The Penn State Nittany Lions (3-1, 1-0) beat the San Diego State Aztecs (1-3, 0-0) 37-21 on Saturday at Beaver Stadium in a non-conference matchup.
Major Plays: Quarterback Christian Hackenberg threw three touchdowns on the afternoon, completing 21-of-35 pass attempts for 296 yards; defensive tackle Austin Johnson recovered and returned a fumble 71 yards for a touchdown late in the second half.
Recap: Both teams scored quickly in the first half; for Penn State, Hackenberg connected with freshman standout Saquon Barkley for a 22-yard touchdown ten minutes into the first quarter. The Aztecs would answer just 12 seconds later with a 100-yard return from running back Rashaad Penny.
Joey Julius, Penn State’s freshman kicker, would use a 40-yard field goal to give the Lions a three-point edge to head into the second quarter. He bumped the lead to six points with a 24-yard field goal with 11:59 remaining in the half.
San Diego State’s Mikah Holder gave the Aztecs a one-point lead five minutes into the quarter with a 19-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Maxwell Smith, but the team then fumbled two separate times to give the Nittany Lions two touchdowns in the final 1:03 of the half.
Penn State running back Mark Allen reeled in his first receiving touchdown with a quick 13-yard from Hackenberg, capping a four-play drive. Allen’s touchdown was initially ruled as a completed pass at the two-yard line, but was established as a touchdown upon further review.
With just 17 seconds remaining in the first half, wide receiver Chris Godwin hauled in an 11-yard pass from Hackenberg to give the Lions a 27-14 lead to end the half.
The Nittany Lions outpaced the San Diego offense 297-81 yards in the first half.
The Aztecs scored the third quarter’s lone touchdown off a one-yard run from Donnel Pumphrey. The drive took 21 yards and 3:12.
Penn State came back to score 10 points in the fourth quarter to take a commanding lead to end the game. Johnson’s touchdown came on the back of Carl Nassib’s forced fumble on Smith, who caught the quarterback’s arm with his helmet as he was releasing the ball. Johnson recovered the ball and dashed up the field for his 71-yard touchdown, giving the Lions a commanding 34-21 lead.
The last time Penn State returned a fumble for a tackle was in 2012 against Navy when celebrated linebacker Mike Hull collected a 74-yard run.
Julius wrapped up the scoring with a 26-yard field goal with 9:52 remaining.
Fun Facts: This marks Hackenberg’s fifteenth game with more than 200 passing yards, pushing him into the uncontested fourth-place spot in Penn State’s record book. With this win, he also surpassed former quarterback Matt McGloin’s second place all-time ranking of passing yards.
Godwin and Hamilton each pulled in five receptions, while Saeed Blacknall collected 101 yards with four receptions.
This is the first time since 2006 that two Penn State running backs picked up touchdown receptions.
Next Time: Penn State hosts Army next week in the fourth of five consecutive home games. Kickoff is at 12:00 p.m. and will be available on ESPNU. The university will also honor the armed forces by celebrating Military Appreciation Day.
Photo Credit: GoPSUSports.com
