals away from becoming the school’s new leader.

MORGAN STATE VS. LOYOLA MARYMOUNT 
Morgan State hold a 2-0 record against Loyola Marymount in school history. The Bears defeated the Lions 81-79 in the 2010-11 season-opener at Gersten Pavilion, and dropped LMU 69-45 at Hill Feild House on Dec. 27, 2011.

MORGAN STATE VS. THE WCC
Morgan State is 2-0 vs. the West Coast Conference by posting two wins against Loyola Marymount.

SCOUTING THE LIONS
The Lions welcome back eight veterans — three starters — from a squad that posted a 21-13 overall record, finished 4th in the WAC with a 11-5 mark. Anthony Ireland leads LMU averaging 20.3 points and is shooting 40 percent from 3-point territory. Ashley Hamilton is also averaging double-figures (14.4 ppg) and leads the squad on the boards with 7.7 rebounds. Head coach Max Good (Eastern Kentucky ’69) enters his fifth season as the Lions head coach and he currently holds a 58-82 record.

MORGAN STATE VS. SAN DIEGO 

Morgan State will play San Diego for the first time in school history.

SCOUTING THE TOREROS

The Toreros welcome back nine veterans — five starters — from a squad that posted a 13-18 overall record, finished 6th in the WCC with a 7-9 ledger.  Sophomore guard Johnny Dee leads San Diego averaging 14.3 points and is shooting 41 percent from 3-point territory. Senior forward Ken Rancifer is also averaging double-figures (10.2 ppg) and is averaging 5.0 rebounds. Head coach Bill Grier (Oregon ’90) enters his sixth season as the Toreros head coach and he currently holds a 74-101 record.
MORGAN STATE TABBED THIRD IN PRESEASON POLL
Morgan State was picked to finish third in the 2012-13 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men’s basketball preseason poll behind Savannah State and Delaware State.

JACKSON AND CHILES EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Morgan State senior DeWayne Jackson was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Junior center Ian Chiles was selected to the Second Team.

UNFAMILIAR FOES
Morgan State will face six teams this season that the program has never met in its basketball history. The first time opponents are: UTSA, Old Dominion, Holy Cross, South Carolina, Illinois State and San Diego. The Bears do not see a familiar foe until the Nov. 29 matchup at Liberty (MSU leads, 1-0), their fifth game of the season. The other five opponents MSU previously has played are University of Virginia (trails, 0-1), Loyola Marymount (leads, 2-0), and Saint Joseph’s (trails, 0-1).

ROAD WARRIORS
Morgan State, which played its first eight games on the road, has won 17 of its past 30 games held away from Hill Field House, including a 1-2 mark on neutral courts. The Bears finished 5-10 in true road contests and 0-3 on neutral floors in 2011-12 and posted a 4-4 road conference ledger, which was its worst mark since Todd Bozeman took over the program in 2006. This season’s schedule will send MSU on the road for 10 of its first 11 games, including a six-game road trip from Nov. 29-Dec. 29 that features contests in three different time zones. The Bears are guaranteed at least 19 games away from home this season.

JACKSON SET TO LEAD
DeWayne Jackson is the lone returning senior who saw action for Morgan State last year. There are seven (7) juniors, four (4) sophomores and two (2) freshmen on the Bears roster.

RECOVERING THE SWAG
The Bears will look to rebound from last year’s dismal season in which the Bears recorded a 9-20 finish. It marked Todd Bozeman‘s worst season as a head coach, and it was Morgan State’s worst season since going 4-26 in 2005-06.

JACKSON AND CHILES EARN PRESEASON HONORS
Morgan State senior DeWayne Jackson was selected to the Preseason All-MEAC First Team by the conference head coaches and sports information directors. Junior center Ian Chiles was selected to the Second Team.

JACKSON CLIMBING THE MSU RECORD BOOK
DeWayne Jackson (1,275, 422 rebs., 133 asts) needs just 18 points to surpass Jason McCoy (1,292 points – 1987-91) to become the school’s No. 12 all-time leading scorer. Jackson is one of three Bears on MSU’s all-time scoring list who have been coached by Todd Bozeman. Kevin Thompson (2009-12) ranks No. 9 (1,487 points) and Reggie Holmes (2007-10) is the school’s all-time scoring leader with 2,051 points.

