Blue White Illustrated

PLAYER OF THE GAME Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg had been sitting in the garage for four games, but given the keys for a Home- coming tilt with Indiana, the junior was able to shine. He took four sacks, an- other dozen or so hits, and kept getting up to lead the Nittany Lions to a 29-7 win against the Hoosiers. He completed 21 of 39 passes for 262 yards to go along with his 21 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. PLAY OF THE GAMEPenn State hit sev- eral big plays on offense in the first half, but the Hoosiers seemed to lose any shot at a comeback when quarterback Zander Diamont got hurt. Rolling right, Diamont was driven into the turf by Garrett Sickels and left with a shoulder injury and possible concussion. Third- stringer Danny Cameron was forced to finish the game. BEST PASS With Brandon Polk in mo- tion, Hackenberg found the speedy wideout streaking down the sideline. Hackenberg hit Polk in stride for the game's first touchdown, a 39-yarder. Or maybe it was his perfect second-quar- ter ball into the outstretched arms of DaeSean Hamilton, his 39th career touchdown to tie Kerry Collins. BEST RUNDiamont pulled off the play fake perfectly, turning a first-and-10 opportunity at the 12-yard line into an untouched trot into the end zone. BEST CATCHWith Indiana marching toward the end zone in the first quarter, Diamont's first-down pass to Isaac Griffith was significantly behind the in- tended target. Griffith made the play anyway, stretching to set up the Hoosiers' only touchdown. WORST DROPPenn State tight end Mike Gesicki continues to struggle as a receiver. On first-and-10 at the Nittany Lions' 36-yard line, Hackenberg pumped twice and found a wide-open Gesicki past the linebacker on a seam route, only to see the ball fall to the turf at midfield. BEST SACK Sickels could be seen coming from a mile away early in the second quarter. But Diamont had his back turned away from the Lions' streaking defensive end and was slammed from behind for a 4-yard loss. BEST HITOn second-and-9 for the Hoosiers late in the third quarter, Penn State defensive end Carl Nassib's swim move produced a direct, unobstructed line to Cameron. The pass was com- plete, but Cameron isn't likely to forget Nassib's trucking anytime soon. BEST EFFORT Apparently, collecting sacks and tackles for loss like baseball cards isn't enough for Nassib. Among the country's leaders in forced fumbles, the former walk-on added another pair to his tally against Indiana Saturday af- ternoon. BEST KICKComing off the Hoosiers' first touchdown of the afternoon, kicker Griffin Oakes patted a perfect- speed onside kick into the heart of Penn State's unsuspecting kick return crew. Will Dawkins recovered, giving Indiana back-to-back possessions. BEST RETURNDeAndre Thompkins' second-quarter punt return only pro- duced 9 yards, but it sure got a rise out of the fans at Beaver Stadium. Receiving the kick at the 11-yard line, Thompkins burst forward, backtracked to his own 7, then finally wiggled upfield to the Lions' 20-yard line. BEST DECISIONPenn State's perform- ance against the Hoosiers validated the decision to play ultra-conservative football in previous weeks. The offen- sive line got better, Hackenberg stayed healthy, Indiana had no film to evaluate, and the Nittany Lions ended their five- game homestand with a 5-0 mark. MOST TELLING MOMENTPenn State tight end Kyle Carter looked like he was complaining. In a lighthearted moment following Christian Hackenberg's naked rollout for a touchdown, cameras caught the TE asking for the surefire touchdown, cracking a smile while pat- ting his QB in the ribs. – NATE BAUER JUDGMENT CALLS The best and the rest from the Lions' victory over Indiana O c T O B E R 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O m 4 PLAYER OF THE GAME Hackenberg enjoyed one of his best games of the season, throwing for 262 yards and two touchdowns and running for two addi- tional scores against the Hoosiers. Photo by Bill Anderson

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