Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/162954
P O S T G A M E R E P O R T W E E K 1 PENN STATE 23, SYRACUSE 17 WELCOME BACK Suspended for the first half, Robinson was a differencemaker in the second, connecting with Hackenberg for a 51-yard touchdown early in the third quarter. Steve Manuel 'Cuse control Passing game delivers in season-opening win TIM OWEN | OW E N. T I M . B W I @ G M A I L . c O M EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Leading into Penn State's season opener against Syracuse, all the talk seemed to surround the starting quarterback. After the game – a 23-17 victory by the Nittany Lions – not much has changed. This time, however, the fuss isn't about who is starting, but rather, how impressive the starter's performance was. In his first college game, true freshman Christian Hackenberg threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns, including a 54-yard TD pass to redA U G U S T shirt freshman Eugene Lewis that gave the Nittany Lions a lead they would not relinquish. "He's a young guy who's only 18 and he's got a tremendous future, head coach Bill O'Brien said, " "but we're not ready to waltz him into the College Football Hall of Fame or certainly the NFL Hall of Fame. We're just saying, Look, this guy is a talented guy. He's got a long ways to go. It's one game, but he made some nice throws out there and he made some mistakes. " News slowly trickled out toward the end of the 3 1 , 2 0 1 3 1 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M THE GAME AT A GLANCE GOOD NEWS Christian Hackenberg's debut was encouraging, to say the least. He finished 22 for 31 for 278 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Kudos, too, to Allen Robinson (seven catches for 133 yards and a touchdown), DaQuan Jones (8.5 tackles) and Sam Ficken (3 for 3 on field goal attempts). BAD NEWS The Lions couldn't afford to lose any linebackers, and that's exactly what happened, as Mike Hull went down with what appeared to be a right knee injury. Tight end Matt Lehman also got hurt in the first half and didn't return. THE TAKEAWAY It wasn't a thing of beauty, and the injuries raise some serious concerns going forward, but Hackenberg's assured performance definitely bodes well.