He may not have had the most eye-opening of stats (76 yards rushing), but Bill Belton sure helped to kickstart a running game that up until this weekend, had been virtually non-existent. Early in the second quarter, with PSU driving in UMass territory but clinging to a mere 6-0 lead on 3rd and 2, Belton took the direct snap out of the Wildcat formation, swept towards the left side of the field, and found an alley that allowed him to complete a 24-yard touchdown run. On PSU's very next possession, following a fumble recovery in the UMass red zone, Belton ran it in the end zone again, and the rout was on. Belton's teammates, Akeel Lynch (one) and Zach Zwinak (two) also joined the rushing touchdown party to help amass a team total of 228 yards on the ground for the afternoon.
So, here's to you, Bill Belton. Have a virtual cold one on us!
Honorable Mention
Daniel Pasquariello - The Aussie import nailed a pair of beautiful, lengthy, rugby-style punts that not only went a good distance (43.5 yards average, 45 being his longest) but had solid hang time. Compare that to Chris Gulla's lone punt that only went 35 yards, and we may indeed have a punter controversy on our hands.
The Defensive Unit - Once again, another solid performance consisting of stifling the opponent's ground game (UMass had a total of three yards rushing), getting plenty of pressure on Blake Frohnapfel, and coming within a quarter of pitching a shutout (damn you, Tajae Sharpe!).