Hamilton sets career record for receptions, lifts PSU to 45-14 win

DaeSean Hamilton has done it.

A native of Fredericksburg, Va., the senior wide receiver has now caught more passes than any other player in Penn State history. In the Nittany Lions' 45-14 victory over Indiana Saturday in Beaver Stadium, Hamilton posted a game-high nine receptions for 122 yards and three touchdowns – all en route to setting the school record for receptions.

It was his seventh and eighth receptions that, officially, did it.

Hamilton entered his final season in Blue and White as one of multiple Nittany Lions who were closing in on school history. He was 18 catches shy of Deon Butler's career mark of 179 receptions.

With a 24-yard TD reception in the third quarter against the Hoosiers from Trace McSorley, Hamilton tied record. Then with a leaping sideline grab for 25 yards in the fourth he surpassed the mark of Butler, who played for the same high school coach as Hamilton.

"It means a lot," Hamilton said of his feat. "It's a credit to all my teammates I've had here. It was a lot of hard work and I appreciate all the guys who worked hard with me. They basically battled through and basically got to me this point. ... It hasn't really hit me yet, but it's going to hit me later on."

He wasn't done yet. Hamilton began building on the history books with his 181st catch in the fourth quarter. Hauling in a trick-play throw from Saquon Barkley, Hamilton scored a 16-yard TD to cap the scoring for the day. It was his third TD grab of the day, after catching an 8-yarder in the first quarter.

Not only does he now sit alone atop the record chart for WRs, it was also Hamilton's first multi-TD game of his career.

Coaches, teammates and Hamilton couldn't be happier to see the upperclassman accomplish his goals. Here's what they had to say about the feat after the game...

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT DaeSEAN HAMILTON

"I think he's a great example for our younger players. I think he's a great example in general. He gets here as a true freshman he has a preexisting injury and sits out his entire freshman year. The next year he plays as a redshirt freshman and has a huge year. One year he leads the Big Ten in catches. The next year his numbers go way down. He stays positive. He just keeps working and grinding through it, and he's had a great career. He's been a great leader. He's been a great teammate. He's a great student. They've been playing football at Penn State for a long time. There have been a bunch of really good players, so whenever you can say you're the all-time leader at Penn State, then that's pretty special." -- head coach James Franklin

"He's a playmaker. Rarely does he drop the ball in practice. I've never seen him drop the ball in practice. If you ask me – I might be a little biased – but we have the best receiving corps in the Big Ten, even the country. They're playmakers, and when they get the rock in their hand they can make things happen. You see videos and you can ask anyone on the staff, anyone on the team, he has the best work ethic on the team. He's there from sunup to sundown. I'm not the only one saying that. You can ask anybody on the team." -- sophomore OT Ryan Bates

"There is no guy on this team who is a better leader and better player and a better role model. No guy deserves it more than him. He works countless hours, hours that nobody even knows about – early mornings and late nights at times. He's 100-percent bought in on football. That's what he dedicates his life to." -- junior QB Trace McSorley

"It's huge. That guy works so hard. You see him before practice, after practice running more routes, just perfecting his craft in general. To me you look at that and see what he does and what he does in practice all you can do is be proud and be happy for him. You're not necessarily surprised. He is a dude who works. All he knows is work. He has such a great work ethic. That comes from his parents, the way he grew up, so he's a very special person. I'm very happy for him." -- senior LB Jason Cabinda

"His routes are crispy. If you're not on him, on him, he's open. You might be a little off of him and he's going to make that catch. That's why I love going against him in practice and one-on-ones. He gets me better. He's someone who is going to get you better. … He hasn't changed. His demeanor and work ethic, it's just even more. He's always had that work ethic (and strives) to be something extra or doing something before practice or after practice. That's always been him. That's his motto." -- senior safety Marcus Allen