HOME GROWN
Morgan State has eight players from the Metropolitan-D.C. area, including one from Baltimore. Senior DeWayne Jackson (Bowie High) and sophomore Blake Bozeman (Solebury Prep) are both from Bowie. Transfer guard Daryl Traynham is from Melwood (Wise High), walk-on Daon Riley is from Severn (Old Mill High), and Cedric Blossom is from Columbia (Montrose Christian). Anthony Hubbard is a product of Woodbridge (Va.), while junior Justin Black attended DeMatha High and Donte Pretlow was a standout at Dunbar High in Baltimore.

BOZEMAN WIN PERCENTAGE AT MSU
Todd Bozeman, now in his seventh season as head coach of the Bears, has an overall win percentage of .561 (114-89) after 202 games at Morgan State. That winning mean is the second highest among 15 head coaches in the history of the Morgan State men’s basketball program. Nathaniel Frazier’s winning percentage of .578 (166-121) is the highest percentage in Morgan State history.
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ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS UNDER BOZEMAN
During his tenure in Baltimore, Todd Bozeman has coached seven (7) different players to All-Conference honors, including four Players of the Year selections: Ron Timus (2007 2nd Team), Boubacar Coly (2008 Defensive POTY, 1st Team), Jamar Smith (2008 Offensive POTY, 1st Team), Marquise Kately (2008 & 2009 2nd Team), Reggie Holmes (2007 All-Rookie, 2008 2nd Team, 2009 Offensive POTY, 2009 & 2010 1st Team), Kevin Thompson (2009 All-Rookie, 2010 Defensive POTY, 2010 1st Team, 2011 2nd Team), DeWayne Jackson (Rookie of the Year, 2011 1st Team).

THREE IN DOUBLE FIGURES
n the first eight games of the season, three Bears average more than 12 points a game. DeWayne Jackson leads the squad in offensively with 14.9 points per game and in steals with 2.5 rpg. Anthony Hubbard is contributing 13.9 ppg and Justin Black is averaging 12.1 ppg.

JACKSON DOING A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING EARLY ON
Senior DeWayne Jackson is filling the stat sheet in the early season, averaging 14.9 points (ranked No. 5), 4.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.5 steals (ranked No. 2) per game. Jackson has also registered three blocks. He has recorded seven double-digit scoring games, including a 32-point effort at Virginia (Dec. 19).

BLACK & DUNCAN ACTIVE OFF THE BENCH
Junior Justin Black and sophomore Shaquille Duncan are key contributors off the Bears bench. Both are high-energy players with the ability to ignite the team. Black played a big role in Morgan State’s win over Liberty by almost posting a triple-double. He finished the game with 12 rebounds, nine points and nine assists. He currently ranks third on the team in scoring (12.1) and is averaging 4.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 31.6 minutes per game.
Duncan has played in every game, averaging 23.5 minutes per game. He led the Bears to an overtime victory at VMI where he posted a career-high 17 points and 14 rebounds with three blocks. He’s averaging 6.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and ranks No. 4 in the MEAC by averaging 2.3 blocks per game.

As always, this week’s 15-7-0 is brought to you by Roofing By Elite. Visit them at roofingbyelite.com. We make 15 observations about football ELITE, 7 about football “not so ELITE” and one “zero” who deserves to sleep on the roof from outside of football.

(As a reminder, we don’t do Baltimore Ravens game analysis here. We do PLENTY of that elsewhere. This is about the rest of the world of football.)

The “ELITE” 15…

1. Towson football continues to be a hell of a way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Let’s recap. Beautiful afternoon…great crowd…competitive game…key win over a conference rival…national TV. Yeah, all of that sounds good to me…

Here was the video shown at Unitas Stadium before the game. It honestly makes me want to go hit somebody…

But if Rob Ambrose REALLY wants to get his team fired up, perhaps he should go the lip-dub route fellow CAA coach (and former Baltimore Colt) Bill Curry went…

Righteous.

