Penn State Football: Hackenberg Shoulder Issue To Be Assessed In Coming Days

As if Penn State’s 63-14 loss to Ohio State on Saturday night wasn’t enough for fans and coaches to swallow, Nittany Lion head coach Bill O’Brien may now have to deal with a banged up star quarterback.

“The play where (Ohio State) got called for offsides, and one of their guys came in and slammed him on the ground, slammed him on his shoulder,” O’Brien said of the first half incident. “So we’ll have to get that checked out. He tried to go, he’s a tough kid, but he just didn’t feel good about throwing. And I thought it was in the best interest of the team to go with Tyler Ferguson.”

O’Brien made the switch in the third quarter with about 8:25 to go in the frame. Ferguson went 7-for-11 for 125 yards and a touchdown, but the game was already well in hand at that juncture.

“I don’t think it was a dirty play or anything,” O’Brien said of the hit. “I think it was crowd noise and maybe the kid didn’t hear the whistle.”

Hackenberg could be seen for much of the second half wearingn a ice wrap on his shoulder. The wrap was eventually removed and Hackenberg never left the field for further treatment.

It’s unclear whether the injury is in fact severe or if Hackenberg simply received a knock that will heal quickly over the next few days. However considering that Hackenberg played a substantial amount of time following the incident, it seems to bode well for his immediate future.