UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Lightning struck twice at Beaver Stadium.
Amid the onslaught of rain that pelted the players relentlessly Saturday, redshirt senior cornerback Daequan Hardy made the Penn State faithful forget about their drenched clothes with a record-breaking performance.
Hardy received the punt at the 44-yard line and found what every punt returner is looking for, plenty of green grass and open space. Hardy dashed through the defense and the raindrops to find the endzone on his first ever punt return at Penn State.
Hardy lined up for another punt and hauled it in at the Penn State 32-yard line. Hardy broke multiple tackles and he was off to the races with blockers in front of him. He sprinted into the endzone and spiraled his arms in the air to emulate the Saquon Barkley celebration.
Hardy's 56- and 68-yard returns marked the first time in Penn State history a player recorded two punt return touchdowns in the same game. Only four Nittany Lions in history have had two such touchdowns in one season.
"Speed is a tremendous factor," Hardy said after becoming the first Nittany Lion to have a punt return in a game since Jahan Dotson in 2020. "Just being one of the fastest guys on the field, a lot of people are going to try to catch you so if they can't catch you, you're doing good."
Hardy posted 129 all purpose yards in three punt return attempts and became the first Big Ten player since 2013 to reach the historic feat. His notable night is nothing new as his 84-yard kickoff return in the 2018 PIAA Class 5A Championship game caught the attention of head coach James Franklin and cornerbacks coach Terry Smith.
Blazing speed and shiftiness are key components to Hardy's game as he shared his 40-yard dash time of 4.32. Hardy earned the opportunity by improving his catching ability in practice and consistently competing for the spot alongside redshirt freshman wide receiver Kaden Saunders.
Hardy shared how he was "bringing it back to the old days" where he caught punts and returned kicks at Penn Hills high school. He said that being a ball carrier is "natural" which brings a new dimension to Penn State's special teams. What truly makes him special is "he's able to get vertical fast," said redshirt sophomore linebacker Dom DeLuca.
"This is gonna change things for us," Franklin said. "This is going to create issues for people that are evaluating us on film and something that's going to cause them long nights in how they're going to defend him. Guys that can make big plays and be explosive and protect the football are valuable and he's done a phenomenal job for us and I'm not surprised, this is kind of who he's been."
Hardy is in his fifth season in Happy Valley and has made key contributions all year. His impact is felt in multiple facets of the game as he brings versatility on the defensive side of the ball and the ability to play both the nickel and traditional corner spot.
Redshirt senior defensive end Adisa Isaac hosted Hardy on his recruiting visit and the pair have been close ever since. "I'm just glad that he's now starting to sprinkle in everywhere and really show his dominance," Isaac said. The Brooklyn, New York, product also recognized how he's proud of Hardy's journey and his presence as a "ball hawk."
It was another day at the office for Isaac who posted 2.5 sacks for 2.5 tackles for loss. Isaac was swarming relentlessly in the backfield and terrorized the UMass passing attack. Isaac and Hardy have been teammates since 2019 and the former outlined the importance of Hardy's role.
"Without Dae Dae, it's like a missing piece in the defense," Isaac said. "He's kind of that glue for us. He makes spectacular plays in the clutch when we need them. He's just a phenomenal player and I feel like he's really the glue for us, he kind of keeps everybody in line."
Sophomore cornerback Cam Miller posted a dominant performance of his own and accomplished something he's never done before; record a sack in a game. "Not even in high school," Miller said. The Fernandina Beach, Florida, native tallied two sacks in Saturday's 63-point win and presented a changeup for Penn State's defense.
Miller works with Hardy every day and seeks out his veteran experience to help him improve his craft. Miller helped launch the Hardy punt return touchdowns with several key blocks and knew that once Hardy was into space, it's a challenge to bring him down.
"That guy is unbelievable," Miller said. "He has a lot of diversity as you can see. He plays corner, nickel and he can punt return. Today he got his opportunity and he made it count twice."
