Oct. 11, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Christian Hackenberg's decorated Penn State career is filled with standout performances.
Now just the second player in program history to become a 7,000-yard passer, Hackenberg has thrown 39 touchdowns, which puts him in a tie with former All-American Kerry Collins for sixth place in Penn State history.
But no day in his career of 31 starts under center did Hackenberg exhibit the ability to be a dual-threat player like he did on Saturday in Penn State's 29-7 romp of Indiana.
He tossed a pair of touchdowns, a 39-yarder to Brandon Polk and a 39-yarder DaeSean Hamilton, finishing 21-for-39 with 262 yards and two touchdowns in his 17th 200-yard passing effort.
But Saturday was a complete performance from Penn State's leader of the huddle.
"I thought he played really well, as a passer and as a runner and the way he managed the game," said head coach James Franklin. "He did some great things, and there were a lot of positives for the offense today."
He finished with a career-high 21 rushing yards and visited the end zone twice with his feet, marking the first time a Penn State quarterback tallied two rushing scores since Matt McGloin in 2012. Hackenberg again managed the game to near perfection, took what the defense gave him and made the plays necessary to win, whether it was with his arm or his feet.
"I think it's just one of those things you get a feel for and today I was able to get a feel for it," Hackenberg said. "In terms of how they were rushing, the lanes that were opening and being able to take advantage of it."
An underrated athlete, Hackenberg can move very well with the ball in his hands. Indiana's zone coverages opened lanes for running, and he took advantage. It's something his teammates see frequently at practice, and they enjoy watching No. 14 on the move.
"I love watching him run," said Hamilton. "A guy getting his knees up and things like that, plus he has a little bit of juice in him so he's fast too. When those zone plays aren't going so well or when the pocket starts to break down and he takes off, it's really a nice thing to see."
No play was more telling of Hackenberg's athleticism than his plunge into the end zone when the Lions led 19-7 early in the fourth quarter. On second and goal from the Indiana 5, Hackenberg dropped back to pass. As he worked through the play's progressions, everyone was covered. A running window opened and he took off for the goal. The play ended with Hackenberg leaping parallel to the ground on his way into the end zone for the second time.
"It was fun. I don't get to do that too often," joked Hackenberg. "They jumped our read and what we were looking at through the air. A lane opened up, hit it, made a move and go make a play."
The fans in the north end of the stadium roared as Hackenberg stood up in the end zone to celebrate with his teammates. It was a telling play on a day where the Nittany Lions played with great enthusiasm on both sides of the ball and looked to be on a mission to again go 1-0 for the fifth-straight week.
"I think that's one of the things we've done as a team, we've played with our emotions on our sleeves for the most part, each week so far this year," Hackenberg said. "I think you obviously need to come back and get ready for the next challenge and I think we were able to do that. We had our highs, we enjoyed them and then we were kind of back to even keel making sure we were doing what we needed to do to move the football on the next drive."
The Lions fed off of the energy provided from the nearly 100,000 fans in Beaver Stadium on Saturday. The 96th Homecoming game was played before a boisterous crowd, and it's something the team appreciates every single week and never takes for granted.
"We had a great atmosphere. The fans played a huge part in the game at key times, and we were able to go out and get a big team win," said Hackenberg. We capitalized on momentum shifts that the defense created. Offensively, we created our own momentum at times, as well.
Riding a five-game winning streak, attention now shifts towards a trip to No. 1 Ohio State. The Nittany Lions will collide with the Buckeyes under the lights on Saturday.
"It's a great challenge. Ohio State is obviously on a role as the No. 1 team in the country," Hackenberg said. "I know that we are going to go out and prepare as hard as we can, and we are going to go out and try to execute."