Whether you spent your time off stuffing your face with turkey and mashed potatoes, watching football on the couch, or catching up on homework sleeping, one thing is certain: You weren’t here in Happy Valley.

Here’s what happened while you were away for fall break:

News

• Former Penn State football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was resentenced on 45 counts of child sexual abuse to serve 30-60 years in state prison — the same sentence he received in 2012.
• The autopsy was released for the Erie teen who died in State College in October. It revealed he died of chemical asphyxia due to nitrous oxide
• A “tri-branded” Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon, and Carvel franchise will open on College Avenue in the former location of Kiwi Yogurt in early 2020. A late-January or early-February opening is expected, according to Auntie Anne’s vice president of marketing Marcel Nahm.
• College Avenue’s Qdoba “closed for good,” according to a sign in the franchise’s window. Its corporate-owned store on North Atherton will remain open.
• Penn State defeated Ohio State in the Tackle Hunger Giving Challenge and raised $213,830 for Penn Staters facing food insecurity.
• Penn State lifted the interim suspension it placed on Chi Phi fraternity in October. It is still prohibited from hosting socials, according to university spokeswoman Lisa Powers.
• Almost all of the scaffolding on the Old Main bell tower was removed as restorations, which are seven months in the making, wrap up. They’re expected to be fully complete by the end of the month.

Sports

• No. 10 Penn State football followed up a 28-17 loss to No. 1 Ohio State with a sloppy 27-6 win over Rutgers at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions ended their season with a 10-2 record and will await their bowl destination, which should arrive on Sunday, December 8.
• Star Penn State football tight end Pat Freiermuth announced he’d return to the Happy Valley for his junior season. He also helped former Penn State men’s lacrosse player John Von Nessen propose to fellow alumna Lauren Piotrowski ahead of the Nittany Lions’ matchup with the Scarlet Knights.
• Rumors of “mutual interest” between James Franklin and Florida State surfaced last week as the Seminoles search for their next head coach. Franklin addressed the commotion in his postgame press conference following Penn State’s win over Rutgers.
• No. 7 Penn State women’s volleyball came back from an 0-2 deficit to stun No. 5 Wisconsin in a 3-2 comeback win at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions followed that with a disappointing 3-1 loss to No. 8 Minnesota the following night and failed to claim a share of the Big Ten title, which was won outright by the Badgers.
• Both Penn State men’s soccer and Penn State women’s soccer fell in their respective NCAA Tournaments. Men’s lost 3-2 to Providence in the second round of the tournament, while women’s lost 2-0 to Stanford in the round of 16.
• No. 1 Penn State wrestling lost its first dual since February 15, 2015, when it fell to Arizona State 19-18 in a back-and-forth clash. To no one’s surprise, anti-Penn State wrestling fans came out in full force on Twitter to celebrate the dramatic loss.
• Penn State men’s basketball traveled to Brooklyn this past week to compete in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament. The Nittany Lions blew a 21-point lead in a heartbreaking loss to Ole Miss before rebounding in an impressive 85-64 win over Syracuse.

About the Author

Matt DiSanto

Matt proudly served as Onward State’s managing editor for two years until graduating from Penn State in May 2022. Now, he’s off in the real world doing real things. Send him an email ([email protected]) or follow him on Twitter (@mattdisanto_) to stay in touch.

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