2. As of this moment, the Houston Texans are the best team in the AFC.

And also, the Jacksonville Jaguars are not particularly good…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txnPXpJ7_m8

The offensive numbers in this one for the Jags are absolutely staggering, by the way. Blaine Gabbert finished 7/19 for 53 yards (53 yards!), the Jags finished with 117 total yards of offense and did not convert a single third (or fourth) down attempt all game.

“Jaguars football: still inexplicably happening!”

3. As of this moment, the San Francisco 49ers are the best team in the NFC.

This was a big win for the 49ers, so they decided to turn to Alex Smith, Michael Crabtree and….ummm….Aziz Ansari? after the game…

Also, I’m sure a lot of Niners fans told Smith they wanted him to be more like Tom Brady, but I don’t think they expected this…

Also…apparently Owen Wilson is now a 49ers fan or something(?) and also decided that he wanted to do everything in his power to look like Eric Byrnes these days…

At least he wasn’t reading “Don’t Jump.”

Oh, and Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz got along just fine in the postgame, but that’s presumably because Schwartz wanted to see if Harbaugh could help him get the tail from out between his legs.

4. Manti Te’o went through a lot this week. Even if you don’t like Notre Dame like me, it’s hard to not be happy for him.

Both the girlfriend and grandmother of the Fighting Irish LB passed away during the week leading up to the game at Michigan State, making his effort all more emotional…

I can’t help but notice that ND’s big win came just days after “Rudy” Ruettiger threw out the first pitch before the Orioles won their 14 inning marathon against the Tampa Bay Rays…Oriole Magic rubs off?

Next up for the Irish is Michigan. Here’s Denard Robinson doing something quite cool against UMass Saturday…

And hey, at least Spartans LB Max Bullough still has his awesome tattoo…

5. So, Stanford pretty much just owns USC at this point.

Yup. So much for Matt Barkley’s “unfinished business” I guess.

Also, an excellent amount of Stanford trolling in this one. First, USC’s drum major was breathalyzed on the way in to Stanford Stadium…

Then came their own band leader…

Not bad.

6. Speaking of Stanford, there were a few moments where Andrew Luck looked like that other guy against the Vikings.

I mean, he ISN’T that guy (you know the guy we’re talking about…the guy who plays in Denver now) yet, but this wasn’t bad…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG5mwY-Fmgc

Hey, the Vikings did have ONE effective offensive play…

Whatever works, I guess. Congratulations to Chuck Pagano on his first win as a NFL head coach. May there never be one against the Ravens.

Oh, and I thought it was nice that the teams decided to give everyone a nice preview of Sunday night’s WWE Night of Champions Pay-Per-View…

Who says replacement officials can’t keep control of games? I mean, how were they supposed to see that after Donald Brown spit that green potion in their eyes?

I guess fans in “The Friendly Heart of the Midwest” are excited?

7. Eli Manning threw for a Tim Tebow season’s worth of yards against the Bucs.

510 yards? 510 yards? I mean, what the hell? Was he playing the University of Colorado?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jenI-bUCeWY

It looks like everything is fine, at least according to Tom Coughlin in his postgame handshake session with Greg Schiano…

U mad bro?

(Continued on Page 2…)

Setting the Stage
• Navy and Penn State will meet for the 38th time on the gridiron when they square off at Beaver Stadium (106,572) in University Park, Pa. on Sept. 15.  Kickoff is set for 3:30 pm.
• This will be the first meeting between the two schools since 1974 when Navy went on the road and upset nationally-ranked Penn State, 7-6.  The win ended the Nittany Lions’ 21-game home winning streak and overall winning string of 13 consecutive games.  The series dates back to 1894 when the two teams played to a 6-6 tie.
• The game will be nationally televised on ABC/ESPN2 with Mike Patrick (play-by-play), Ed Cunningham (color) and Jeannine Edwards (sideline) calling the action.  Check your local listings to find out which network will be carrying the game in your area.

