Blue White Illustrated

PLAYER OF THE GAME There weren't a lot of sterling, meaningful perform- ances on either side Saturday after- noon, but Penn State running back Saquon Barkley's effort easily fit both categories for the Nittany Lions. His 33-yard gallop and 17-yard hurdle early in the fourth quarter set up the Lions' deciding touchdown. He came back with a 9-yard touchdown carry on the next possession, earning him our player-of-the-game nod in his first game in Beaver Stadium. PLAY OF THE GAMEChristian Hack- enberg's 5-yard touchdown pass to DaeSean Hamilton might not have been a highlight-reel play, but the score pro- vided a desperately needed cushion for the Nittany Lions. The 20-7 lead with 12:04 left in the game would be enough to earn Penn State a win on an other- wise ugly day all around. BEST PASSOn a wet, miserable after- noon, Hackenberg's best pass was a perfectly timed throw to Mike Gesicki down the sideline. The sophomore tight end struggled with catches all day, though, and his inability to bring in the ball amounted to one of a handful of missed opportunities for the Nittany Lions on Saturday. Hackenberg would finally be rewarded midway through the fourth quarter on a beautiful ball to Chris Godwin, who paid off the play by making a spectacular catch. BEST RUNPenn State wideout Bran- don Polk finally got the Nittany Lions on the scoreboard midway through the second quarter, bursting left on a hand- off and around a series of blockers for a 22-yard touchdown. Barkley's big 33- yard carry up the middle to start the fourth quarter might have been equally important. But if I have to pick, his hur- dle over Bulls safety Ryan Williamson for a 17-yard gain on the next play has to be the best of the bunch. OK, his touchdown carry to put the Lions ahead 27-7 was pretty good, too. BEST CATCHCarl Nassib's second- quarter interception won't register as a catch, but the Nittany Lion defensive end made a fantastic play on a ball that Austin Johnson tipped at the line of scrimmage, picking it out of the air and rumbling 10 yards into the red zone. WORST DROPJust when the Nittany Lions needed it most, Gesicki had a beautifully placed ball from Hacken- berg in his hands running down the sideline, likely for a big gain or even a touchdown, only to have it ricochet to the ground for an incompletion. Gesicki was offered a chance to atone later in the same possession, finding himself wide open for an easy touchdown on a rollout from Hackenberg, but once again, the ball slipped out of his hands. BEST SACKCarl Nassib had to work for it, but by the time the senior defen- sive end made his way around the right tackle, Bulls QB Joe Licata was toast. BEST HITOn third-and-2 at Buffalo's 34-yard line early in the first quarter, Akeel Lynch got absolutely drilled by Bulls linebacker Brandon Berry for a 4- yard loss. The Nittany Lions were un- able to convert on fourth down. Austin Johnson's stick on Licata in the second quarter was equally rough. BEST EFFORTWhen left tackle Andrew Nelson went down with an unspecified injury at the end of the first half, the group had already been shuffled after a terrible performance a week ago, and re- ally, there was very little push offensively in the first half. Still, this group deserves a lot of credit for its performance Satur- day, regardless of the opponent, in com- ing back to produce a huge day rushing and maybe more important, zero sacks surrendered to the Bulls. Did they set the world on fire? Probably not, but an easy pick for best effort on Saturday. BEST KICKJoey Julius knocked through his first Beaver Stadium field goal late in the first half, a 22-yard chip shot to put the Nittany Lions ahead 10- 0. He tacked on another chipper late in the third quarter to make the lead 13-7. WORST KICKBuffalo kicker Adam Mitcheson's 47-yard attempt in the first quarter wasn't just well short of the goalposts; it barely climbed over the line of scrimmage. BEST RETURNNick Scott started the game for PSU with a bang, bringing the opening kickoff back 58 yards by weav- ing through traffic and eventually up the right sideline before being pushed out of bounds. DeAndre Thompkins' 58-yard punt return in the second quar- ter earns honorable mention. BEST DECISIONOn fourth-and-4 at the Penn State 25, Buffalo opted to go misdirection shovel pass from Licata to Marcus McGill. The conversion went 9 yards and set up the Bulls' 14-yard touchdown completion just two plays later, cutting the Nittany Lions' lead to 10-7 late in the third quarter. MOST TELLING MOMENTHolding down the left tackle spot in the line's shakeup this week, Nelson writhed in pain 10 yards behind the play as the first half expired. Team trainers looked at his left leg, but if Nelson's frustration – ap- parent to the entire stadium – was any indication, the Lions are going to be without their best player on the weakest unit on the team. As if matters could get any worse, the injury prompted a 10- second runoff to end the half and elimi- nate a scoring chance. – NATE BAUER JUDGMENT CALLS The best and the rest from the Nittany Lions' victory over Buffalo S e P T e M b e R 1 2 , 2 0 1 5 b l u e w h i T e o n l i n e . c o M 4 WORST DROP Gesicki bobbles a pass on the sideline in the second half of Penn State's victory. Photo by Steve Manuel

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