Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/439247
D E C E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 11 That's right...If you're a parent of a current PSU student or a member of the Penn State Alumni Association, this offer is for you! Come stay with our Lion Country Lodging family and receive a 15% discount on your stay each time you visit. It's simple to get started. Go to lioncountrylodging.com, click the "Parent" or "Alumni" icon on the home page and register. 15% discount at any of our hotels listed below. ID for Alumni: PSU Alumni Association Card. ID for Parents: We will send you an ID card to use. Penn State Fans ...Get 15% Off your hotel stay! lioncountrylodging.com CARLISLE, PA CARLISLE, PA CARLISLE, PA QUARTERBACKS This was Christian Hack- enberg's best game in quite a while. Sure, there were a few underthrown passes here and there, but he looked better than he did at any point in November. The only things keeping him from an A are those fumbled snaps. GRADE B+ RUNNING BACKS Akeel Lynch was a much bigger factor in this game than Bill Bel- ton, and deservedly so. While the line didn't open up a lot of holes, Lynch ran hard, didn't turn the ball over and had arguably the best rush of his career at one of the most important moments in the game. GRADE B RECEIVERS There were at least four dropped passes in the first half, two of which could have been major plays. The receivers played better in the second half, but they also had multiple opportu- nities to make DBs miss and didn't. Give credit to Chris Godwin, though. He showed big-time potential. GRADE C+ OFFENSIVE LINE Losing Miles Dieffenbach at the beginning of the second quarter definitely hurt. But even if he had stayed in the game, it's likely we would have seen a similar result. The offensive line is what it is. There's potential here, but it's very clear that things need to improve if Penn State is going to right this ship in the coming years. GRADE C- DEFENSIVE LINE Anthony Zettel was fero- cious at times, but there's no denying that Penn State's front four got pushed around a bit. Containing the edge was a problem. GRADE B- LINEBACKERS They didn't have their best day, but they were facing a really good rushing team. The outside linebackers over-pursued at times, but it wasn't as if Boston College was breaking off one long run after another. GRADE C+ DEFENSIVE BACKS These guys weren't tested often, but they still gave up some big plays. What's more, the run support was unimpressive. GRADE C- SPECIAL TEAMS Great work by Sam Ficken when it mattered most. His growth may have been the most positive aspect of PSU's season. His onside kick wasn't successful, but you have to like the ag- gression. The Lions weren't playing for a national title, so why not roll the dice? Punting remains an issue. GRADE B+ COACHES Bob Shoop's defensive game plan was solid. He probably could have been more aggressive with blitzes at times, but for the most part, his players were in position to make plays. Things could have unraveled after two second- half touchdowns by Boston College, but they didn't, and I think the coaches – offensive and defensive – deserve a lot of credit for that. John Donovan put Hackenberg in position to succeed, so give credit where credit is due. GRADE B+ CROWD The 49,012 fans in attendance constituted the second-largest football crowd in Yankee Stadium history, and that was mainly because of Penn State. The weather was beautiful, but the tickets were sold long before anyone knew game day temperatures would be approaching 50 degrees. GRADE A+ G A M E G R A D E S