Navy Nuggets
•    Navy owns a 17-16 (.515) record in games played away from the friendly confines of Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium under head coach Ken Niumatalolo, including a 3-5 (.375) mark over the last two years.
• The Mids are 15-6 (.714) in home games under Niumatalolo which includes a 2-3 (.400) record in 2011.
• In Navy’s last five wins, it outscored the opposition, 105-31, in the first half, including 43-0 in the first quarter.
• In the Mids’ last eight losses, they have been outscored, 179-69, in the first half, including 72-10 in the first quarter.
• Navy has been held below 300 yards rushing in seven of its last 13 games and won just one of those games (Army).
• Navy is 27-4 (.870) under Niumatalolo when scoring first.  The Mids are 5-18 (.217) under Niumatalolo when the opponent scores first and have lost the last eight games (over the last three years).
• Under Niumatalolo, the Mids are 21-3 (.875) when leading after the first quarter and 11-19 (.367) when trailing or tied after the first stanza.
• An opposing running back has rushed for over 100 yards in a game against Navy in nine of the last 13 contests.  In the previous 40 games, Navy surrendered only nine 100-yard rushing games to opposing running backs.

Injuries
•    Starting sophomore outside linebacker Chris Johnson is out for the year with a torn ACL in his left knee.
• Starting junior wide receiver Matt Aiken is questionable with a right knee injury.

Scouting Penn State
•  The Nittany Lions are 0-2 under first-year head coach Bill O’Brien, losing at home to Ohio, 24-14, and on the road to Virginia, 17-16.
•  Quarterback Matt McGloin has completed 46 of his 83 (.554) passes for 457 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.
•    Wide receiver Allen Robinson has an incredible 19 catches for 186 yards and a touchdown in his first two games.  He is tied for seventh in the country in catches per game and 27th in receiving yards per game.  Kyle Carter has 10 catches for 107 yards and a touchdown.
•    Running back Bill Belton started against Ohio and carried the ball 13 times for 53 yards.  He missed the Virginia game with an ankle injury.  Derek Day started against the Cavs and carried the ball 18 times for 47 yards.
•    Outside linebackers Michael Mauti (21 tackles) and Gerald Hodges (19 tackles) lead the team in tackles.  Mauti also has a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, while Hodges has recovered a fumble.

The Last Time … 
Navy 7, Penn State 6    Sept. 21, 1974 | University Park, Pa.
• Navy parlayed a lone second-quarter touchdown drive of 80 yards and some steady and alert defensive play to upset nationally-ranked Penn State, 7-6, on a rainy and windy day.
• The Midshipman victory ended Penn State’s 21-game home winning streak and overall winning string of 13-consecutive games.
• The Nittany Lions missed on four field goal attempts, including one from the 43-yard line with less than two minutes on the clock.
• Navy also gobbled up five Lion fumbles.
• Navy initiated its lone touchdown drive in the second period when fullback Bob Jackson burst over the left side for 21 yards.  Quarterback Phil Poirier then was successful on passes of 14 and 21 yards, respectively to wide receivers Ike Owens and Robin Ameen.
• Another key play was a pass to Jackson, gaining nine yards and a first down on the State 10.  On third down from the four, Jackson on the fullback run-pass option hit Ameen in the end zone and Steve Dykes added the extra point.
• The Nittany Lions, kept off balance by the Navy defense led by Chet Moeller, pieced together a 58-yard drive midway through the fourth quarter.  Fullback Tom Donchez made five-straight carries during the march, gaining 24 yards and a first down on the five.  Tom Shuman then hit Jerry Jeram with a five-yard scoring pass, the clock showing 4:41 remaining.
• Penn State went for a two-point conversion but Shuman’s pass for wingback Jim Eaise was knocked down by Navy halfback Ed Jeter.
• Penn State had the ball once more, but Chris Bahr failed on the 43-yard field goal try.
• Earlier Nittany Lion drives to the Navy 19, 36, 23, 12, 15 anad nine-yard lines ended in fumbles or missed field goals.
• Moeller had 13 tackles, three of them for losses, and a recovered fumble.

