Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/388513
PLAYER OF THE GAMEMaking his first career start, redshirt freshman line- backer Anthony Walker finished with a team-high eight tackles, broke up a pass and had a 49-yard interception re- turn that changed the game around. Honorable mention: quarterback Trevor Siemian, who completed 21 of 37 passes for 258 yards (150 in the first quarter) and scored three rushing touchdowns. PLAY OF THE GAMELooking for Dae- Sean Hamilton, Christian Hackenberg threw it right to Walker, and the line- backer returned the interception 49 yards for a crucial touchdown early in the fourth quarter. BEST PASSSiemian zipped a beautiful 28-yard pass to tight end Mike McHugh on third-and-8 to set up the first touchdown of the game. WORST PASSSee "Play of the Game." Also, Hackenberg short-hopped a pass to a wide-open Bill Belton in the red zone early in the second half. The Lions had to settle for a field goal, and the two players exchanged heated words on the sideline after the offense came off the field. BEST CATCH Jesse James made a miraculous one-handed catch at the end of the first half, lunging for the ball then bringing it into his body. Honor- able mention: Hamilton outdueled two Northwestern defensive backs for a deep pass in the second quarter. The 51- yard completion got Penn State's of- fense unstuck, albeit only briefly, after a dismal first quarter. WORST DROPNormally sure-handed Geno Lewis bobbled what would have been a first-down catch in the first quarter. BEST RUNWarren Long ran over Von Walker en route to a 21-yard gain in the fourth quarter. BEST SACKDeion Barnes muscled his way past running back Treyvon Green and chased down Siemian for a 13-yard loss in the third quarter. BEST HITXavier Washington bull- rushed Hackenberg, bursting through the middle of the line and forcing a fumble that all but ended Penn State's comeback hopes late in the game. BEST TACKLEMike Hull drilled holder Christian Salem on a fake field goal at- tempt in the first quarter. Can't fault Pat Fitzgerald for trying to put Penn State away early, but the call didn't work, and Salem paid a stiff price. Hull finished with 16 tackles. BEST KICKSam Ficken had a 42-yard field goal. WORST KICKSThe Wildcats missed two extra points. BEST RETURNJesse Della Valle slashed through Northwestern's punt-coverage unit for a 41-yarder in the third quarter. BEST DECISION Fitzgerald trusted Siemian after a couple of tough outings (and a leg injury) in previous weeks, and the senior quarterback showed that the coach's faith was justified. His per- formance in the first quarter was just about flawless. WORST DECISION Northwestern came after Chris Gulla late in the first half, looking for a block but drawing a roughing penalty. The Wildcats would likely have gotten good field position with enough time to put a drive to- gether, but instead Penn State got the ball back and drove for a field goal. MOST TELLING MOMENTOn another tough day for Penn State's offensive line, Bill Belton found no running room and lost two yards on fourth-and-1 midway through the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lion linemen were literally blocking each other on the play, as Bel- ton was pulled down in the backfield. The team finished with 50 yards rush- ing on 25 carries. – MATT HERB JUDGMENT CALLS The best and the rest from PSU's Big Ten opener vs. Northwestern S E P T E M B E R 2 7 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 4 BEST CATCH Hamilton caught six passes for 100 yards, in- cluding a 51- yarder over two Northwestern defensive backs in the second quarter. Bill Anderson