Blue White Illustrated

S E P T E M B E R 9 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 12 T I M O W E N | O W E N . T I M . B W I @ G M A I L . c O M An offensive standout in high school, Penn State cornerback Grant Haley knows what to do and where he has to go once he has the ball. On the first drive against Pitt on Sat- urday, he found himself in that situation yet again. His immediate thought? "Score." "That's the mindset you have to have," he explained. "Playing offense in high school, I feel comfortable with the ball in my hands, feeling comfortable seeing blocks coming through. My first mindset is to score no matter what." Last year against Ohio State, Haley re- turned a blocked field goal for a touch- down in what is destined to go down as one of the greatest special teams plays in Penn State history. As a freshman in 2014, he returned his first career inter- ception 30 yards for a touchdown against Temple. Against Pitt, he almost did it again. A@er the Panthers gained 10 yards on their first three plays, quarterback Max Browne dropped back to pass for the sec- ond time in the game. Instead of com- pleting the throw to his intended receiver, however, it was Haley who stepped in front of the ball and grabbed it for his fourth career pick. "They ran a post, and a corner and me and the safety were able to switch it off," Haley recalled. "I was a little late. I slipped out of my break but the receiver just stopped right there and [the ball] kind of just fell in my lap." Once he had possession at the 50-yard line, Haley knew where he had to go. Making would-be tacklers miss, he re- turned the ball all the way to the 8 before he was brought down. Although he didn't score, his interception gave the of- fense great field position, and Trace Mc- Sorley needed only one play to take advantage of it, finding tight end Mike Gesicki for a touchdown. The early score gave the Nittany Lions a lead that they maintained throughout the rest of the game, even though Pitt's offense, which controlled the ball for al- most two-thirds of the a@ernoon, began chipping away at the PSU defense as the day wore on. "They started having some success in the second half with the shovel pass," Haley said. "We just have to work on that. We felt like we contained Quadree Henderson during the game. He wasn't able to get outside. We made everything cut up inside. That was one thing we em- phasized this week. We just go back and watch the film, learn from our mistakes. Winning minimizes problems and losing maximizes problems." CATCH OF THE DAY Grant Haley's early interception helps Penn State put the Panthers in a hole Haley returned his first-quarter pick 42 yards to set up a touch- down on Penn State's first play from scrimmage. Photo by Steve Manuel

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