‘Bigger than yourself’: Penn State’s seniors provide stability in tumultuous season
Heading into the 2020 season, Penn State’s seniors had experienced a lot. The group — some fifth-year seniors who have been a part of the program since 2016 — had won 11 games and been to New Year’s Six bowls three of the last four years.
But none of the 12 seniors that Penn State will honor on Senior Day before kickoff against Michigan State in Beaver Stadium had been through a season like the one they’re having now.
A wacky, pandemic-stricken offseason filled with uncertainty led to a late start to a shortened Big Ten season in which the Nittany Lions lost their first five games, marking the worst start to a season in program history. Still, instead of letting the team’s morale fall apart, Penn State’s seniors led vocally and by example — they knew they were playing for more than just themselves.
“Seeing this season through for a lot of us was just sending a message to the young guys that like, ‘No matter what, you fight and you die by your brother,’” redshirt senior defensive end Shaka Toney said. “‘Game after game after game. Week after week. Practice after practice. Day after day. You go out there and you do whatever you can for your brother.’”
Head coach James Franklin said a couple times during the Nittany Lions’ five-game skid that he wanted his players — especially the older ones — to remember what went into having success the past few years.
In his seventh-year at the helm, Franklin hoped that the seniors on his roster would show the younger players all that has to go into sustaining a winning culture. Those veterans delivered.
“I think our team does a good job of realizing that it’s bigger than yourself,” redshirt senior offensive lineman Will Fries said. “This program has been through so much. … I think that our class is kinda realizing that it’s not just about us — it’s about the guys before us, the guys that are coming after us. So it’s on us to stick together, get the ship going back in the right direction and continue to fight for this program.”
The mindset that Toney, Fries and Penn State’s other seniors have carried with them is one of the main reasons why the Nittany Lions have found ways to win the past two weeks.
It’s also why Penn State hasn’t had any players opt out midseason, like many programs around the country have had once they’ve fallen out of contention for a conference title or the College Football Playoff.
“We’re all very close with each other,” redshirt senior defensive tackle Antonio Shelton said. “Also, it comes from Coach Franklin. It’s never ‘the offense lost the game’ or ‘the defense lost the game’ or ‘special teams lost the game.’ It’s ‘we lost the game,’ or ‘we won the game.’ I’ll never give up on one of my teammates.”
On top of the difficulties of losing as many games as they have, COVID-19 protocols have also had an impact on players’ senior years.
Penn State hasn’t had any games canceled because of a coronavirus outbreak, but the sacrifices that have gone into making that happen haven’t been easy, Toney said.
“We’re not seeing our families,” he said. “We’re not seeing students. We’re not seeing friends. We’re literally only seeing people in the building and on the team. … All we are doing is football and school. That’s the only thing that we can do.”
Despite the hurdles that have come with this season, though, it’s all been worthwhile to the Nittany Lions’ seniors. Fries said that the season has come with “lessons that you can teach your kids one day.” And for that, he’s grateful.
Now, he and Penn State’s other seniors are excited to play at Beaver Stadium on Saturday together for what could be their final time.
“Just going out there one more time, enjoying it with the whole team — especially our senior class — is going to be something special,” Fries said.
This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
