Blue White Illustrated

GAME GRADES QUARTERBACKS It took a few weeks, but Penn State fans finally got a taste of what some pro scouts see in Christian Hackenberg. His deep pass to Saeed Blacknall in the first quarter, which set up Penn State's first score, is what most fans will remember today, but what stood out to me was his ability to move around in the pocket. I think that's been one of Hackenberg's biggest weaknesses this season, but he was able to consis- tently use his feet to buy himself some time Saturday and ended up completing most of those passes. GRADE A RUNNING BACKS As expected, Saquon Barkley was excellent, but once he and Akeel Lynch left the game with injuries, Penn State really struggled to consistently move the ball on the ground. It's still unclear how long both Barkley and Lynch will be out, but if it is a prolonged period of time, there's reason to be worried. GRADE C RECEIVERS Chris Godwin, DaeSean Hamilton and Saeed Blacknall con- tinue to prove that they make up one of the best receiver corps in the Big Ten. They pulled in almost everything that was catchable against the Aztecs and were also solid at gaining yards after the catch. If Hackenberg gets an A, I have to give the receivers their due. GRADE A OFFENSIVE LINE It was a mixed bag from the offensive line Saturday. For the most part, I thought they did a good job at giving Hackenberg time to read his re- ceivers. That said, outside of a few spec- ulator runs by Barkley, the run game was basically nonexistent. GRADE C DEFENSIVE LINE Anthony Zettel and Austin Johnson held their own up the middle, but the defensive ends strug- gled to keep containment on a few plays, most notably on Rashaad Penny's 55-yard run in the second quarter, which set up SDSU's first offensive touchdown. However, the front four forced the biggest play of the game, as Carl Nassib forced Aztecs QB Maxwell Smith to fumble the ball early in the fourth quarter. Austin Johnson then re- turned it 71 yards for a touchdown. Whenever you get a big-man touch- down, you have to give them an A, right? GRADE A LINEBACKERS Zettel led the team with seven total tackles, but Troy Reeder, Brandon Bell and Jason Cabinda finish second, third and fourth on the day, totaling 14 tackles between the three. You expect the linebackers to be high on the tackle chart, but what really caught my eye today was their form. In an age in which live, full-pad practices are becoming less and less frequent, the fact that all three were consistently able bring down the offensive player on the first hit impressed me. GRADE B DEFENSIVE BACKS Jordan Lucas did- n't dress for the game, and Marcus Allen left with an injury to either his arm or shoulder. Those two are absolutely cru- cial to this secondary, but I thought their replacements did a solid job hold- ing San Diego State to fewer than 150 yards passing. GRADE B SPECIAL TEAMS Penn State's special teams showed real improvement in the first three games, but they took a step back against the Aztecs, allowing a 100-yard kick return and a blocked field goal. Julius's 40-yard field goal is what keeps this unit from getting an F. GRADE D COACHES I'm sure some will disagree with me here, but I thought the play- calling was fine. The offense could have cut back on the run game a little earlier once Barkley and Lynch went down, and the defense probably should have blitzed a little more, rather than drop- ping seven or eight players into cover- age. But at the end of the day, Penn State still gained 400 total yards on of- fense, while the defense held San Diego State to 242 total yards. GRADE B CROWD The announced attendance was 95,107, but it was probably closer to 80,000. It was a canning weekend for THON, so that's probably why the student section was less crowded than normal. Until Penn State is consistently back in the mix for Big Ten titles, this is the new normal for nonconference games like this one. GRADE C S E P T E M B E R 2 6 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 9 PSUtixman@gmail.com www.PSUtixman.com Get your PSU Football Tickets at go t ti cke t s? k c i t t t e k man@g .PSUtixm www.PSUtixman.com at ootba Get yo k c i t t o gm .PSUtixman.com all ur s t s e k R Y A N   S N Y D E R | B L U E W H I T E I L L U S T R A T E D

• Cover