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180 for Penn State, now bowl-eligible

Pride from players who stuck through sanctions.

STATE COLLEGE - Rage, disbelief and confusion filled the Lasch Building team lounge as all five TVs showed the press conference that would forever change Happy Valley.

As the entire Penn State football team watched, NCAA president Mark Emmert stepped up to the podium and announced that "unprecedented" sanctions would be levied on the program.

Words were exchanged. Faces filled with anger. Shortly after, the players left the building, trying to digest what just occurred.

"No one really knew what was going to happen," senior placekicker Sam Ficken said.

July 23, 2012, is a day the Penn State football community will never forget. But now, the same can be said for Nov. 15, 2014.

That's when Penn State became bowl-eligible, and after 2 years of turbulence and winning seasons with no postseason play, the Lions are looking forward to being rewarded.

"To go through that experience and come out of it and say, 'Hey, we're going to a bowl,' is pretty exciting," Ficken said.

Penn State (6-4, 2-4 Big Ten) defeating Temple on Saturday was the culmination of a trying yet worthwhile process for the Lions. And it started in that players' lounge.

After the sanctions were levied, there were harsh realities that needed to be faced: Not only was the program on the hook for a $60 million fine, but it would endure devastating scholarship reductions and, of course, a 4-year bowl ban.

Redshirt senior Angelo Mangiro doesn't look back on that day too often. For him, it's not a memory he likes to relive. "It was a tough deal for us," the New Jersey native said.

Mangiro, who redshirted in 2011 when the Lions played in their last bowl game, wasn't going to have a chance at playing in a bowl game. Neither was redshirt sophomore running back Akeel Lynch.

Lynch was a part of the 2012 recruiting class: a group of players who knew if they didn't redshirt, their 4 years at Penn State would be spent without postseason play. Still, Lynch didn't shy away from his pledge.

"We committed knowing that we would never had a chance at going to a bowl game with the sanctions," Lynch said. "We love Penn State because it's Penn State."

Without the prospect of a bowl game to look forward to, the Lions were, technically, playing meaningless games.

And yet, they were still playing for something.

"We were playing for each other," senior cornerback Adrian Amos said.

That feeling propelled Penn State through the last 2 years. It was a motto that was established by the 2012 senior class, and it stuck. But a few weeks into this season, the Lions found out they could play for more than that.

Ficken said he heard speculation leading up to the season: The bowl ban might be lifted.

"We were trying to focus on what we can control," Ficken said. "That was winning football games."

And they did, earning a 2-0 mark before entering week three of the season. That's when the NCAA lifted its sanctions, and Penn State became eligible to be bowl eligible.

The Lions just needed four more wins.

It took them a while, losing four straight after opening the season 4-0, but this weekend Penn State finally got No. 6.

Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg threw two interceptions, but 254 yards rushing and five Temple turnovers were enough for the Lions to grab a 30-13 win.

Was it pretty? No. Did it matter? Not one bit.

Ficken called it a complete 180 for the program. Mangiro said he couldn't be happier for all the players who stayed committed. When times were tough, the Lions persevered. And Saturday was their reward.