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New proposal would save Meyers auditorium, Memorial Stadium

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Food classes to be held at Verve Vertu Art Studio

<p>Even when facing the end of his playing career, Akeel Lynch strived for a positive outlook.</p><p>The former Penn State running back was known for his upbeat personality and he carried that with him to Nevada after transferring there earlier this year.</p><p>But this would be his toughest test yet, announcing Monday that he would be giving up football because of &#8220;two significant concussions in a short period of time.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;Honestly speaking, this is one of the hardest decisions I&#8217;ve come across,&#8221; Lynch wrote on Twitter. &#8220;The decision I made was for my future self. I&#8217;ve been battling the internal conflict between a childhood dream and the consequence of another concussion.&#8221;</p><p>Both concussions were suffered this season while playing for the Wolf Pack. The first came on Sept. 10 against Notre Dame and the second just three weeks later against Hawaii.</p><p>Expected to be a significant contributor to Nevada&#8217;s offense, Lynch was limited to just eight carries for 29 yards this season because of the injuries.</p><p>A fifth-year senior, Lynch earned his degree from Penn State in the spring and was eligible to play immediately at Nevada as a graduate transfer.</p><p>He had already been through plenty of turmoil, having signed on with the Nittany Lions and a new coaching staff in the midst of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. He also elected to stay at Penn State when NCAA sanctions hit during his first summer on campus.</p><p>Lynch emerged as the Lions&#8217; top running back late in 2014, his redshirt sophomore season, and entered 2015 as the starter. But Saquon Barkley burst onto the scene and established himself as Penn State&#8217;s best weapon, leading Lynch to look elsewhere for more playing time in his final season.</p><p>He was the final Penn State player to wear No. 22 &#8212; now retired in honor of Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti &#8212; and ran for 1,318 yards and seven touchdowns for the Lions.</p><p>&#8220;Looking back, I realize this game has blessed me tremendously,&#8221; Lynch wrote. &#8220;It has given a Canadian kid the opportunities to play on a national level, become a college graduate (We Are), and is now currently allowing me to pursue my Masters in Educational Leadership at (Nevada).</p><p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t forget to mention the people I&#8217;ve met and life lessons I was given while chasing the American dream. I&#8217;ll be forever grateful for this game.&#8221;</p><p>Current and former Penn State players were quick to express their admiration for Lynch on social media.</p><p>Linebackers Nyeem Wartman-White and Jason Cabinda along with quarterback Trace McSorley were among the Lions to wish him well moving forward.</p><p>Another was one of Lynch&#8217;s closest friends at Penn State, former Wyoming Valley West star Eugene Lewis. A graduate transfer himself, Lewis is playing wideout at Oklahoma in his final season.</p><p>&#8220;Love you bro and know I always got ya back in whatever decision you make,&#8221; Lewis wrote. &#8220;Always praying for you.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Purdue kick set</strong></p><p>Penn State&#8217;s Oct. 29 game at Purdue will kick off at noon, the Big Ten announced Monday. It will air on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 with the decision coming after this weekend&#8217;s schedule.</p><p>The Lions host No. 2 Ohio State at 8 p.m. Saturday with ABC carrying the broadcast.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Akeel Lynch ran for 1,318 yards and seven touchdowns at Penn State before transferring to Nevada, where concussions have ended his career. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_lynch-done2016101718418546-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Akeel Lynch ran for 1,318 yards and seven touchdowns at Penn State before transferring to Nevada, where concussions have ended his career. </caption0><photoCredit0>Matt Slocum | AP file photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Derek Levarse</p><p>dlevarse@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Derek Levarse at 570-991-6396 or on Twitter @TLdlevarse</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Concussions force former Penn State RB Akeel Lynch out of football