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physical, aggressive group, and it showed up at times today." No one paid a heavier price for that ag- gressiveness than Christian Hackenberg. Playing perhaps the final home game of his Penn State career, the junior quarter- back showed plenty of resilience in the face of heavy pressure, bouncing back re- peatedly aBer a series of cringe-inducing hits. But except for a 25-yard touchdown pass to Saeed Blacknall late in the first half, Penn State wasn't able to get the long completions that it had gotten earlier in the season. Hackenberg finished with 13 completions on 31 attempts for 137 yards. "You've got to give Christian Hacken- berg all the credit in the world. He's taken a pounding for the past year and a half. The fact that he hasn't missed a game, or really even missed a series, is impres- sive," Franklin said. "No one is going to question [his] mental or physical tough- ness. We have got to get our protection and our run game more consistent to help him out." Indeed, Michigan's dominance at the line of scrimmage essentially put the game on Hackenberg's battered shoul- ders. Penn State (7-4, 4-3 Big Ten) sim- ply couldn't run the ball, gaining only 70 yards rushing, with more than half of those yards coming on a single first- quarter carry by Saquon Barkley. "We were not able to run the ball con- sistently today. Whether it was traditional runs, whether it was wildcat, we were getting knocked back in the backfield," Franklin said. "By the time the ball carrier got the ball, there was somebody in his face. We tried to do some different things like the jet sweep where we were one-on- one on the edge, and their guy had enough speed to keep it to a minimal gain." Michigan's Jake Rudock didn't have an astonishing game like the one he enjoyed last week vs. Indiana, but he was efficient in hitting 25 of 38 attempts for 256 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He had a num- ber of key third-down conversions that Franklin said "really hurt us defensively." The Lions got off to a blazing start, as Barkley broke free on a season-long 56- yard run on the second play from scrim- mage. But they kept on going to Barkley in the red zone and got nothing on three consecutive runs, settling for a 23-yard field goal by Tyler Davis. The Wolverines wasted no time an- swering back, as Rudock went 4 for 5 on their first possession, including a 26- yard TD pass to tight end Jake Butt. Throughout the first half, the Nittany Lions squandered good field position. They didn't convert a third down until three minutes remained in the half, and although they retook the lead when Blacknall adjusted his route to catch a pass from Hackenberg in the end zone, their edge didn't last long. Rudock led the Wolverines 70 yards in just over a minute, with Amara Darboh scoring on an 11-yard catch for a 14-10 halBime edge. The Lions were able to keep it close in the second half until DeAndre Thomp- kins fumbled a punt aBer trying to make a fair catch deep in Penn State territory. Michigan fullback Sione Houma plowed into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown and a 21-10 lead that Penn State was un- able to overcome. "We had started to get momentum, fought to get back into it, and then we had a turnover deep in our own territory," Franklin said. "It put our defense in a real bad spot." The Lions did have a couple of subse- quent chances to get themselves back in the game. Hackenberg converted a fourth-and-long pass to Chris Godwin to set up first-and-goal at the 3, but they lost 3 yards on three plays and settled for a 24-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, they again were forced to settle for three points aBer reaching the 1. The failure to come away with touchdowns proved costly when Michigan all but clinched the game with a 1-yard De'Veon Smith touchdown dive with five minutes to go. Franklin gave credit to the Wolverines aBerward, saying they "made fewer mis- takes than we did today." That was a star- tling admission, because Michigan was hardly mistake-free, committing 13 penalties for 117 yards and turning the ball over twice. But the Lions' problems, particularly Thompkins' fumble and a 55-yard kickoff return by Jourdan Lewis, were costly indeed. Penn State will try to recover next week in its regular-season finale. The Nittany Lions could scarcely have drawn a tougher assignment, as that final game is at Michigan State, which is 10-1 aBer stunning Ohio State in Columbus on Saturday. "We still have a lot of work to do," Franklin said. "We have another oppor- tunity next week against another good football team, and then a bowl opportu- nity to get better. We need every single practice, we need every single meeting. My heart hurts for these seniors. This is the last time they're going to play in Beaver Stadium and they're not leaving on a positive note." SCORING SUMMARY 1ST 11:09 PSU Davis, Tyler 23-yard field goal 6 plays, 73 yards, TOP 3:51..........................................................0-3 7:43 MICH Butt, Jake 26-yard pass from Rudock, Jake (Allen, Kenny kick) 7 plays, 89 yards, TOP 3:21.......................................................... 7-3 2ND 2:01 PSU Blacknall, S. 25-yard pass from Hackenberg, C. (Davis, T. kick) 6 plays, 43 yards, TOP 2:04.......................................................7-10 0:51 MICH Darboh, A. 11-yard pass from Rudock, J. (Allen, K. kick) 7 plays, 70 yards, TOP 1:06...................................................... 14-10 3RD 6:07 MICH Houma, Sione 1-yard run (Allen, Kenny kick) 3 plays, 9 yards, TOP 1:21..........................................................21-10 4TH 14:02 PSU Davis, Tyler 24-yard field goal 8 plays, 36 yards, TOP 2:17....................................................... 21-13 8:05 PSU Davis, Tyler 18-yard field goal 10 plays, 62 yards, TOP 4:24....................................................21-16 5:12 MICH Smith, De'Veon 1-yard run (Allen, Kenny kick) 5 plays, 40 yards, TOP 2:41..................................................... 28-16 N O V E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 2

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