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B L U E - W H I T E G A M E before, Hackenberg's mindset isn't an im- provement so much as a crucial return to form. On the football :eld, in the Lasch Build- ing players' lounge and everywhere in be- tween, Hack is smiling again this spring. He has displayed on- and o<-the-:eld maturity throughout his two years at Penn State. He's taken on the pressure and re- sponsibilities that go with the position, but he has remained a humble, grounded, fun-loving guy. It hasn't been easy. Last fall, a succession of 300-pound defensive linemen treated his ribs, ankles and noggin like indestruc- tible toys. Penn State's opponents racked up 277 yards in losses on 44 sacks, and totaled 98 tackles for loss – astonishing numbers that go a long way toward ex- plaining the team's mediocre 7-6 :nish. Under those circumstances, staying cool, calm and collected was a near-impossible task. "It was tough mentally on me," Hack- enberg admitted. "You look at those ex- periences and some will say that kid has no reason but to say that it was a terrible experience. But for me, I loved it." To those closest to Hackenberg, his per- severance was never in doubt. But for the :rst time since arriving at Penn State, the weight of expectations – both external and internal – manifested themselves in his demeanor. Without the bene:t of a recruiting process and with only a few months to acclimate to the program's overhaul, Hackenberg and his new coach, James Franklin, had no choice but to de- velop their relationship as the season went on. The circumstances were far from ideal, but looking back, Hackenberg sees some bene:ts to the trail by :re. "I think that's the beauty of last year," he said. "Through everything that hap- pened, my relationship continued to build with those guys. You're out there playing. You're bleeding, you're sweating, you're getting hit. You're having awesome plays, you're having terrible plays. It only ac- celerates the process of being able to trust and learn from each other and get to know each other on a personal level. "Coach Franklin has been a guy who I've relied on a lot, along with Coach [John] Donovan and Coach [Ricky] Rahne. I think we've grown from it, and I think it's been really positive." Hackenberg said the relationships have grown to the point where both sides now understand each other better. In fact, he said, the sta< has been receptive to his input on a variety of topics, and a budding level of trust has formed through it all. Franklin's response to the :nal question at his news conference previewing spring practice demonstrated as much. Asked about Hackenberg's supporting cast, the Nittany Lions' second-year coach decided he needed to forcefully correct the nar- rative. "Last year, Christian spent most of his time solving problems, running from prob- lems, taking a lot of criticism, which I'm really, really defensive about," Franklin said. "To be honest with you, looking back at it, [I'm] a little angry that he faced some of the criticism he did. I don't know if it was fair, just or realistic. "I think in the long run, the adversity that he went through physically and emo- tionally in getting through those things is really going to help him. He earned a lot of people's respect inside our program INDOOR FIREWORKS Hackenberg takes part in one of Penn State's first practice sessions this spring. The junior quar- terback has been focused on developing a rapport with his youthful offen- sive line and receiver corps. Photo by Tim Owen

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