Blue White Illustrated

At this time a year ago, Christian Hack- enberg was headed into the unknown – his first college football game, which also happened to be his first college start. This year's opener is a different story, and Hackenberg is a different quarterback. But not too different. "I would definitely say that I feel a little more confident with everything I'm doing," he said Tuesday before Penn State's departure for Ireland. "I have a spring under my belt, a summer and now a fall camp, so I feel more confident going into the first game. But really, my mindset hasn't changed much. I'm just going out there and doing my role to help the team win." Hackenberg won that previous opener, going 22 of 31 for 278 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in Penn State's 23-17 victory over Syracuse to begin the 2013 season. He went on to enjoy one of the better seasons of any quarter- back in school history, throwing for just under 3,000 yards and winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. Hackenberg will be looking to build on that showing this fall, and he is focused on getting off to a good start Saturday against UCF. His most recent game was one of his best, as he threw for 339 yards and four touchdowns in last year's season finale at Wisconsin. So he had plenty of momentum heading into the off-season. But nine months is a long time between games, and he and his teammates are ready to get restarted. More than ready, in fact. "That's one thing that a lot of us have been talking about," Hackenberg said. "We're just really itching to play. It feels like it's been forever. Having the opportu- nity to go overseas and do this in Ireland is a neat experience and something that we're all going to remember. We're ready and we're focused on trying to get better each day in practice, from here all the way to Saturday." The Lions will be headed to an unfamiliar venue in an unfamiliar country, and that adds another element of uncertainty to their preparations. Hackenberg had never been overseas and when he was asked Tuesday about the added challenges in- volved in playing a game in a foreign coun- try, he admitted he didn't entirely know what to expect. "I'm not too familiar with Ireland," he said. "I guess I'll see when I get over there." Hackenberg entertained a few other top- ics on his conference call, including… • The development of the Nittany Lions' rebuilt offensive line: "I think they've got experience under their belt now. They've had a couple of scrimmages, a whole spring. It's starting to click for them; you can see it on the film and even out there on the field. They've come a long way. There's still a lot of work to do for all of us at all po- sitions, but they've definitely come a long way." • His connection with redshirt freshman receiver DaeSean Hamilton: "When we first got here, before he knew about his wrist [injury] last year, he and I threw two or three times, and he was one of the guys who was with me every day this summer when I went out [practicing]. He and I have developed a very good relationship and a very good connection. He's been a guy who has shown he wants to work hard in the film room, getting extra work in on the field. So DaeSean's ready to play. He's just like Geno [Lewis]. Those two guys are extremely focused and understand what they want to do." • Being named a captain: "It was an honor, to be honest with you. Have a ton of respect for each and every one of those guys in the locker room, and I feel like they feel the same about me. It's a huge honor for me and also a testament to the type of guys we have in this locker room and how hard they work and how hard we push each other and what we expect of each other." PENN STATE RADIO NETWORK WAEB............. 790-AM....... Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton WVAM............ 1430-AM....................................... Altoona WRKY............. 104.9-FM............... Altoona/Hollidaysburg WILK.............. 103.1-FM.........................................Avoca WAYC............. 1600-AM.......................................Bedford WAYC............. 100.9-FM......................................Bedford WBYB............. 103.9-FM.....................................Bradford WCPA............. 900-AM...................................... Clearfield WQYX............. 93.1-FM..................................... Clearfield WZDB.............95.9-FM........................ DuBois/Sykesville WHGL............ 102.9-FM................................ Elmira, N.Y. WPSE............. 1450-AM.............................................Erie WFRA............. 1450-AM...................................... Franklin WGET............. 1320-AM.................................. Gettysburg WJEJ.............. 1240-AM.Hagerstown, Md./Chambersburg Sports Radio..1400-AM...................................Harrisburg Sports Radio..95.3-FM.................................... Harrisburg WKZN............ 1300-AM..................................... Hazleton WLAK............. 103.5-FM................................ Huntingdon WNTJ............. 1490-AM...................................Johnstown WBYB............. 103.9-FM.......................................... Kane WLPA............. 1490-AM....................................Lancaster WNPV.............1440-AM.....................................Lansdale WLBR............. 1270-AM..................................... Lebanon WMRF............ 95.7-FM.................................... Lewistown WMGW...........1490-AM....................................Meadville WJST.............. 1280-AM.....................New Castle/Sharon WVNJ............. 1160-AM.......................... New York Metro WNTP............. 990-AM..................................Philadelphia KQV............... 1410-AM................................... Pittsburgh WAVT..............101.9-FM.................................... Pottsville WPPA............. 1360-AM.....................................Pottsville WRAW............ 1340-AM...................................... Reading WBZU.............910-AM....................................... Scranton WBYB............. 103.9-FM................................. Smethport WQWK............1450-AM.............................. State College WBUS.............93.7-FM................................State College WZDD............ 101.3-FM....................Stratonville/Clarion WKOK............ 1070-AM...................................... Sunbury WLLI.............. 990-AM...................................... Somerset WTIV.............. 1230-AM..................................... Titusville WHGL.............100.3-FM............................... Troy/Canton WTRN.............1340-AM......................................... Tyrone WTRN.............100.7-FM........................................ Tyrone WNBT............. 104.5-FM...................................Wellsboro WNBQ............ 92.3-FM....................Wellsboro/Mansfield WILK.............. 980-AM................................. Wilkes-Barre WKSB.............102.7-FM.............................. Williamsport WSBA............. 910-AM.............................................. York WJST.............. 1280-AM........................Youngstown, Ohio A U G U S T 2 8 , 2 0 1 3 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 9 Hackenberg eager to begin season M A T T   H E R B | M A T T @ B L U E W H I T E O N L L I N E . C O M

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