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'IT'S ABOUT TIME' GAME GRADES QUARTERBACKS Christian Hackenberg Touchdown was much more than a game-winner to Bill Belton LORI  SHONTZ | blue white contRibutoR Fourth down. Fourth overtime. One yard to go, and Bill O'Brien set the play: Not the safe play, not a field-goal attempt, but a Bill Belton rush, off tackle. This is not the kind of situation that's typically got Bill Belton's name attached to it. He's not Penn State's grind-it-out running back. He's the speedy, shifty guy, the converted wide receiver who often appears ready to break a big run, only to find himself a step away, tripping, sprawled on the turf. On this evening, however, Belton was The Guy. He'd been Penn State's primary back for more than half of the game, since starter Zach Zwinak fumbled on the first play of the second half and O'Brien decided to focus on the running game. He was warmed up. He was amped up. He was ready. As he broke huddle, Belton had just one thought: "If I don't get the yard, I'm going to hear about this for the rest of the time I'm here. So I'm going to get the yard. " He got the yard and two more, cutting outside behind fullback Pat Zerbe when left tackle Donovan Smith got his man tied up. And four plays later, his 2-yard touchdown run – the second rushing touchdown Michigan had allowed all season – gave the Nittany Lions a quadruple-overtime victory over No. 18 Wolverines. "The first thing I thought was, 'It's about time. It's about time, Belton said. '" "I went through a lot last year." Belton is one of those players who spends a lot of time in the postgame media room insisting that God has a plan. His Twitter bio says simply, "God first," and before the Michigan game, he tweeted from Psalms: "The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!" He's spent much of last season recovering from a high ankle sprain that turned out to be a lot worse than he expected. "I thought I'd be able to go in a o c t o b e R few weeks," he said. "But that wasn't case; it lingered all year. " He's spent this season as the secondstring running back, but sharing time with starter Zwinak and third-stringer Akeel Lynch. His 85 yards Saturday weren't a season high; he gained more against Eastern Michigan and Kent State. But he'd been averaging nine carries a game, and this time, he rushed 27 times, including six times in the fourth overtime. "It's one of the better games of his career," O'Brien said. "I can't say enough about him. He's a guy that's grown up on and off the field. I think the world of that kid. " Which isn't to say that the game was totally out of character for Belton. He still came a step or so short of breaking a big run several times, including on a second-and-5 play on that final drive. "I've just got to continue to work on taking my time, he said. "Sometimes when " I'm falling, it's because I see cuts and I just want to hit it and go. But I just need to continue to work on being patient. " And every game this season, without fail, Belton has praised his fellow running backs and said how much he's learned from them. He's always given credit to his blockers, too. Saturday night, every time he described the fourth-down or touchdown run, Belton mentioned the offensive line and Zerbe. "All the credit doesn't go to me, he said. More than once. " His blockers gave the credit right back. Said guard John Urschel: "Billy B did a great job today. Man, he ran hard. And he made a lot of things happen when we as an offensive line didn't make it happen for him." Most of all, it seemed Belton appreciated that O'Brien showed confidence by giving him the ball at such crucial moments. "I always wanted to step up and make big plays in big games, he said. "This is " just the first one. I can't be satisfied with this one. I've got to keep working. " 1 2 , 2 0 1 3 7 needed only 23 seconds to lead the Nittany Lions on an 80-yard drive for the tying touchdown. With no timeouts. Enough said. GRADE A RUNNING BACKS Bill Belton didn't have a lot of big-gainers, but he got the yards Penn State needed when Zach Zwinak left the game for good. GRADE BRECEIVERS So much for the theory that Penn State's passing game consists entirely of Allen Robinson. Six receivers caught at least one pass, and two – Brandon Felder and Jesse James – caught six GRADE A apiece. OFFENSIVE LINE Penn State only rushed for 85 yards, but it did a fine job of protecting Hackenberg. You get the feeling that there's still a lot of room for improveGRADE B ment here. DEFENSIVE LINE Penn State did a great job of shutting down Fitzgerald Toussaint and kept Devin Gardner contained for the better part of three quarters. Bonus points for Anthony Zettel's interception. GRADE B+ LINEBACKERS Is it possible to give up 40 points and still feel pretty good about your linebacker corps? Yes, it is. Mike Hull and Glenn Carson combined for 20 tackles. GRADE B DEFENSIVE BACKS Some good, some bad. Jordan Lucas set up Penn State's first touchdown with an interception return in the first quarter. But Adrian Amos was flagged three times for interference. GRADE BSPECIAL TEAMS Sam Ficken was good on three of five field goal attempts, all longer than 40 yards, and Penn State blocked a field goal in overtime. GRADE B+ COACHES Penn State may have caught a few lucky breaks along the way, but the coaching staff played to win, and their decisiveness paid off in overtime. GRADE B+ CROWD Seemed like old times, with the stadium full – official attendance was 107,884 – and the White Out in full effect on homecoming weekend. This game was a reminder of how great a place Beaver Stadium can be. GRADE A b l u e w h i t e o n l i n e . c o m

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