Keystone Kids
•    The Navy football program recruits Pennsylvania heavily and it currently has 13 players on its roster from the Keystone State.
• Senior defensive end Wes Henderson (Wexford), senior slot back John Howell (Hatfield) and sophomore guard Jake Zuzek (Brookhaven) are all expected to start against the Nittany Lions on Saturday.
•    Additionally, senior linebacker John Michael Nurthen (Phoenixville), sophomore fullback Maika Polamalu(Pottstown) and freshman nose guard Bernard Sarra (Monessen, Pa.) are expected to see action on Saturday.
•    Other Pennsylvania natives on the roster include senior guard Matt Couch (Enola), freshman defensive end David Gordeuk (Port Matilda), junior defensive end Michael Huf (Drexel Hill), sophomore defensive end Chris Nurthen(Phoenixville), freshman wide receiver Doug Ott (Kennett Square), sophomore corner Lonnie Richardson (Chester) and junior slot back Brian Williams (Monroeville).
•    Couch’s father, Thomas, was a lineman at Penn State in the early 80′s.
•    Polamalu’s father, Aoatoa, played football at Penn State and was the starting defensive tackle on the Nittany Lions’ 1986 national championship team.  His cousin is standout Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.

Navy-Penn State Ties
•    Former Navy head coach George Welsh was a Penn State assistant coach from 1964-72, leaving to become the Mids’ head coach in 1973. In Welsh’s only game at Beaver Stadium as Navy’s coach, he led the Mids to a 7-6 win in 1974. Welsh was the Navy coach through 1981 when he left to become head coach at Virginia. He is Navy’s career wins leader, earning a 55-46-1 mark.
• Former Penn State Associate AD Budd Thalman was Navy’s Sports Information Director from 1962-72. He provided assistance to the national media during Roger Staubach’s Heisman Trophy-winning campaign in 1963. Thalman was the Buffalo Bills’ Vice President for Public Relations from 1973-85 before going to Penn State, where he directed the Nittany Lions’ external relations and communications from 1986 until his 2001 retirement. Thalman was inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame in 1998.

Navy Versus The Big 10
•    Navy is 26-41-3 (.393) all-time against schools currently in the Big 10 Conference.
• The Mids are 17-18-2 against Penn State, 5-12-1 against Michigan, 2-0 against Purdue, 1-0 against Illinois, 1-1 against Wisconsin, 0-1 against Minnesota, 0-2 against Indiana, 0-3 against Northwestern and 0-4 against Ohio State.
•    This will be Navy’s first game against a Big 10 opponent since Sept. 5, 2009, when Ohio State edged the Mids, 31-27, in Columbus.
•    Navy last beat a Big 10 opponent on Sept. 29, 1979, when the Mids won at Illinois, 13-12.

Youth Is Served
• Navy has one of the youngest football teams in America. With 13 true freshmen (Navy does not redshirt) appearing on the depth chart, the Mids are tied for third nationally for the most true freshmen listed on the depth.
• The Mids played eight true freshmen against Notre Dame (CB Quincy Adams, K Nick Sloan, CB Shelley White, CBKwazel Bertrand, QB Keenan Reynolds, OLB A.K. Akpunku, NG Bernard Sarra and DE Will Anthony.
• Navy had eight players make their first-career starts against Notre Dame, including five on offense and three on the offensive line (LT Ryan Paulson, RG Jake Zuzek, RT Bradyn Heap, WR Jonathan Gazaille, FB Noah Copeland, NGBarry Dabney, RE Evan Palelei and OLB Jordan Drake).
• Navy had 17 players make their college debut in Saturday’s opener against Notre Dame.  In addition to the eight freshmen previously mentioned,  Heap, KO specialist Colin Amerau, SB Geoffrey Whiteside, FB Prentice Christian, DEPaul Quessenberry, OG Thomas Stone, C Tanner Fleming, DE Aaron Davis and DE Danny Ring played in their first-collegiate contest.

