Knockdowns and knockouts, the most exciting part of the sport, are rarities in collegiate boxing. Protective headgear makes it that much harder to fell an opponent, especially with the referees looking to protect the fighters rather than to see a good fight.

Despite all of this, Penn State senior Joe McDonald was still able to put his opponent on his back at last weekend's Lock Haven Invitational.

The knockdown came off of a left hook in the second round of his three round fight, which McDonald went on to win.

After his opponent proved that he could continue to fight, McDonald did not let up, as he pummeled his opponent with newfound confidence for the next round and a half.

His knockdown was one of only two in the entire tournament, and was unanticipated, even to the fighter himself.

"I didn't expect it at all so I was pretty exuberant," McDonald said.

Rather than dipping and dodging his opponent's attacks, McDonald is the type of fighter who will stand in and go blow-for-blow with his adversary.

"I am more of a brawler than a mover," he said. "I am shorter for my weight, so that means a lot of guys I go against are longer, but I'm stronger."

McDonald will be fighting again this weekend at an invitational at the University of Maryland on Saturday. He is one of six Penn State boxers who will go into combat at Maryland.

Despite the fact that he now knows that he has the proficiency to score a knockdown, it does not mean that McDonald will go into this weekend looking for one.

"I don't go into the fight trying to knock someone out, but if it happens then that's only a good thing," said McDonald.

Another fighter who won on Saturday and will be fighting again this weekend has somewhat of a unique situation.

Jake Winowich, who fights at 132 pounds, is the lightest fighter on the Penn State team. That dictates that when he spars in practice he is constantly fighting bigger boxers.

According to Winowich, however, this is not necessarily a bad thing.

"It helps fighting bigger kids in practice because however hard I am hit by 132 pound kids in a match, I have already been hit that hard in practice. That way it is not that much of a shock," said Winowich.

The fighter who he does fight the most in practice, Anthony Liotta, did not have as good of a fate as McDonald and Winowich on Saturday, as he suffered a loss.

While Liotta went into the fight expecting to fight at 139 pounds, his fight was changed on the day of the fight, which left him fighting at 145 pounds.

The decision came as somewhat of a surprise to Liotta.

"I had some good punches and he had some good punches, so I don't know how the scored it," said Liotta.

Coming into this weekend's fight he will be much more choleric.

"I have a pissed off attitude now. I am definitely going to hit harder and not waste and time," Liotta said. "This weekend, I am not going to leave it up to the judges. I am just going to make it really clear that I won."