Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/617289
the program's prestige through the up- heaval of the past four years. The most important thing, he said, has been "being able to sit there and look at myself in the mirror and say, 'You know what, I think you did pretty darn good considering everything.' "I always looked at it as just kind of bridging the gap," he continued. "I wanted to make sure that we weren't going to be the dead pro- gram that wins two games a year. … I just looked at my role as making sure it didn't dip to the point where it could never come back to where it should be. And I think we've done that. Exceeding all expecta- tions, we've got three winning seasons in a row now. And that's always been my role. I'm content with that. I'm totally cool with that." As to his career beyond the bowl, Hack- enberg has consistently declined comment, preferring to fend off the NFL talk as long as possible. But he has given thought to the future, specifically his legacy at Penn State. Asked how he believes it will be viewed in 40 years, long after he's done playing football, Hackenberg said he feels a sense of pride at what he and his team- mates have been able to accomplish. "I don't really know what's going to come of it in terms of legacies for all of us. That is what it is, and that handles itself," he said. "But I know personally, I'm always going to have pride in being able to look back at it. We exceeded all the expectations. We did what everyone told me I couldn't do and told us we couldn't do." That realization has helped him come full circle. For Hackenberg, football is a game again, just as it was back when he was tossing the ball around with his dad. The past three years have been, as he ac- knowledged, "an uphill battle at times," but that's been part of the adventure, too. "I learned so many things about myself, about life," he said. "People asked, 'Why are you going there? What's the thought process behind that?' [It was] because people said I couldn't. Here I am. Being in the situation that I'm in, that is pretty cool." ■ W ondering how Austin Johnson projects as a potential NFL draftee this coming spring? Ask his mother. Tammy Johnson has set up a Google alert keyed to Austin's name so that she can monitor all the online chatter he's been generating. As a result, she may have an even better feel for his draft-worthiness than he does as he prepares for what is likely to be his fi- nal game with the Nittany Lions. "She sends me stuff and I look at it, but I just keep on going about my day," the redshirt junior defensive tackle said recently. "That's where I am right now. It's just about this team and mak- ing this year as good as it can be for the seniors." The Lions will be looking to end a three-game losing streak when they head to Jacksonville, Fla., for the TaxSlayer Bowl. The last month of the NEXT-LEVEL LION? Austin Johnson may soon bid PSU farewell | HIGH-PRESSURE SYSTEM Johnson chases down Indi- ana quarterback Danny Cameron during the Lions' victory over the Hoosiers. Photo by Bill Anderson