Blue White Illustrated

PLAYER OF THE GAME Nittany Lion senior place-kicker Sam Ficken hit a 45- yard field goal to send the Pinstripe Bowl into overtime, then converted the winning PAT in overtime. Christian Hackenberg, named the game MVP after throwing for 371 yards, deserves a nod here, but we'll get to him momentarily. PLAY OF THE GAME There were more critical plays than can be mentioned here, but Hackenberg's throw to tight end Kyle Carter to tie the score in over- time was the highlight. Hackenberg also threw a bullet to DaeSean Hamilton to even the score at 21-21 and set up the game's nail-biting conclusion. BEST PASS Hackenberg hung in the pocket for a second and simply picked a spot to hit. That spot was the BC 40-yard line, where Chris Godwin was waiting. The freshman wideout shook off Manuel Asprilla's last-ditch tackle attempt for a 72-yard touchdown. The pass was perfect, the catch was exceptional, and that combi- nation gave Penn State an early 7-0 lead. BEST RUN With Penn State in desper- ate need of points midway through the fourth quarter, running back Akeel Lynch broke four tackles en route to a 35-yard near-touchdown. WORST RUN With the Lions facing third-and-1, Lynch was called on to pick up a first down out of the wildcat, but he hesitated and was brought down for no gain. BEST CATCH On third-and-3 at the BC 7-yard line, Hackenberg threw to Geno Lewis in the end zone. His pass was tipped by Eagles defensive back Justin Simmons, but Lewis maintained his concentration and hauled in the critical touchdown reception to cap the third quarter. WORST DROP Lewis got both hands on a deep pass down the sideline during the Nittany Lions' first possession. It would have been a difficult catch, but he had every opportunity to make it and simply could not. The same thing hap- pened to Hamilton on the Lions' next possession. BEST SACK Tyler Mur- phy faked the handoff to Jon Hilliman, and Jordan Lucas almost bit, but instead stayed with the senior quarterback and pulled him down for a 6-yard loss to back the Eagles up to their own end zone midway through the fourth quarter. BEST HIT Boston College defensive tackle Truman Gutapfel absolutely un- loaded on a spinning Hamilton at the 49-yard line late in the first quarter, forcing a fumble. Hamilton quickly gathered in the ball, but the hit was a wicked one. BEST EFFORT Murphy eluded Brad Bars' attempted sack, then aired out a pass downfield that was on the money for a big pickup. It was all for naught, though, as the gain was negated by an ineligible-receiver-downfield penalty. BEST KICK Ficken's onside kick was one of the more clever plays the Nittany Lions attempted this season. That it missed by a hair was a tough break for Penn State, but it was nearly executed to perfection. BEST RETURN On an ugly punt from Danny Pasquariello late in the first half, Boston College's Sherman Alston scampered 24 yards to the Eagles' 49- yard line (with help from an apparent block in the back that went unnoticed by the officials). BEST DECISION Murphy's juke on Lucas during his 40-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter wasn't the obvious move, but he made the Nittany Lion cornerback look silly nonetheless. WORST DECISION Even though Mur- phy overthrew Josh Bordner on fourth- and-4, that the officials missed a wicked clip thrown on C.J. Olaniyan was inexcusable. The infraction was blatant. Later in the game, Adrian Amos saw Hilliman scamper toward the side- line and, although his hit was a split- second decision, it was late and cost the Nittany Lions an extra 15 yards on a personal foul penalty. MOST TELLING MOMENT After Ficken sent home his winning PAT, he immedi- ately sprinted to the opposite end zone at Yankee Stadium to avoid an all-out blitz from his teammates. Also, Penn State left guard Miles Dieffenbach was carted off the field early in the second quarter, a tough ending for a player who had undergone a grueling ordeal just to put himself in position to return to ac- tion this season. – NATE BAUER JUDGMENT CALLS The best and the rest from the Lions' victory over Boston College 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 4 BEST RUN Lynch sheds tackles en route to a 35- yard gain in the fourth quarter. Photo by Steve Manuel

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