UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Defensive end Pete Massaro (Newtown Square) has become the third 2012 Penn State senior to accept an invitation to the NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl. Massaro is the eighth Nittany Lion invited to play in a post-season game.
Massaro will join defensive end Sean Stanley (Rockville, Md.) and running back Michael Zordich (Youngstown, Ohio) at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. The game is at 6 p.m. Jan. 19, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. ESPN2 will televise the contest.
Massaro helped Coach Bill O’Brien’s Nittany Lions earn an 8-4 overall record, with a 6-2 Big Ten mark, finishing second in the Leaders Division. He helped Penn State allow 17 points or less in six contests, ranking second in the Big Ten and No. 16 nationally in scoring defense (19.1 ppg).
During the 2012 season, Massaro made eight tackles, with 1.0 tackle for loss, 0.5 sack and one pass breakup. He made one tackle against Ohio and Virginia, but suffered a shoulder injury against the Cavaliers and missed the next three games with an injury. The former Marple Newtown High School standout recorded two stops with 0.5 sack vs. Ohio State and one solo hit in the wins over Purdue and Indiana.
Massaro is one of college football’s premier student-athletes. He was selected a first-team Capital One/College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-American in 2010 and 2012, becoming the 10th Nittany Lion all-time to twice earn first-team Academic All-America honors. He earned his degree in finance in 2011 with a 3.85 grade-point average and graduated with a second degree, in economics, last month.
Tackle Mike Farrell (Pittsburgh) participated in the Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game in Tucson on Jan. 11. Also on Jan. 19, linebacker Gerald Hodges (Paulsboro, N.J.) and center Matt Stankiewitch (Orwigsburg) are scheduled to play in the 88th East-West Shrine Game. The game kicks at 4 p.m. in St. Petersburg, Fla. and NFL Network will televise. Defensive tackle Jordan Hill (Steelton) is playing in the 64th Senior Bowl on Jan. 26 and quarterback Matt McGloin (Scranton) is set to play in the Texas vs. The Nation All-Star Challenge on Feb. 2.
Led by first-year coach O’Brien, the ESPN and Maxwell Football Club Coach of the Year, the Nittany Lions won eight of their final 10 games, with the only losses coming against Big Ten division winners Ohio State and Nebraska. In the season finale, the Nittany Lions beat eventual Big Ten champion Wisconsin, 24-21, in overtime.
Season tickets are available for the 2013 season. The Nittany Lions will host three teams that finished in the 2012 BCS Top 25: Michigan (Oct. 12-Homecoming), Nebraska (Nov. 23) and Kent State (Sept. 21). Purdue, Illinois, Virginia and Eastern Michigan also will visit Beaver Stadium next fall. Penn State opens the season Aug. 31 vs. Syracuse at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.GoPSUsports.com or call 800-NITTANY from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
Penn State Athletics is on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pennstatenittanylions) and Twitter (http://www.gopsusports.com/ot/twitter.html).