University Park, Pa. — Penn State’s Collin Wagner (State College) has been selected Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after connecting on a school record-tying five field goals to help lift Penn State past Temple last Saturday.
Wagner earns his first career conference honor. He is the second Nittany Lion recognized by the Big Ten this season. Quarterback Rob Bolden (Orchard Lake, Mich.) was named co-Freshman of the Week for the Youngstown State game.
Wagner connected on five of six field goal attempts, scoring Penn State’s first 15 points in the 22-13 win over the previously undefeated Owls. He became the fourth kicker in school history to make five field goals in a game, joining: Travis Forney vs. Michigan State in 1998, Massimo Manca vs. Notre Dame in 1985 and Brian Franco at Nebraska in 1981.
The former State College Area High School standout’s previous career-high was four field goals, including the game-winner in the final minute, in Penn State’s 19-17 win over LSU in the 2010 Capital One Bowl.
Wagner’s six field goal attempts also tied the school record for field goal attempts in a game. Forney attempted six treys against Michigan State in 1998 and Manca attempted six at West Virginia in 1986.
Wagner made field goals of 45, 32, 42, 32 and 21 yards against Temple. His 21-yarder with 1:38 left in the third quarter gave Penn State a 15-13 lead. Wagner is second Big Ten kicker to make five field goals this year, joining Ohio State’s Devin Barclay (vs. Miami). The five field goals by both players are tied for second-most in Big Ten history with numerous other kickers.
For the season, Wagner leads the Big Ten and is tied for No. 2 in the nation in field goals, having made 10 of 12 attempts, for an average of 2.5 FGM per game. He and Troy’s Michael Taylor are the only players in the nation that have made at least 10 field goals this season. Wagner is third in the Big Ten (25th in nation) in overall scoring with 38 points (9.50 ppg), having made 10 field goals and all eight of his PAT attempts. He is second in the conference in kick scoring, trailing only Barclay.
Wagner has connected on 5 of 6 field attempts from 40 yards or longer this season, including a career-long 49-yarder in the season opener with Youngstown State.
Penn State (3-1) visits No. 17/18 Iowa on Saturday, as the No. 22/20 Nittany Lions open their 18th Big Ten Conference campaign. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. CT/8:00 p.m. ET at Kinnick Stadium. The clash will air on ESPN, the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com. The Hawkeyes also are 3-1 after beating Ball State, 45-0, on Saturday.