PSU Nittany Lions

Throughout all the talk of a special senior class, a group that includes Michael Mauti and Matt McGloin, it seems as if something might have gotten lost in the shuffle.

The Class of 2012.

This class could have left at any time. They were on campus for a short time when the sanctions hit, and few could have faulted this group for transferring. They're bearing the brunt of the sanctions and making the biggest sacrifice; some will never experience a postseason.

But these freshmen -- and their parents -- overwhelmingly decided to stick it out with Penn State. Only one freshman, defensive tackle Jamil Pollard, left. What convinced them to stay, and why not head elsewhere?

Read more here.

Bill O'Brien was the unaninmous pick for Big Ten Coach of the Year, winning honors Tuesday night from both the coaches and the media.

"This is a fantastic honor," O'Brien said. "It's very humbling."

He became the seventh first-year coach since 1972 to earn the media's honor, known as the Dave McClain Coach of the Year Award. And he won the second-ever Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year award, voted on by the conference coaches.

O'Brien led Penn State to an improbable 8-4 record this season in the face of unprecedented sanctions that some feared could be worse than the death penalty. His offense, which lost 10 starters over the offseason, somehow improved to average 10 points more a game this season than it did in 2011.

The coach saw his offense set numerous single-season records. Allen Robinson caught more balls (77) than anyone else in school history, while Matt McGloin threw for more yards (3,266) and tied the record for touchdowns (24).

O'Brien's performance was good enough to beat out Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, who guided the Buckeyes to a perfect 12-0 season.

Penn State last won the COY honor in 2008.

Two of the top three former walk-ons in the country play in the Big Ten, according to the Burlsworth Trophy.

The award, which goes to the most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on, named its three finalists Tuesday. Two of them are Penn State quarterback Matthew McGloin and Michigan safety Jordan Kovacs. The other is San Jose State offensive tackle David Quessenberry.

Kovacs is a four-year starter who has been one of the Wolverines' best defensive players throughout his career. As a junior he was named to the pre-season Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list and finished the season as the team’s second leading tackler with 75 stops. In 2012, he has started every game, registered his 300th career tackle, and is considered one of the top safeties in the nation.

McGloin broke most of Penn State's passing records this season and led the Big Ten in both passing yards and touchdowns. He developed into a top-flight quarterback as a senior.

Both guys are very deserving of winning this award, which will revealed Dec. 3 at a banquet in Springdale, Ark. Fans can vote for the winner at this link, and their say will make up five percent of the balloting.

The Big Ten announced its 2012 all-conference teams and most individual awards Monday night, but four more awards have yet to be revealed. Before the winners are announced, we're putting in our endorsements for Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and Freshman of the Year. We'll agree on some and differ on others.

Here's our endorsement for the league's top defensive player in 2012:

Brian Bennett endorses Penn State LB Michael Mauti

There are plenty of good candidates for defensive player of the year, and a lot of people think Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier deserves to win this award. If this honor were just about who played the best in the final half of the season, Shazier would run away with it. But by his own admission and as Urban Meyer says it, Shazier played out of control and missed a whole bunch of tackles early in the year. We can't ignore that. We also can't ignore the immense contributions Mauti made on and off the field for the Nittany Lions. He was great on the field, with 96 tackles, three interceptions and three forced fumbles in a little more than 10 games. He was even greater off the field as one of the best leaders we've seen in recent years among players. He was so respected and admired that his teammates decided to put his No. 42 on their helmets for their final game last week. Mauti was instrumental in keeping an entire community unified through unprecedented adversity. That deserves recognition and puts him over the top, in my view.

Adam Rittenberg endorses Penn State LB Michael Mauti


This is a very tough call for me, as I can overlook a player's early struggles if he develops during the course of the season and plays his best in the most important games, as Shazier certainly did for Ohio State. From a statistical standpoint, he has the edge on Mauti in tackles (115-96), tackles for loss (17-4) and sacks (5-2.5). And he looked dominant down the stretch as the Buckeyes' defense rebounded from its early struggles. Mauti, however, had a bigger role in forcing turnovers with three interceptions and three forced fumbles, ranking in the top five in the Big Ten in both categories. There also was no better leader in the league this season, aside from perhaps Shazier's teammate, defensive end John Simon, whom I also considered for this award. Mauti also basically missed the final two games and could have had similar tackles numbers as Shazier. I don't want to punish him for his unfortunate injury. Plus, Shazier has two more years to win this award. After all Mauti has been through, he gets the nod from me as well.