BRONX, N.Y. –Akeel Lynch rumbled down the right side of the field pounding through defenders, eventually running backwards as he dragged a player to towards the end zone.
Almost cruelly he was stopped a yard shy of a score, landing on his back inches from breaking the plane and giving Penn State a game tying touchdown. 35 yards when Penn State needed it the most. 35 yards to set up one of the biggest moments of the game.
For Lynch, a night like Saturday where he carried the load to the tune of 77 yards on 17 carries was the kind of thing he has been working towards for a long time. A night where he is the man of the hour, ready to be a primary back in the system and the player Penn State relies on to balance out the offense.
It may have never happened though, Lynch making his way to the top of the depth chart by way of a Zach Zwinak injury and the slowing production of Bill Belton as a running back. So while Lynch never knew when his name would be called, he prepared as if it would be the very next snap.
“You have to approach it that way,” Lynch said after the game from the depths of Yankee Stadium. “You always have to be ready to be that guy and be ready to step it up. I’m glad I did. And you always have to be ready to do that, even next year when I am the guy just by experience, I still have to practice to try and get to the next level to try and be near the top at the national level.”
Lynch wasn’t the only part of Penn State’s future success that made an impact on Saturday night. Linebacker Nyeem Wartman had an 11 tackle outing to lead the team, senior Mike Hull putting together a 6 tackle effort that was almost a moment of passing the torch. The next man up made the plays.
“I think they’ll be even better next year,” Hull said of the linebackers of the future. “I think Nyeem and Brandon (Bell) will be way better just because of game experience and I think Troy Reeder, Jason Cabinda Ben Kline, all in there competing with them will make them that much better. I think as a whole on the defense there won’t be any drop off.”
From Wartman the defense will continue to move forward with the youth movement. Marcus Allen in the secondary, Jason Cabinda at linebacker, the players Penn State will have only continue to grow and mature with experience. It’s hard to find a player that Bob Shoop doesn’t think has a bright future, it’s hard to find a player that doesn’t have his teammates smiling about how well they can play.
Not a bad state of affairs.
Flip to the other side of the ball where Christian Hackenberg has worked all season to find targets, Penn State may have finally found some answers for good as Chris Godwin, Geno Lewis and DeaSean Hamilton all pulled down 7 catches on Saturday night. Godwin’s 72 yard strike setting off an eventful evening, Hamilton and Lewis both hauling in touchdowns of their own.
“Geno has a lot of great ability,” Penn State coach James Franklin said after the game. “I’m excited because there’s a lot of room for growth in his game: route running, his quickness, explosion, those type of things. I’m excited to see where he’s going to be come spring ball with the right mentality and work ethic.”
But those players have been here are all year. The difference? Just a little big more confidence.
“I guess we just got our swagger back,” Hamilton said with a shrug.
“I think it’s fitting,” Hackenberg said. “We were able to fight through it and put on a performance like this. It was a testament to how hard these guy work.”
“I saw confidence with everyone else. When you have guys that have a ton of confidence in what they’re doing, it felt differently for us in terms of a unit. We felt extremely prepared, and were able to go out and execute.”
And for the first time in a while, Penn State’s offense did look confident. Hackenberg’s 34-50, 371 yard 4 TD performance was something that tied or broke all of Penn State’s bowl game passing records. But while Hackenberg picks up all of the headlines, it was the effort and execution by the offensive line and his targets that really let him shine. Hackenberg doesn’t shine without the effort of the other 10 players on the field with him.
Between a win, a memorable game and strong performances by the future of the program, it’s hard to think of anything else fans could have asked for on a chilly night in the Bronx.
“We have a lot of redshirt freshman and redshirt sophomores,” Lynch said smiling. “So you know, the future is really bright and that’s on our shoulders.”
Judging by how those players performed, they seem plenty capable of shouldering the load.
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