EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – When the third quarter in MetLife Stadium ended on Saturday, Penn State’s players and coaches gathered into a large huddle. All of them.
Penn State was beating Syracuse, 13-10. But the Nittany Lions were not only fighting off a better-than-expected Orange squad, they were also battling a litany of challenges in its season-opener:
There was a near-tsunami of injuries, a cramp-inducing on-field heat index of 110, a very questionable call on a fumble by wide receiver Allen Robinson and a brand-new freshman quarterback. (Not to mention a first-half with A-Rob sidelined by Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien for disciplinary reasons).
The Nittany Lions led by three points, but it felt even closer.
They had plenty of good — or bad, depending on how you look at it — reasons to feel that way:
Tight end Matt Lehman left the game with a knee injury that is likely season-ending. Linebacker Mike Hull left the game with a knee injury, came back and then watched a good bit of the second half in street clothes. Tight end Kyle Carter missed time with a left elbow injury. Back-up quarterback Tyler Ferguson lost a fumble on the third play of his Penn State career — and his last play of the game. Jordan Lucas, who was a force in his first start at corner, was off and on the field in the second half with cramps.
True freshman quarterback Christian Hackenberg was faring fairly well in his first collegiate start — 19 completions, 199 yards, a 51-yard TD pass to Robinson and a pick — but the Nittany Lion offense could only manage a solitary first down. (The trend continued, too; PSU was 1 of 16 on third downs.)
Hence, the huddle. And there was a lot to talk about. The team huddle was established last season by head coach Bill O’Brien, and different firebrands gave the pep talks, from strength training savant Craig Fitzgerald to a variety of seniors. Saturday, senior linebacker Glenn Carson, Penn State’s game captain along with guard John Urschel, took over. Carson, who has started more games than any other Nittany Lion, was playing in his home state, with plenty of friends and family sweltering in the stadium. He knew about the Lions’ bad start to the 2012 season, when they came from ahead to lose their first two games, against Ohio and Virginia.
That wasn’t going to happen again.
“You have to ask yourself,” shouted No. 40 to his teammates, “who you are as a person. We have to finish this.”
They did. The Nittany Lions responded with a series of big plays – and overcame a disastrous interception by Hackenberg – to beat the Orangemen 23-17 before 61,202 fans in MetLife Stadium.
Over the final 15 minutes:
— Just 44 seconds into the fourth quarter, Sam Ficken made a 46-yard field goal, his third of the game (the others were 35 and 36 yards, and his 13th consecutive field goal dating back to the 2012 Ohio State game.
— Defensive tackle D’Quan Jones sacked Orange quarterback Drew Allen for nine yards. Later in the quarter, the linebacker/safety blitzed unencumbered from the right side and dropped Allen for an eight-yard loss.
— Punt returner Jesse Della Valle returned a SU punt for 31 yards, which set up…
— … Hackenberg’s second touchdown pass of the day (his first was a 51-yarder to A-Rob), a 54-yard toss to Eugene Lewis.
— The breakup of a key third-and-7 Syracuse pass play by Carson and fellow linebacker Ben Kline.
The big quarter was almost ruined by an interception thrown by Hackenberg on a third-and-11 from his own 30 with seven minutes to go in the game. It was picked off by Syracuse’s Robert Welsh, who returned Hackenberg’s errant toss 31 yards to the one-yard line. Syracuse’s Jerome Smith carried it into the end zone to pull Syracuse within 23-17. “Hindsight being 20/20,” O’Brien said, “I put him in a bad position.”
— The game-ending interception by cornerback Trevor Williams, making his first career start, with just 1:53 left in the game.
Penn State held on, for the first win of the season and the first of Hackenberg’s career.
Hackenberg was just the third true freshman to start the season-opener for Penn State in 127 seasons (the others: Shorty Miller, 1910, and Rob Bolden, 2010). He had a big stat day. He completed 22 of 31 passes (71%) for 278 yards, with two touchdown passes, two interceptions and two sacks. He was just two yards shy of PSU’s record for single passing yards by a freshman quarterback (held by Zack Mills, twice in 2001).
“He’s a poised kid, with a fantastic demeanor,:” O’Brien said of Hackenberg. “He’s a talented guy, but has a ways to go. He made some good throws.”
O’Brien said that he made Hackenberg the starter two weeks ago, and had informed the team of his decision. He was rankled that some media reports said he was indecisive for not announcing that Hackenberg was the No. 1 quarterback over Ferguson. “One thing about me, I make bad decisions,” said O’Brien, who is 9-2 over his last 11 games, “but I make decisions.”
As it was, the players themselves decided to heed Carson’s huddle admonitions, and took the game into their own sweaty hands. And in that way, the Nittany Lions picked up where they left off last November, when they finished the historic 2012 season with a victory over Wisconsin and an 8-4 record.
In the words of O’Brien, seconds after the 2012 season ended, the 2013 Nittany Lions showed in MetLife on Saturday that they are still a bunch of … fighters.
FINAL STATISTICS
RUSHING – Penn State: Zwinak, 24-61; Belton, 6-19; Keiser, 1-5; Ferguson, 1 (-9); Hackenberg, 3 (-12). Syracuse: Smith, 16-73; Gulley, 12-27.
PASSING – Penn State: Hackenberg, 22-31-278, 2 TD, 2 INT; Ferguson, 1-1-18. Syracuse – Allen, 16-37-189, 2 INT.
RECEIVING – Penn State — Robinson, 7-133, 1 TD; Felder, 6-40; Lewis, 2-62; Zanelleto, 2-21; Lehman, 2-17; James 2-10. Syracuse – Broyld, 4-46; West, 3-22.
TACKLES — Penn State — D. Jones, 9; Willis, 8; Obeng-Agyapong, 8; Carson, 6. Syracuse — Lynch, 10; Pruill, 6; Wilks, 6; Welsh, 6. INTERCEPTIONS — Penn State — Obeng-Agyapong 1, Williasm, 1. Syracuse — Wilkes, 1; Welsh, 1.
SCORING
Second Quarter: Syracuse – Krautman 32 FG, 12:32; Syracuse 3, Penn State 0; Penn State – Ficken 36 FG, 5:59; Penn State 3, Syracuse; Penn State – Ficken 35 FG, :55; Penn State 6, Syracuse 3
Third Quarter: Penn State – Robinson 51 pass from Hackenberg (Ficken kick), 11:46; Penn State 13, Syracuse 3; Syracuse – Smith 10 run (Krautman kick), 11:05; Penn State 13, Syracuse 10
Fourth Quarter: Penn State – Ficken 46 FG, 14:16; Penn State 16, Syracuse 10; Penn State – Lewis 54 pass from Hackenberg (Ficken kick), 11:39; Penn State 23, Syracuse 10; Syracuse – Smith 1 run (Krautman kick), 6:58; Penn State 23, Syracuse 17
