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2020 Penn State Football Review, End of Season Awards

A look back at the start of a new era for Penn State football.

One year down, three to go.

Fans and analysts alike had the 2020 Penn State Nittany Lions dead and buried heading into September, and back-to-back defeats in the team's first two games seemed to prove such doubters, myself included, right. A funny thing happened before the start of Big Ten play, though. Matt McGloin emerged as one of the biggest positive surprises of the season, the PSU defense reminded all why the program is commonly referred to as "Linebacker U," and the team won and won and won some more. An overall record of 8-4 wouldn't have been much to celebrate for Penn State teams of old. Those days are gone, though, and this team overachieved in every sense of the word; both on and off the field.

2020 Penn State football year in review: Offensive player of the year

I was tempted to go with Allen Robinson, the sophomore wide receiver who proved to be a revelation in the first real non-Paterno Penn State offense in over a half century. Robinson ended the regular season atop the conference in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, and I'd argue that the wideout is among the most dynamic play-makers in all of college football. Assuming that he doesn't transfer before the year comes to an end, Robinson will enter 2020 as Penn State's top offensive weapon.

For my money, though, the PSU offense begins and ends with the play of the quarterback, and that's why Matt McGloin is my runaway winner for Penn State OPOTY. McGloin's stats, 3,266 passing yards and 24 touchdowns through the air (both best in the Big Ten) are undeniably impressive, but I went with the senior QB for reasons that don't show up in a box score. The Nittany Lions lost their best offensive player, running back Silas Redd, to transfer roughly one month before the start of the season, and McGloin emerged as the leader his teammates desperately needed, especially after an 0-2 start that saw Penn State drop games to Ohio and Virginia.

McGloin's toughness and composure, traits he had never before demonstrated with any regularity before this fall, are why I can envision him tossing touchdowns on Sundays down the road. McGloin never once wavered when asked to lower his shoulder and barrel into a defensive line in order to gain a single yard or a touchdown, and he displayed the short memory needed by any pro quarterback whenever he did make an errant throw or a poor decision. One great year does not a first round pick make, but any NFL team could do a whole lot worse than taking a flier on McGloin on day two or day three of the 2020 draft.

2020 Penn State football year in review: Defensive player of the year

This, all things considered, could be the easiest college football award to give away this December. Linebacker Michael Mauti, the 2020 Big Ten Linebacker of the Year, was well on his way to leading Penn State in tackles and interceptions until a knee injury ended his season two games short, and he was an emotional leader for a squad that understandably could have been in turmoil following the events of the summer and the lackluster start of the season. Mauti's teammates showed just what the linebacker meant to them when they sported a number 42 on their helmets for the regular season finale in honor of the young man who wasn't able to take the field on November 24.

Mauti is somewhere between a solid and very good NFL prospect, one this Giants fans thinks would look nice wearing Big Blue in the future. Durability will be a significant concern regarding Mauti, however, as he has suffered ACL tears in both knees. He has shown tremendous resilience in returning from similar injuries in the past, but the sad truth is that we'll likely never see Mauti playing pro football when at his absolute best.

2020 Penn State football year in review: Comeback player of the year

It's a special case when a player can win this award all because of one season of work. 2020 couldn't have started out worse for placekicker Sam Ficken, who, after a quiet Week 1 that saw him convert two extra points, missed one XP conversion and four of five field goal attempts in the team's defeat at Virginia. Ficken continued to have a roller coaster year through October, so much so that head coach Bill O'Brien often decided that going for it on fourth down while in field goal range was a better option than was sending Ficken out onto the field.

Ficken eventually eased into his starting role, and he buried his last ten field goal attempts. He even scored Penn State's final points of 2020 when he delivered from 37 yards out to propel the Nittany Lions to a 24-21 overtime win over Nebraska on November 24. I remember being in the student section back in 2004 when a young PSU kicker struggled as did Ficken, most notably during a game that Penn State lost 6-4. That guy was Robbie Gould, and things have gone pretty well for him since that season.

Just sayin'.

2020 Penn State football year in review: The leader

It's now funny to reflect on Bill O'Brien's first official Penn State press conference. O'Brien upset some within the PSU community back on the morning of January 7 when he stated that he would stay on as a coach for the New England Patriots until that team was eliminated from the NFL Playoffs. Critics claimed that O'Brien wasn't going "all in" on Penn State football, and that he was merely using the gig as a resume builder that would help him land a more desirable job once he put in his time at State College. I'd like to ask those individuals one question this holiday season:

How do you feel about Coach O'Brien now?

Journalists who have praised the 2020 Big Ten Coach of the Year have been quick to point out all that O'Brien's Nittany Lions achieved despite NCAA sanctions, players transferring to other programs and the pressure brought on by the biggest microscope in all of college sports being pointed at Happy Valley. I instead want to again go back to early September after Penn State began the season 0-2. The Nits had dropped consecutive contests, O'Brien had, in my opinion, been out-coached in the second half of both of those games, McGloin was playing just OK, Ficken was perhaps a night of libations away from seeking out the nearest bridge, and the PSU defense twice failed to hold the lead against lowly Virginia.

What happened after those two games changed the course of the team's season. O'Brien let his offense off the leash, his defense began to show an aggressiveness that wasn't seen in Penn State's first two games, and the Nittany Lions won five straight before giving Ohio State all the Buckeyes could handle in a game OSU, a team that finished 2020 undefeated, ultimately won. The Nittany Lions then finished the season winning three of their final four games, and their only loss came in controversial fashion at Nebraska.

Penn State desperately needed the perfect coach to keep the football program afloat and to also boost university moral following all that had occurred since the Sandusky scandal broke in November 2020. O'Brien may not have had a flawless season, but there literally isn't a single college football coach I'd want in charge of PSU football than the man who is currently running the show. Those of you still concerned about O'Brien's loyalty to the university should feel better knowing that the coach's agent has stated that his client isn't planning on leaving Penn State any time soon.

2020 Penn State football year in review: Overall

Back in July, I wrote that I believed Penn State football needed to go away, at least for a little while, and that a death penalty punishment was the only way we could truly kill off the cult of Penn State culture that had infected and tarnished the university I loved. I'm not yet ready to say that my opinion on the matter was wrong, and I also must admit that I find myself wishing that PSU football didn't exist whenever I read or hear about "NCAA conspiracies" or the Freeh Report being nothing more than "propaganda."

With all of that said, I've never in all of my time as a member of the PSU community been more proud of a team than I am of the 2020 Nittany Lions. O'Brien and his players represented our university with class, honor and integrity, they fought a constant uphill battle brought on by not a single individual associated with this particular roster, and they allowed me to stand with my fellow alumni and once again yell "We Are!" and do so with pride. For that, I just want to say one thing to all involved with my new favorite football team;

thank you.

Zac is a Penn State alum who has covered the Nittany Lions for Yahoo Sports since 2020. He won an award for this piece on the Sandusky scandal that was published in November 2020, and he covered the story from the ugly beginning up through the release of the Freeh Report.