Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1509432
6 0 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M WORKING OVERTIME A marathon victory over Michigan 10 years ago foretold Penn State's return to national prominence B ill O'Brien did not appear to be in a particularly good mood when he took his seat at the front of Beaver Stadium's me- dia room on Oct. 8, 2013. The second-year coach was unusually terse and vaguely defen- sive at his weekly presser, and not without reason. The Nittany Lions were coming off a 44-24 loss at Indiana in which they had flung 55 passes at a Hoosiers defense that ranked next-to-last in the Big Ten against the run. Making matters worse, if they were going to bounce back, they would have to do it against unbeaten, 18th-ranked Michigan. O'Brien's team had overachieved the year before, going 8-4 in 2012 following the imposition of major NCAA sanctions. But now the reality was starting to sink in. The Lions' depth had been eroded and their recruiting had suffered amid the scholarship cuts and postseason ban that college sports' governing body had enacted. They boasted a bright young star in true freshman quarterback Christian Hackenberg and a crafty veteran receiver in Allen Robinson, but in too many areas, particularly on defense, the team was regressing. Viewed in that context, the Indiana game — Penn State's first loss in 17 games against the Hoosiers — looked like a harbinger. O'Brien was asked at his presser whether players' confidence had been shaken by their performance in Bloomington. "The team's confidence isn't shaken," he said. Later, asked about his players' resiliency, the exasperation was evident in his voice. "I'm not a psychologist or a psychiatrist," he said. "I just think we have a fantastic group of kids who are practicing hard right now and are very focused on the Michigan game." 'A Fun Guy To Coach' Those players proved O'Brien right. They jumped out to a 21-10 halftime lead on the strength of 3 touchdown passes by Hackenberg. And when the Wolverines stormed back in M AT T H E R B | M A T T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M Junior tailback Bill Belton led Penn State with 85 yards rushing against the Wolverines in 2013. His last carry of the night, a 2-yard touchdown run, ended the game in the fourth over- time period. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL