A strong offensive outing from Christian Hackenberg lifted the Penn State Nittany Lions (5-1, 2-0 Big Ten) over the Indiana Hoosiers (4-2, 0-1 Big Ten) on Saturday. The final score was 29-7 on a beautiful afternoon in Happy Valley.
Major Plays: Both teams picked up a touchdown in the first quarter, but Hackenberg was responsible for all four of the Nittany Lions’ touchdowns during the game.
The Penn State defensive line lived up to its high expectations and held off the Indiana offense, limiting the Hoosiers to just seven points for the game. The Nittany Lions offense finally settled into a rhythm and were able to spur the offensive production that head coach James Franklin has been promising for weeks.
Recap: Penn State running back Nick Scott took off on a 34-yard run less than a minute in the game, giving the Lions a short burst of momentum, but Hackenberg was sacked on the next play, effectively ending the scoring opportunity.
Indiana did not start senior Nate Sudfeld at quarterback, but rather went with sophomore Zander Diamont. Diamont also started against the Lions last year while Sudfeld was injured.
The teams traded a few ineffective drives, but a hands to the face penalty by Indiana gave Penn State the first down it needed. Hackenberg connected with wide receiver Brandon Polk in a 39-yard touchdown to give the Lions the lead with 7:35 left in the first.
Indiana answered on the next drive. Pushing his team 65 yards in eight plays, Diamont put himself in position to rush 12 yards for a touchdown, tying the game for the remainder of the quarter.
Hackenberg hit wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton with a deep 39-yard pass in the second quarter, but Joey Julius couldn’t convert the extra point attempt, leaving the score 13-7.
Three sacks on Diamont in the first half left the young quarterback shaken. Unable to fight past the Lions’ defense, Indiana struggled to gain any ground moving up the field.
With his sack on Diamont, Penn State defensive end Carl Nassib has recorded at least one sack in each game so far this season.
Penn State ended the first half with 310 yards of total offense; Indiana had only 183.
Hackenberg, in a show of athleticism, picked up a rushing touchdown in the third quarter, but Julius missed the extra point again to cement the score at 19-7 until the fourth.
Hackenberg scored his second rushing touchdown of the afternoon with a five-yard run that ended in a Superman-like dive into the endzone. Backup kicker Tyler Davis made good on the extra point attempt.
Hackenberg traded spots with backup quarterback Trace McSorley, who oversaw the end of the game, which included Davis’ first career field goal from the 30-yard line. The Lions finalized the score at 29-7 with 5:33 remaining.
Penn State finished the game with 420 total yards of offense, its best performance of the season.
Next Week: The Nittany Lions will travel to Columbus to take on the top-ranked Buckeyes under the lights. Kickoff is at 8:00 p.m. on ABC.
Photo Credit: GoPSUSports.com