A First Time For Everything    
• Junior wide receiver Casey Bolena caught a career-high three passes for a career-best 61 yards against Notre Dame. He entered the contest with four career receptions for 53 yards.
• Senior fullback Prentice Christian, making his first-collegiate apperance, paced Navy in rushing with 39 yards on two carries including a long rush of 25.
• Sophomore fullback Noah Copeland carried the ball six times for 29 yards in making his first-collegiate start at fullback.  He also caught three passes for 11 yards.
• Sophomore outside linebacker Jordan Drake turned in a career-high seven tackles against the Irish after contributing four tackles his freshman year as a member of special teams.
• Sophomore corner Parrish Gaines recorded a career-high 12 tackles against Notre Dame and also picked off his first-career pass.
• Senior wide receiver Jonathan Gazaille made his first-career catch for a gain of four yards against the Irish.
• Junior wide receiver Shawn Lynch caught a career-high four passes for a career-high 87 yards in what marked just his third game played at wide receiver (he played defense as a sophomore).  He caught a 16-yard pass from quarterbackTrey Miller for his first-collegiate reception and caught a 25-yard strike from Miller for his first-career touchdown.
• Freshman kicker Nick Sloan connected on his first-career field goal attempt from 26-yards at the end of the first half against Notre Dame.
• Senior outside linebacker Keegan Wetzel recorded his first-collegiate sack against Notre Dame.

Lots of Passing Yards Usually Means A Loss
• Junior quarterback Trey Miller was completed 14 of his 20 passes for 192 yards and one touchdown against Notre Dame.
• The 192-yard passing effort was Navy’s best since throwing for 227 yards in a 34-31 loss to Duke in 2010 and the most yards Navy has thrown for against Notre Dame since 1996 when the Mids threw for 218 yards in a 54-27 loss to the Irish in ironically enough, Dublin.

Low Totals
• Navy’s 10 points in the opener against Notre Dame were the fewest points it has scored in a game since Oct. 2, 2010, when the Mids scored just six points in a 14-6 loss at Air Force.
• The Mids’ 149 yards rushing against Notre Dame were the fewest by a Navy team since Dec. 11, 2010, when Navy rushed for just 139 yards in a 31-17 victory over Army.

Freshman Kicker
• Freshman Nick Sloan beat out five other kickers to earn the job as Navy’s kicker on field goals and PATs.  He made his first-career field goal attempt from 26 yards against Notre Dame and also made his only PAT attempt.
• Sloan is the first freshman to start at kicker for Navy since 1996 when Tim Shubzda started multiple games, including the opener against Rutgers.  Shubzda connected on four-of-six field goal attempts and all six of his PAT’s as a freshman, splitting time with Jason Covarubbias and Tom Vanderhorst.

Beltran Off To A Good Start
• Sophomore punter Pablo Beltran got off to a good start, averaging 46.2 yards per punt on his four punts against Notre Dame which inlcuded a long of 63.
• Beltran averaged 37.5 yards per punt as a freshman.  He was the first freshman to start at punter for the Midshipmen since Brian Schrum in 1992.

One of the featured Week 2 NFL matchups this weekend takes place between the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions, which has already sparked much discussion about the heated exchange between head coaches Jim Harbaugh and Jim Schwartz that took place in the moments following the 49ers’ win last season.

Both coaches have already dismissed any notion of a lingering grudge, but last year’s incident is sure to be a major point of interest when the teams play on Sunday night.

Hardly an objective third party, Ravens coach John Harbaugh was asked Tuesday if he thought there would be any more drama between his brother and the Lions head coach. Harbaugh is a well-known history enthusiast, so his reference was far more interesting than what you’d hear from the typical head coach.

“I don’t think there’s been so much attention paid to a handshake since Grant and Lee shook hands at Appomattox,” said Harbaugh during his Tuesday press conference, drawing laughter from everyone in the room. “You like that? It took a little time to think about that today. I thought it was appropriate.”

After the Ravens coach made reference to the conclusion of the Civil War, he then went on to ask reporters if they had any other suggestions of controversial handshakes over the years. One reporter referenced former Jets and Browns coach Eric Mangini’s conflict with Patriots czar Bill Belichick, but the room remained relatively quiet.

