> >
perate
a@er absorbing a Big Ten-high 42
sacks during the regular season, Hack-
enberg looked great in the Pinstripe
Bowl, completing 34 of 50 throws for 371
yards and four touchdowns with no in-
terceptions. Not that his status as the
Lions' starting QB was ever in any jeop-
ardy.
If there are questions at this position,
they concern the backups. There have
been a few comings and goings during
the past several months that will surely
impact the depth chart. But even here,
the Lions have some clarity. With
O'Connor's transfer – he had yet to
choose a new school as of this writing –
McSorley is the clear favorite to back up
Hackenberg.
It's a small miracle that the Lions were
able to keep McSorely out of action as a
true freshman, given the punishment
that Hackenberg absorbed. But they did,
and now he's ready to see playing time.
He took ective ball carri-
er, averaging a team-best 4.6 yards per
carry.
E>ective is a relative term, of
course; the problems on Penn State's of-
fensive line kept anyone from gaining
yards on a consistent basis. But Lynch
proved himself to be both sturdier and
more slippery than anyone else in Penn
State's back redshirt years,
while Barkley and Robinson are set to
arrive this summer. The talent in=ux
gives the Lions a lot of options in the
backenbach; T:
Donovan Smith
ANALYSIS Happy endings aside, this
is still very much a work in progress.
The Nittany Lions took some tentative
steps forward late in the season, partic-
ularly in passing situations. A@er allow-
ing nearly four sacks per game through
their
