Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/591033
P O S T G A M E R E P O R T W E E K 8 P E N N S T A T E 3 1 , M A R Y L A N D 3 0 O c T O B E R 2 4 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M THE GAME AT A GLANCE GOOD NEWSFaced with a situation in which an opponent was daring them to make some plays downfield, the Lions were able to do ex- actly that. Chris God- win was especially impressive, making a number of contested catches to keep the offense humming. BAD NEWS Andrew Nelson suffered an injury and appeared to be in considerable pain on the sideline. Franklin was charac- teristically tight- lipped about the nature of the injury, but it looks as though the Lions' beleagured line may once again have to improvise. THE TAKEAWAY Be- coming bowl-eligible takes one concern off the table for Penn State. The Nittany Lions can now focus on enhancing their postseason position by performing well against the beatable opponents on their remaining schedule and maybe pulling off an upset or two. 1 CATCH OF THE DAY Lewis hauls in the game-winner. Photo by Steve Manuel M A T T H E R B | M A T T @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M HOLDING ON Big plays on both sides of the ball help PSU outlast Terps Maryland had never won two in a row against Penn State, even though the series between the two border rivals dates back nearly a century. Thanks to Christian Hackenberg, Chris Godwin and a Nittany Lion defense that was stout when it had to be, the Terrapins still haven't done it. Hackenberg threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns against a Maryland defense that was determined to stop freshman running back Saquon Barkley, and the Lions made a series of crucial fourth-quarter defensive stops to hold on for a wild 31-30 victory Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. "We were resilient tonight," coach James Franklin said. "There was adversity that we faced, there were highs and lows, there were big plays, and there were plays that we have to get cleaned up. … We uncharacteristically fumbled the ball, but our defense made some big plays." The victory improved Penn State's record to 6- 2 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten's East Division, and it made the Lions bowl-eligible for the sec- ond year in a row. Individually, Hackenberg notched a couple of milestones in the game, surpassing Zack Mills to be- come Penn State's career leader in passing yardage and completions. The junior quarterback hit a suc- cession of long passes, including four to Godwin for