Blue White Illustrated

in each other, never stopped believing in the program, and they found a way to win. That's a very, very important ingre- dient to have, and we have that." Overcoming 3,300 miles' worth of jet lag, the transition to a new coaching staff and the many challenges that remain from the NCAA's sanctions against the program, the Nittany Lions showed re- siliency in their first game under Franklin. Owning an advantage of 229 to 46 in total offensive yards at the half, the Nit- tany Lions could only claim a 10-3 ad- vantage. The start of the second half featured much of the same, as they forced another three-and-out while tacking on another Ficken field goal to take a 13-3 lead. Missed opportunities, including a failed fourth-down conversion near the goal line and an offensive pass interfer- ence call in the red zone, would make the game more of a nail-biter than the com- fortable cruise it appeared to be. Failing to find an offensive rhythm with redshirt freshman starting quarterback Pete DiNovo, UCF coach George O'Leary brought in Justin Holman under center. The sophomore backup delivered, con- necting for a 50-yard bomb to wideout Breshad Perriman to set up the Knights' first touchdown. Honed in on a career day, Hackenberg and redshirt sophomore wideout Geno Lewis were able to respond. With Penn State facing third-and-17 from its own 21-yard line, a double-move and pristine Hackenberg pump fake freed up Lewis for a 79-yard catch-and-run touchdown to rebuild a 10-point lead at the end of the third quarter. Aided by Lewis' 173 receiving yards and a touchdown, plus 10 combined recep- tions for Penn State's tight ends and a record-setting 11 catches and 165 yards for redshirt freshman DaeSean Hamilton, Hackenberg said he was pleased with the performance of his accompanying cast. "I think it's a testament to a lot of pieces in the puzzle," he said. "The of- fensive line, which everybody was doubting, played a very good game. The defense threw a lot of stuff at them at the end of the game and they held strong. "Everyone thought [replacing Allen Robinson] was the big question mark. We knew we had playmakers outside. You guys just haven't seen a lot of them yet." But the Nittany Lions hadn't seen the end of Holman or the Knights, either. On a first-and-5 from his own 27-yard line, Holman found wideout J.J. Worton 15 yards up the right hash, but the senior managed to cut against the grain of the defense to turn it into a 46-yard gain, with a 14-yard roughing-the-passer call tacked on top. The result was a 60-yard swing that set up another Holman touchdown pass just a few plays later, cutting the score to 20-17. The teams traded turnovers the next three possessions, but a 10-play Penn State drive capped by a 24-yard Ficken field goal gave the Lions a 23-17 lead with just 3 minutes, 30 seconds to play, setting up the game's memorable finish. With the Knights facing fourth-and-10 on their ensuing possession, Holman again found some magic, completing a 37-yard pass to a falling Josh Reese, who came down with the acrobatic grab at Penn State's 6-yard line. One play later, Holman found the end zone on his feet. The Lions were now trailing, 24-23, but with Hackenberg leading the offense back onto the field, they weren't worried. "Whenever he's out there, everyone has the utmost confidence in him," line- backer Mike Hull said. "We know that anything can happen whenever he's out there, so we feel comfortable whenever he's in any situation, especially a two- minute situation at the end of the game. We know he's going to get the job done." Facing a fourth-and-3 from his own 33- yard line, Hackenberg scrambled 8 yards to secure the first down, and then he hit running back Bill Belton out of the back- field for 13 yards to move into UCF terri- tory. Completing back-to-back balls to Geno Lewis of 9 and 18 yards, the Lions found themselves at the UCF 19-yard line with the clock running at 10 seconds de- spite the play finishing out of bounds. Timeout taken, Ficken trotted to the right hash with 3 seconds on the clock. Said the senior, "When you're presented an opportunity as a kicker, you have to seize that moment." The snap and hold were routine, but Ficken said he scraped dirt as he sent the ball toward the right post. "I didn't hit it real good," he said. "I was a little nervous it might clink. The wind pushed it back in. As soon as I saw it go in, I knew it was going to be good. "I obviously had a little fun then." SCORING SUMMARY 1ST 8:20 PSU Zwinak, Zach 1-yard run (Ficken, Sam kick) 10 plays, 80 yards, TOP 5:07...................................................................... 7-0 2ND 12:26 UCF Moffitt, Shawn 36-yard field goal 7 plays, 18 yards, TOP 2:56........................................................................ 7-3 6:20 PSU Ficken, Sam 22-yard field goal 15 plays, 72 yards, TOP 6:00.................................................................... 10-3 3RD 6:56 PSU Ficken, Sam 33-yard field goal 5 plays, 43 yards, TOP 1:56...................................................................... 13-3 2:39 UCF Holman, Justin 1-yard run (Moffitt, Shawn kick) 7 plays, 70 yards, TOP 4:11.................................................................... 13-10 :55 PSU Lewis, Eugene 79-yard pass from Hackenberg, C. (Ficken, Sam kick) 3 plays, 72 yards, TOP 1:38.................................................................... 20-10 4TH 11:31 UCF Reese, Josh 10-yard pass from Holman, Justin (Moffitt, Shawn kick) 7 plays, 78 yards, TOP 4:19.................................................................... 20-17 3:30 PSU Ficken, Sam 24-yard field goal 10 plays, 58 yards, TOP 4:44..................................................................23-17 1:13 UCF Holman, Justin 6-yard run (Moffitt, Shawn kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:17.................................................................... 24-23 :00 PSU Ficken, Sam 36-yard field goal 8 plays, 55 yards, TOP 1:08.................................................................... 26-24 A U G U S T 3 0 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O m 2

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