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SHRUGGING IT OFF GAME GRADES Hackenberg overcomes early-game struggles to set record LORI  SHONTZ | blue white contRibutoR The play could not have gone worse. Freshman quarterback Christian Hackenberg dropped back to pass from his own 20-yard line, and the ball, somehow, slipped out of his hands. He dived for it, but couldn't grab it—because Eastern Michigan linebacker Hunter Matt had scooped it up and was headed into the end zone. This put Penn State down by a touchdown at home to a team that a week earlier had needed to rally late in the second half to beat Howard. And it came after Hackenberg, starting his first game in Beaver Stadium, had overthrown open receivers on four of his first five passes. Hackenberg walked off the field, sat on the bench. Head coach Bill O'Brien sat next to him. And the way Hackenberg remembered it, O'Brien needed to say only four words: "Calm down. Next play." Which was enough to settle Hackenberg, who by all accounts doesn't rattle easily. He completed his next pass, a 9yarder to Allen Robinson that brought polite applause from the crowd, and went on to throw for a freshman-record 311 yards and one touchdown. The previous record: 280 yards by Zack Mills, who did it twice in 2001, against Ohio State and Southern Mississippi. Offensive lineman John Urschel wasn't surprised that Hackenberg settled down. "He's very cool, collected, Urschel said. " "He really lets plays that have happened go. Something happens—good or bad— and he moves on to the next play. It's tough to do, especially when you're that young. " Hackenberg was, however, "jacked up, " as O'Brien put it, before the game, and he admitted that the fumble upset him— "for probably 10 or 20 seconds. Prodded " by O'Brien, he turned his focus to throwing mechanics and other technical parts of the game, which calmed him. Hackenberg said all he needed to do was to get himself in a rhythm. S e P t e m b e R It just took a little longer than he wanted to adjust to playing in Beaver Stadium. "You can take 5,000 recruiting trips here," O'Brien said. "It ain't like playing here." Hackenberg took responsibility for the overthrows and the fumble, using the same language: "That's completely on me." On the game, Hackenberg completed 23 of 33 passes for 311 yards, one touchdown and one interception. In two games, he has completed 70.1 percent of his passes and thrown for 589 yards. He's thrown three touchdowns, but three interceptions, as well. Against Eastern Michigan, he continued to connect with Robinson, who caught seven passes for 129 yards, including a 45-yarder early in the fourth quarter that essentially put the game away. "It's not just me," Robinson said. "He has a good chemistry with a lot of guys— he spread the ball around a lot today. " Wideout Brandon Felder caught six passes for 56 yards, and Hackenberg spread the ball around to the tight ends, too: Jesse James and Kyle Carter caught two passes apiece, as did wide receiver Richy Anderson. "I thought he obviously settled down pretty well, O'Brien said of his quarter" back. "I think it's pretty easy to see, he's a hardworking kid. He has talent. It's one day at a time. Try to get better, watch the film and see if we can improve against a very, very tough Central Florida team. " And Hackenberg's self-assessment? Is he performing the way he expected? "I really didn't have any ridiculous expectations," he said. "I really just tried to come in here and fill my role, do my job. The offense, how it's designed, would take care of itself. You can always get better at that. " 7 , 2 0 1 3 7 QUARTERBACKS Some good (311 passing yards). Some bad (an interception, a fumble, a few early overthrows). Christian Hackenberg had his ups and downs in his first game in Beaver Stadium, but anybody expecting perfection was not GRADE B being realistic. RUNNING BACKS Bill Belton had his best day since ripping Iowa last season, Akeel Lynch got his first carries of the season and John Cappelletti was in the house to see it all (and to have his number reGRADE B tired). RECEIVERS It'll take a better defense than Eastern Michigan's to hold down Allen Robinson for an entire game. GRADE B OFFENSIVE LINE Eastern Michigan fielded the worst run defense in the country last year, but against Penn State, it didn't crack until the second half. Let's call this area a work in progress. GRADE BDEFENSIVE LINE DaQuan Jones had another nine-tackle game, and the Lions did an effective job of pressuring EMU quarterback Tyler Benz while plugging up the running game. GRADE A LINEBACKERS Mike Hull and Ben Kline both sat out. Their absence didn't have major consequences vs. EMU, and Bill O'Brien says they're fine. But it might be time to start worrying about the depth at the team's thinnest position group. GRADE B DEFENSIVE BACKS Facing a more polished QB than they saw last week vs. Syracuse, PSU's defensive backs didn't give up a lot of downfield plays. That said, a turnover or two would have been helpful. GRADE B SPECIAL TEAMS The Sam Ficken Story just keeps getting better. He set a school record Saturday with his 14th consecutive made field goal. GRADE B+ COACHES Looks as though the staff is fully committed to Hackenberg. In contrast to last week's game vs. Syracuse, Tyler Ferguson didn't get in until the end, even with the offense struggling. That faith was rewarded. GRADE A CROWD Yeah, it was the home opener, but it was also the most ho-hum game on Penn State's schedule. So while the official attendance – generously listed at 92,863 – was not particularly impressive, it was not particularly surprising, GRADE B either. b l u e w h i t e o n l i n e . c o m

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