Penn State football countdown to kickoff: 24 days

We’re counting down the days until kickoff. So, every day, we’ll try to make that time tick by just a little faster by also counting down the top 30 moments of James Franklin’s tenure so far. Up next — with 24 days left — is the No. 24 moment since Franklin took the head-coaching job.

No. 24 moment: Anthony Zettel dominates day after father’s death

On Sept. 26, 2015, Anthony Zettel didn’t have to be in Beaver Stadium. No one would’ve blamed him if he was in Michigan, totally removed from football.

But Zettel played — and he dominated.

One day after his father’s death and almost exactly 24 hours before the funeral service, Zettel persevered and pounded San Diego State in a 37-21 win for Penn State — turning in one of the more inspired and memorable individual performances in James Franklin’s tenure.

On that early season Saturday at Beaver Stadium, Zettel was a force. He recorded a team-high seven tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.

And he did so with a heavy heart. The night before, Zettel’s father, Terry, passed away after a 19-month battle with stage-four cancer.

“There was no pressure for him to play the last three weeks,” Franklin said in his press conference after the game. “That was up to him. I felt like that’s what his family — his dad — would’ve wanted him to do.”

Although Zettel didn’t stick around for media interviews, instead heading home to Michigan to be with his family after the game, his play spoke volumes.

Six of his seven tackles occurred within a yard of or behind the line of scrimmage. The only one that didn’t was 18 yards upfield, stopping Aztecs running back Donnel Pumphrey from racing to the end zone.

The circumstances were less-than-ideal. For the third week in a row, Zettel was driving home after a home game — and this time, it was to prep for a funeral service the next day.

But Zettel’s performance was a moving one for sure, one that Franklin and Penn State fans won’t ever forget.

This story was originally published August 9, 2017 at 11:52 AM with the headline "Penn State football countdown to kickoff: 24 days."