As for the example that came to my mind, I couldn’t help but think about the handshake between The Rock and John Cena leading up to WWE’s Wrestlemania XXVIII, but I decided to keep that one to myself.

As was the case in the Ravens’ preseason-opening win over the Atlanta Falcons, you can’t take anything away from the final score after the Detroit Lions won by a 27-12 margin at M&T Bank Stadium Friday night.

On the surface, the first-team units struggled once again as the offense twice drove inside the Detroit 30-yard-line — one taking them all the way to the 7 — before settling for field goals and the defense was unable to stop a high-octane passing attack for the second straight week. However, what’s lost in the scrutiny and excitement of this particular preseason is that the Ravens are reinventing themselves on both sides of the football.

And that remains a major work in progress with 23 days remaining before the regular-season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 10.

“I thought we played well early,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We just need to finish the drives [offensively], finish the drives on defense and get off the field on third downs.”

Offensively, quarterback Joe Flacco and the starting offense once again utilized a no-huddle attack for their three series of work. Unlike the preseason opener in which they went three-and-out three straight times, the Ravens developed a decent rhythm early as they used three-wide sets of Anquan Boldin, Jacoby Jones, and LaQuan Williams — Torrey Smith sat out with a lingering ankle injury — and dropped back to pass on 16 of the 26 play-calls the first offense ran.

It remains to be seen how committed the Ravens are to executing the no-huddle offense when the regular season begins, but it’s becoming clear that offensive coordinator Cam Cameron is taking a page from new quarterback coach and former Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell in trying to make the high-speed attack a proficient option they can use in larger doses than in the past. The Ravens are facing the challenge of being without top tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta for the remainder of the preseason, but they’re utilizing a third receiver instead of having Pitta work in the slot as he did late last season.

Success with the no-huddle is contingent upon timing and sustaining drives in order to bring your own defense adequate rest.

However, the same problems we’ve seen in the past crept up when the Ravens were moving the ball well. On their second drive, Flacco guided Baltimore inside the 10 before Williams could not bring it what would have been a touchdown and left tackle Michael Oher committed a holding penalty that pushed the Ravens back to the 17. They settled for a 33-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff.

A drive later, they moved the ball to the Detroit 29 before reserve running back Anthony Allen whiffed picking up a blitzer for the second straight week and Flacco was sacked on a third-and-1 situation, leading to a 50-yard field goal by rookie Justin Tucker.

At that point, you could close the book on the starting offense’s night, with the same lack of efficiency — in terms of scoring touchdowns, anyway — inside the 30 hanging over their heads.

“That’s why when you do get those two chances, that’s why it’s all about finishing off, finishing off,” Flacco said. “The biggest thing with that is if we’re going to be the offense that we want to be, in order to put up 30-some points every week, you have to score touchdowns. You don’t want to get in the business of just not converting and kicking.”

The most positive news to take away from the offensive side Friday was the improvement of the offensive line. With veteran Matt Birk back at center, the Ravens once again used Oher at left tackle and rookie Kelechi Osemele at right tackle while Bryant McKinnie stood on the sideline. Run blocking had mixed results as the bulk of their rushing yards came courtesy of a 35-yard run by Jones, but the Ravens did a much better job protecting Flacco than they did in Atlanta when the quarterback was repeatedly running for his life.

“We’re definitely starting to come together,” offensive tackle Michael Oher said. “We’re still learning and guys are still getting used to some things, but we’re getting better every day.”

Once again, McKinnie did not work with the starting offensive line as you wonder more and more if the Ravens are serious about going with the more athletic combination of Oher and Osemele and how that might be a better fit for their ability to utilize the no-huddle offense. The mammoth veteran tackle blocked well against second-team defenders, but the assumption that he would eventually regain his starting left tackle job appears more uncertain after he wasn’t even rotated in for some work with the first unit.

Watching the Baltimore defense Friday, the most definitive conclusion I took away is that the Ravens are fortunate only to have to play Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson in a game that matters once every four years. The best pass-catcher on the planet torched the Ravens in the second quarter with a 57-yard reception matched up against Cary Williams and an 18-yard touchdown over a well-positioned Jimmy Smith.

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