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SAM'S CLUB Ficken comes up big for Nittany Lions in opener T I M   O W E N | O W E N . T I m . B W I @ G m A I L . c O m DUBLIN – Close friends describe Sam Ficken as a normally confident person. But while Penn State's winning field goal was sailing 36 yards through the air, Ficken felt a moment of uncertainty. "I kind of chopped it," he said, adding that his foot swiped the ground before making contact with the ball. "I was a lit- tle nervous it might clink." At first it appeared as if the football was heading directly for the right upright, but at the last second – literally, the game clock was expiring – a gust of wind swept through Croke Park and slightly nudged the football just inches inside the pole. Call it the luck of the Irish. "The wind pushed it back in," Ficken said. "As soon as I saw that, I knew it was going to be good." And it was. With Penn State trailing by one and only three seconds remaining in the game, Ficken's field goal – his fourth of the day – liBed Penn State to a thrilling 26-24 victory over UCF in the Croke Park Classic. Instead of jumping up and down and celebrating the kick with his teammates, however, Ficken took off on a sprint in the opposite direction. He would later joke that he ran faster than most athletes at the NFL Scouting Combine. "There were 310-pound linemen run- ning at me," he laughed. "I didn't want to get dog-piled, so I decided running was the best option." They eventually caught up. The coaches, too, and what followed was nearly a 20-minute postgame celebration on the Croke Park pitch. Confetti and streamers fell from the rooBop, and fire- works exploded in the background. Ficken called it a "kicker's paradise." "It's like a huge dream," he said. "I'm just happy they put me in a position to do that and come through for the team." A senior, Ficken has had similar oppor- tunities throughout his Penn State ca- reer, some of which he's converted (against Wisconsin in 2012), some of which he hasn't (at Virginia that same season). He described his experiences as "trials and tribulations," adding that they have paid off and give him the poise that he kicks with now. Angelo Mangiro, a best friend of Ficken's since they lived on the same floor in Mifflin Hall as true freshmen, has seen it firsthand. Throughout the spring and summer, Ficken was one of the most consistent performers at practice, and he hit close to 95 percent of his live attempts during camp. Mangiro took notice. "The way he worked during the spring and into the summer, it was just phe- nomenal," Mangiro said. "So I'm not surprised by the success that he had today." Although Ficken's career has seen its peaks and valleys, Mangiro said he has seen his buddy handle both adversity and success with class, adding that "he just has a great outlook on life." And Mangiro said he believes that Ficken's final season will end on a high note. "I don't know the mind of the kicker, to be honest with you," Mangiro said. "But I can tell you that he's playing with a lot of confidence and he's kicking the ball really well." G A M E G R A D E S QUARTERBACKSChristian Hackenberg threw for more yards in one game (454) than any quarterback in Penn State his- tory and picked up some critical yards on the ground, including an 8-yard scramble on fourth down during the winning drive. But he also threw two in- terceptions. GRADEB RUNNING BACKSOther than 12- and 9- yard runs on consecutive carries by Zach Zwinak at the beginning of the second half, the running backs were held mostly in check. GRADEC RECEIVERSSix receivers/tight ends caught at least one pass, with Geno Lewis and Dae- Sean Hamilton leading the way. While Hamilton tallied the most receptions (11), Lewis tallied the most yards (173). GRADEA OFFENSIVE LINEFor as much scrutiny as this unit was under throughout the spring and preseason, the offensive line was formidable, especially in pass pro- tection. But the run game needs to im- prove if Penn State is to open things up for Hackenberg. GRADEB DEFENSIVE LINEPenn State limited UCF's rushing offense to a net total of 24 yards. It also totaled two sacks, one of which came from Anthony Zettel. GRADEA LINEBACKERSMike Hull was all over the field and made a few significant stops at the goal line. He finished with a team- high 11 tackles. GRADEB+ DEFENSIVE BACKSPSU's secondary was lights-out early. But once UCF replaced Pete DiNovo with Justin Holman, the DBs showed signs of inconsistency. GRADEB- SPECIAL TEAMSGive it up for Sam Ficken. Not only was he 4 for 4 on field goals, including the 36-yard winner, he also made a violent hit while covering a kickoff in the third quarter. GRADEA- COACHES For their Penn State debut, the coaches' game plan was solid. There might have been a few questionable for- mations on offense – Zwinak in the wildcat? – but the Lions moved the ball when they needed to. And Bob Shoop had his defense ready to go. GRADEB+ CROWDWith an announced attendance of 53,304 – for a game more than 3,000 miles away from both universities – the crowd on either side of the pitch couldn't have been much louder. GRADEA Steve Manuel 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 6 STRAIGHT TALK Ficken Went 4 for 4 against against UCF.

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