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his predecessors who are now in the NFL, and Jones has done nothing to disappoint. In fact, he's outperforming most expectations. He leads the team with 8.5 tackles for loss and ranks second with 31.5 tackles – behind only middle linebacker Glenn Carson (honorable mention). Interior linemen aren't supposed to accumulate tackle numbers like that. Then again, there aren't many interior linemen as disruptive as Jones. BEST PLAY Can it get any more obvious? Robinson's leaping catch over Michigan freshman Channing Stribling at the 1yard line with 28 seconds left to play helped Penn State push the game into overtime (or four) and ultimately led to a rousing Nittany Lion victory. Not only was it the top play of the young season – and on SportsCenter that night – but it ranks as one of the best receptions in school history. Props to Hackenberg, too. He put that 36-yard pass where only Robinson – or Go Go Gadget – could get to it. BEST PASS Hackenberg made a few throws toward the end of the Michigan thriller that easily could fit into this category, but let's go way back to his debut against Syracuse in MetLife Stadium. That 54-yard rainbow to Geno Lewis at the goal line in the fourth quarter was almost picture-perfect – and a precursor of what was to come. BEST RUN Against Eastern Michigan in week two, Bill Belton took the handoff and raced 51 yards for a touchdown to give Penn State an insurmountable 38-7 advantage. It was the longest run of Belton's career and the longest of the Lions' first six games this season. BEST CATCH You'd be hard-pressed to find a better reception in all of college football than that fourth-quarter highjumper vs. the Wolverines, but the Nittany Lions have had some other noteworthy receptions – including the two that preceded Robinson's catch on that 23-second miracle drive. One of them was A-Rob's toe-dragger along the Penn State sideline. The other was supplied by Brandon Felder. Hackenberg threw into triple-coverage, but the sen- ior leaped pretty high himself and hauled in the 29-yard reception to keep the drive moving. Robinson's 45-yard diving catch vs. Eastern Michigan – with a defender draped over his back – gets an honorable mention nod, but given the number of highlight grabs that he's made since then, who even remembers that? WORST DROP With the score tied in the second half, Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfeld tossed a pass directly into the No. 7 on Stephen Obeng-Agyapong's jersey. If the senior linebacker/safety could have corralled it, he had open space in front of him for a game-changing pick-six. Instead, the ball Plinkoed to the ground. BEST SACK In the third quarter of the opener, Jones bull-rushed through the middle of Syracuse's offensive line and completely engulfed quarterback Drew Allen. BEST HIT Obeng-Agyapong was unblocked during a key third-and-long in the second quarter vs. Syracuse. He took advantage of the miscue and collided with the quarterback's shoulders, nearly forcing the helmet off Allen's head. SOA called it the best hit of his college career. BEST KICK Against Kent State, Sam Ficken trotted out for a 54-yard field goal attempt in the steady rain and on the wet grass. He nailed it, with little room to spare. The conversion barely missed a PSU record of 55 yards set by Chris Bahr in 1975. BEST DECISION Bill O'Brien trusted his gut and threw Hackenberg to the wolves from day one – not just in front of opposing defenses, but postgame reporters, too. It hasn't gone perfectly, but perfection never allows room for progress. And we're seeing the 18-yearold gunslinger progress right in front of our eyes. WORST DECISION Indiana had one of the worst rush defenses in the country entering its game vs. Penn State. Yet the Nittany Lions ran the ball only 40 percent of the time and Hackenberg attempted a school-record 55 passes. It didn't work out so well. – TIM OWEN WE B SU RV E Y WHAT GRADE DO YOU GIVE THE PENN STATE FOOTBALL TEAM AT THE MIDPOINT OF THE 2013 SEASON? B- The good win vs. Michigan saves it from being a C+. The loss to Indiana was horrific, along with O'Brien seemingly getting outcoached vs. UCF. Ctel12592 C+ With the upset win over Michigan we should be at least 5-1. Maybe even 6-0, but we're not. kgreg55 B They are on an upward trend, and I'm thinking the win vs. Michigan was like extra credit. In my mind they can still get an A, but it will take more extra credit – like a win over Ohio State, Nebraska or Wisconsin. Krytter Offense gets a B. Special teams get a C+ because of Ficken. I give the defense a grade of "I" for Incomplete. I am unable to draw a bead on John Butler. There have been times when his defense has shown up to play and others where it has not. I do wish the defensive backs would turn around and play the ball once in a while. That would be refreshing. Cosmos C+ And that's being generous because I'm a longtime fan. We are, at best, an average team at the moment. Michigan was an overrated team and they have proven that several times this season. I'm not saying we can't get better, but we have a lot to prove before I start giving them better-than-average grades. ncgolfer B- We actually should be 6-0. We have the talent such that against the quality of our opponents, we should be 6-0. Now the real season starts. If we don't play up to our own ability, we will go 3-3 over the last six games and end with a 7-5 record. If we do, 9-3 is possible. MontereyLion C Which is average for the expectations I had, which was a season record of 7-5. If we end up better than my prediction, then the season grade will be a B or better. ElectricCityLion B- The Indiana game was awful, and not just because of the thing related to the sanctions. Besides that, we could've beaten UCF, but we also could've lost to Michigan and/or Syracuse. PSUAschman

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