Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/408409
N O V E M B E R 1 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 10 N A T E B A U E R | N B A U E R @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Christian Hackenberg hobbled into Beaver Stadium's solemn media room, baseball cap pulled down low over his forehead. His Nittany Lions, 20-19 losers in an ugly defensive struggle against visiting Maryland, once again came up short of- fensively. They managed only 16 first downs, 42 yards rushing (a=er deducting 55 yards on sacks and tackles for loss), and only 177 yards through the air. Somehow, things had gotten worse. By the time Hackenberg fumbled Wendy Laurent's fourth-and-1 snap with only seconds le=, ending any hope of another late-game miracle, the pit of offensive inefficiency into which they had stumbled seemed to reach its lowest depth. This time, they were buried. Said Hackenberg, "You really can't explain it. It hurts. You want to dig everything out." More and more, that likelihood seems to be dwindling. Facing intense pressure all a=ernoon, Hackenberg was sacked five times by Maryland's defense and even a=er get- ting many throws out of his hand, wound up with his backside hitting the turf any- way. What originally seemed like an isolated problem – the Nittany Lions' young, in- experienced, banged-up offensive line – has metastasized into something more ominous. The team's performance is get- ting worse. The running game is nonex- istent, and the passing game has slumped, with the receivers dropping balls and Hackenberg making mistakes as he tries to conjure something out of nothing. The running game is Penn State's most acute problem. Even against a Maryland unit that ranked 118th in the country in rushing defense, the NIttany Lions could net just 65 yards on 29 carries. Earning the bulk of the carries Saturday, redshirt sophomore Akeel Lynch finished with just 2.4 yards per carry, only a shade bet- ter than senior Bill Belton's 1.8. The Lions fared little better when they passed. Completing just 18 of 42 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown, Hackenberg found his 6-of-7 start thwarted by a Maryland interception on an incorrectly run route. Summing up his passing game on the a=ernoon, head coach James Franklin said, "We threw an interception the second drive because we had a mis- communication between the receiver and the quarterback. Then we had some dropped balls a=er that. We also got pressured, which he's been getting all season long." As a result, the Nittany Lions were le= to rely on four Sam Ficken field goals, scoring just one touchdown, punting eight times, and giving up four turnovers. Wanting nothing more than to figure out the necessary improvements to win, then make them, wideout Geno Lewis said the group was determined to over- come its losing spell. "That's what really makes it frustrat- ing, because if you go back through the game, you realize if you just would have made that one more play that could have been made, that could have been the de- cision of the game," he said. "Losing is one thing that I hate. I can't stand losing. I don't like accepting losing and I don't like being comfortable with losing, and I know that's how my team feels, too. "We've got to find a way as a team to get out of this hole that we're in, and we're going to find a way." I think that the biggest problem with the play-calling has been understanding the down and distance. They could get first downs left and right if they wanted, but they waste so many plays trying to get "chunk" plays. Unnecessary, and that lost them this game. It is embarrassing. That was painful, and it's a shame that the de- fense gets screwed over continually with the opponent starting already in PSU territory. The offense in 2003-04 wasn't even this bad. This is a whole new level of suck. psbc19 Unbelievable that eight games into the season this offense could be so bad. There are plenty of teams in college football that do not have any more talent on offense than PSU, including on the offensive line, yet they are more productive than the Lions. In my opinion, this offensive coaching staff has done a poor job all year using what they have to work with. With JF so married to these offensive coaches and their philosophy, I think it raises serious concerns about how suc- cessful this program can be under JF. Texas Nit Let's see if I feel differently tomorrow, but Ham mentioned several times the bad decisions by Hack, and honestly, a fumble at the end, a fumble on the drive that gave us the 19-17 lead? The fumble at the end of the first half after the turnover? Sorry, guys, I don't agree about the coaches, I see players who didn't get it done once again, including Hack. Mickey_PSU FROM THE WEB ONLINE REACTION TO PSU'S LATEST GAME POINT BLANK Offensive players struggle to find answers after another defeat