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game, he said. "He understands coverage " reads and when to throw it, when to check to a run, things like that." Hackenberg, he said, "has gotten better and better at that throughout the year. I think as time goes on, he'll be even better at it. " Despite his media savvy, Hackenberg said one of the biggest challenges he faced in transitioning from high school to college football was in dealing with the attention he received as the starting quarterback for a major program. At Fork Union, an all-boys academy that uses military-style discipline to instill its core values, his life was regimented. Not enough to shield him from the media attention that followed his emergence as an elite prospect, but enough to make his high school experience a bit different from that of his future college teammates, few of whom, for example, had to cut their own hair. At Penn State, Hackenberg turned to those teammates for help in adjusting to his newfound fame. "Guys like Ty Howle and the seniors were really good guys for me to talk to, he said. "They've all been " through it. Each week, I was just trying to get better mentally and stay in good shape physically to continue to make plays for the team and help the team out. That's been my goal. Just managing the games and help put us in situations where we can be successful. " That will continue to be the goal for as long as he's running Penn State's offense. Breneman said following the Wisconsin game that he and Hackenberg would probably be looking at the 2014 schedule as the buses pulled away from Camp Randall Stadium. "We're excited about it, he said. "We're " excited to get there. We have a lot of improvement to do, don't get me wrong. But we ended the season well, and we're excited for the years to come. " Why wouldn't they be? They have three more years together in which to make those improvements. They have a bigger-than-expected class of scholarship players getting set to join them next fall. They may soon have the opportunity to attend a bowl game. They are blessed to I be at Penn State. QB Ferguson decides to transfer Tyler Ferguson is good enough to be a starting quarterback somewhere, but that opportunity probably doesn't exist at Penn State, where Christian Hackenberg has established himself as the Nittany Lions' likely starter for the duration of his college career. That was Bill O'Brien's message to Ferguson during a meeting at the Lasch Building in late November. As if to confirm the coach's appraisal, Hackenberg went out the next day and threw for 339 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-24 upset victory over Wisconsin, so when the Lions returned from Madison, Ferguson decided to heed O'Brien's advice and transfer from Penn State. Ferguson, a Bakersfield, Calif., native who had come to Penn State in January after one juco season at College of the Sequoias, told The Daily Collegian that he appreciated O'Brien's coaching and also his candor. "He just said, in all due respect and not saying this in a bad way, he said, 'I think you should go somewhere and play. I think you're good enough to play somewhere, and we're secure here with Christian being a freshman, Ferguson said. '" "That was good to hear. I was glad that he was straightforward with me. " Ferguson finished his lone season at Penn State with 10 completions in 15 attempts for 155 yards and a touchdown. He compiled almost all of those statistics at Ohio State, LEAVING PENN STATE Ferguson is looking for a chance to start. Bill Anderson where he finished the game in place of the injured Hackenberg and threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Allen Robinson in the fourth quarter. Ferguson had come to Penn State in hope of claiming the vacant starting spot, turning down a scholarship opportunity at Houston when the Nittany Lions extended their offer last December. He enrolled in January, took part in spring practice and went into preseason camp with a slight edge over Hackenberg due to his familiarity with the offense. But Hackenberg impressed the coaches in the preseason and went on to start all 12 games. He finished as the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year. Ferguson will now have two seasons of eligibility after sitting out a year in accordance with NCAA transfer rules. He is looking for a school where he will have a chance to compete for a starting spot in 2015 and doesn't have any regrets about coming to Penn State. "I really don't think a lot of schools in the country could have offered me what I learned here, he " told the Collegian. "People have been asking me a lot recently, 'Would you go back to signing day and stay with your commitment to Houston, or go somewhere else?' And honestly, no I wouldn't. I would come back in a heartbeat. " – M.H.

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