Penn State quarterback coach Ricky Rahne has worked with Christian Hackenberg for almost 600 days.
That’s hardly a passing fancy.
The two have been through a pair of spring practices, two sets of summer drills – the current one ongoing — seven victories, six losses, 12 touchdown passes, 15 interceptions, 484 overall in-game passing attempts and games of passing yardage from 93 to 454.
Together, coach and star pupil have been together nearly three times as many days as Hack and his original Yoda, OB-Won Bill O’Brien.
As odd as it may seem, O’Brien was Hackenberg’s official coach of record for just 187 days at Penn State – June 28 through Dec. 31, 2013.
By this point, you have to figure Ricky knows Christian. Quite well.
And, as the two embark on their second season working together, Rahne’s assessment of Hackenberg means more than anyone else’s. More than head coach James Franklin. More than offensive coordinator John Donovan. More than the Mel Kiper Jrs. who have Hackenberg No. 1 in the 2016 NFL draft. And more than even O’Brien himself.
That Rahne was an Ivy League quarterback who is Cornell’s all-time leader in completions (668), passing yards (7,710) and TD passes (54), certainly enhances his credibility.
So, when getting a scouting report on Penn State’s 6-foot-4, 228-pound junior, Rahne’s voice is an important one to listen to. Loud and clear.
In the following Q&A, Rahne talks about the progress made by quarterbacks from Year 1 to Year 2 in a Franklin offense, and how he expects Hackenberg to follow suit. If history is any indication, his prognostication will be correct. In three cases over the past decade, the quarterback in a Franklin/Rahne system has improved drastically from his first year to the second.
RICKY DON’T LOSE THOSE NUMBERS
At Kansas State in 2006 under Franklin (the offensive coordinator) and Rahne (the GA for QBs), quarterback Josh Freeman completed 140 of 270 passes (51.9%) for 1,780 yards, with 6 TDs and 15 interceptions. In 2007, Freeman was 316 of 499 (63.3%) for 3,353 yards, with 18 TD passes and 11 interceptions. His QB rating jumped from 103.5 to 127.3.
At Vanderbilt in 2011, Jordan Rodgers was 108 of 216 (50%) for 1,524 yards, with 9 TDs and 10 interceptions in his first year under Rahne and Franklin – now the QB coach and head coach, respectively. The next season, Rodgers was 191 of 319 (59.9%) for 2,539 yards, with 15 TD oases and 9 picks. His QB rating jumped from 113.8 to 139.1.
And in 2013, Austyn Carta-Samuels’ quarterback stats soared at Vanderbilt, compared to his 2010 numbers as a starter at Wyoming. At Wyoming, Samuels was 154 of 252 (61.1%) for 1,702 yards, with 9 TDs and 8 interceptions. In his sole year as a Vandy starter, despite playing with a torn ACL part of the way, Samuels was 193 of 281 (68.7%), for 2,268 yards, with 11 touchdown passes and 9 interceptions. His QB rating jumped from 123.3 to 143.
Hackenberg can only hope the fourth time is a charm.
After all, from his freshman season under O’Brien in 2013 to his sophomore year under Rahne and Franklin in 2014, Hackenberg for whatever reason(s) regressed — 8 fewer TD passes, 5 more interceptions, just 22 more passing yards despite 92 more pass attempts and a free-fall in his QB rating, from 134 to 109.4.
WHAT RAHNE THINKS:
With that as a backdrop, here’s where Rahne stands on Hackenberg, the Penn State quarterbacks and the Nittany Lion passing attack based on our conversation 10 days ago at the start of Penn State’s summer drills:
Ignoring the hype about Hackenberg being a No. 1 NFL Draft pick in 2016:
“To be honest with you, it’s not that hard. Our personalities and the way we are, we’re just looking to get better. I’m looking to be a better coach and he’s looking to be a better player. Based on that, it’s pretty easy to focus on the task at hand. We both know the team’s going to make a lot of improvement this year.
“I barely have time to see my children. To think that I’m going to be reading positive or negative stories on how people perceive our football team is pretty far out there. I’m going to worry about how I think we’re doing, what I think we need to do to get better and what areas where we’ve made improvement and go from there. That’s what I’m interested in.”
Where Hackenberg can get better:
“The one thing that’s been consistent with all the guys I’ve coached – Josh Freeman, Rodgers or Austyn Carta-Samuels — is that they’ve been really competitive. And I think Hack’s right up there with them, if not at the top of the list. He’s a really competitive guy.
“I think the other thing that’s really going to show is that every single one of those guys in their second year of our system made drastic improvements. I’m excited to see what Hack can do once he’s really comfortable with the system. I think you’re going to see quicker decisions, more accurate decisions, better footwork. I’m excited to see where that leads us.”
How that competitiveness manifests itself with Hackenberg:
“Sometimes it’s misconstrued. You can be competitive. Guess what? Football’s a passionate game. And if you don’t play it with passion, you shouldn’t be playing. We talked about that last night (the night before summer practice started). He’s a passionate person. He’s going to show his emotions. And that’s completely fine.
“What has to happen is being able to move on to the next play, being able to move to the next series, being able to move on to the next game in a positive frame of mind so that when you go out there you know you can execute whatever the coaches ask or are calling.
“Last night in the quarterback room I gave my expectations and one of them is playing with passion. You have to play that way at the quarterback position. You don’t have to be Tom Brady running around and head-butting everybody. But if you’re a guy who no one believes that you actually care about the outcome of the game, that’s not going to work out very well.
“Quarterback is a natural leadership position, so the way you approach practice, the way you approach a game, the way you approach a meeting is going to filter down to a lot of other people.”
Rahne’s style as a quarterback at Cornell:
“I played with passion. I played very similarly to the way I coach. I try to stay even keel, but my natural instinct is to be a little red-blooded. It comes out. That’s kind of how I played. All my best friends were the offensive and defensive linemen.”
The state of Penn State’s passing game:
“We have to get better on overall execution. It really comes down to just pitching and catching. The things I like about it? I think these guys have shown an unbelievable understanding from the end of last season until now. They’ll come to me and say, ‘Coach, over the summer we were running this because we think this fits here.’ I’ll look at it and say, ‘Yeah.’ That means they are understanding the concept and therefore able to come up with that idea.
“I’m excited about the passing game, I’m excited about where Hack is. I’m excited where Trace (McSorley), Tommy (Stephens), Billy (Fessler) – all of them – are. And I’m really exited about our receivers and how many more we have to throw out there, so we don’t have only three guys running every route. We have a bunch of guys who can go out and make some plays.”
Will Trace McSorley see time as the No. 2 quarterback in 2015:
“Trace is an excellent player, he’s a very accurate passer, he’s got feet, a good feel for the game, great leadership ability. I’m excited about him and, quite frankly, all the quarterbacks here. I love being in the room with them every day. I can have fun with them all, but they can also take hard coaching. They’re all intelligent. I’ve got a great job.
“If the situation dictates playing Trace, we’re going to feel confident. If Tommy Stephens comes in and wins the second job, we’re to going to feel good about it, too.”
