Click here to view the mobile version VOLUME 76 ISSUE 1 Penn State vs. Syracuse September 3, 2013 The Letter The second year of the Bill O’Brien era of Penn State football debuted Follow us on on a hot and steamy day in the Twitter and newest of the eight current NFL Check out the stadiums in which the Nittany Lions new Football have performed and was televised Letter Blog by ABC and ESPN2. Their 23–17 win over old rival Syracuse in the PSU 0 6 7 10 23 gleaming MetLife Stadium raised to SYR 0 3 7 7 17 11–3 State’s record in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in northeast New Jersey. CONTENTS Syracuse was the home team, but it was a predominate Penn State crowd with two-thirds of the 61,202 in attendance dressed in blue and white and T he Letter cheering the Lions to victory in their 127th season opener. N otes from the C uff N ews of N ote Even the Blue Band made the trip to play for the crowd after 10 hot days O ther Sports of tryouts and rehearsals for their first appearance of 2013. Those who were selected to proudly wear the distinctive uniforms got to perform the Game P hotos first traditional Floating Lions drill of the season. Statis tic s Graduate students John Urschel and Glenn Carson, among eight on the roster who have completed their degrees before exhausting their eligibility, PAST ISSUES were Penn State’s captains for the game. Dave Robinson, a 1962 All- American, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier in View past issues August, was the Honorary Captain. State’s cumulative record in openers is now 105–20–2, although 12 of those wins are not recognized by the NCAA. The Lions’ previous 10 wins at the Meadowlands came in Giants Stadium, the NFL venue that was torn down and replaced in 2010 by the even more FAN ZONE luxurious MetLife facility, which will host the Super Bowl next February. Football Sc hedule T eam Ros ter GoP SU Sports .c om Radio/T V Lis tings Big T en Football T V Sc hedule Big T en Standings Big T en Sc hedule and Res ults P enn Staters in the Saturday’s game was also the debut of P ros heralded Penn State freshman quarterback Christian Hackenberg, who passed for the Lions’ only two touchdowns on long throws that accounted for 105 of his 278 yards on 22 completions in 31 attempts. The first went to junior Allen Robinson, last year’s Big Ten Receiver of the Year, for a 51-yard score in the third quarter. The second went to flashy freshman Eugene Lewis for a 54- yard TD in the fourth frame. After gaining only 69 yards on 11 completions in 15 attempts in the first half, Hackenberg amassed 209 yards on 11 completions in 16 attempts in the final 30 minutes. Unfortunately, the baby-faced 18-year-old also made some freshman mistakes, such as the two interceptions he threw—the second of which allowed the Orange to cut Penn State’s lead from 13 points to 6 with less than seven minutes remaining in the game. However, the Penn State defense bailed him out by shutting down Syracuse on its final two possessions and ending the game with cornerback Trevor Williams’ interception at the Lions’ 28-yard line. Hackenberg, who had been rated a five-star recruit as one of the top high school QBs in the nation last year, beat out Tyler Ferguson, a stellar junior college transfer from California for the starting job during four weeks of pre-season practice in August. Their battle was a prime collegiate football story among the sports media, since Ferguson enrolled in Penn State last January to get a semester’s head start on the freshman, who did not arrive on campus until late June. Coach O’Brien kept telling the pestering media that the competition between the two was too close to call right up until the eve of the game. But in his post-game press conference, he revealed that he made his decision two weeks ago and informed the team but felt no obligation to inform the media and tip off their opponent, who was doing the same regarding the two competitors to succeed Syracuse’s record-setting QB Ryan Nassib, who graduated after last season. O’Brien praised Hackenberg’s performance saying, “He’s a very poised kid. He’s got a fantastic demeanor.” The coach cited his calm confidence, his football acumen and his work ethic, studying the playbook and striving to become better each day. “He’s got a tremendous future … and he’s a fun guy to coach,” O’Brien concluded. The Lion headmaster said the older guys on the team respect the new kid on the block and trust his leadership on the field. In contrast to a long-standing practice in Happy Valley, the youngster with only one week of classes under his belt, was brought out to face a packed room of reporters and cameras. “We dove right in and I made a few mistakes,” he told the scribes, adding that it’s great to know that he has the confidence of the team and the staff. “The coaching staff has helped me get through this. The team has helped me get through this,” he said. “I’m just really trying to immerse myself in the team and what the coaches are preaching every day.” The neophyte signal-caller got plenty of help from his offensive line and wide receivers, as Robinson hauled in seven passes for 133 yards and a touchdown, Lewis two for 62 yards and the other TD, Brandon Moseby- Felder six for 40, Matt Zanellato two for 21, and Alex Kenney one for eight. Tight ends Matt Lehman and Jesse James were 2/17 and 2/10, respectively. Tailback Zach Zwinak caught Hack’s first pass for five yards on the game’s first play from scrimmage. On the other side of the line, senior tackle DaQuan Jones led with a career-high nine tackles—including a sack and three for losses. Senior safeties Malcolm Willis and Stephen Obeng-Agyapong had eight stops each and Glenn Carson had six for a Penn State defense that stuffed the Orange running attack for just 1.9-yards per carry on 37 attempts. It also allowed QB Drew Allen, a senior transfer from Oklahoma, to complete only 43 percent of his 37 throws for 189 yards and no touchdowns. Obeng-Agyapong actually did most of his playing at outside linebacker, after starter Mike Hull was hurt in the first quarter. Smiling like a Cheshire cat while waiting to visit with 10 family members and friends after the game, the young man who grew up in the Bronx, just 15 miles from MetLife Stadium, said he played the best game of his life. He forced a fumble and recovered it to stop a Syracuse drive in the second quarter and made his first career interception in the third to set up State’s third field goal. New defensive coordinator John Butler had his troops playing an aggressive style of defense, under the tutelage of new secondary coach Anthony Midget. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson rotated Jones, Kyle Baublitz, Austin Johnson, Deion Barnes, C.J. Olaniyan, Anthony Zettel and Carl Nassib to keep players fresh on a turf that registered a 105-degree heat index. Linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden saw his thin corps get even thinner when Hull went down with a knee injury and watched the second half from the sideline in street clothes. Sophomore Ben Kline, who nursed a shoulder injury during the pre-season, got a lot of play along with starters Glenn Carson and redshirt freshman Nyeem Wartman. The offense suffered a blow when senior tight end Matt Lehman, who already had two catches for 17 yards in the first quarter, was carted off the field after suffering a serious knee injury early in the second. All-Big Ten tight end Kyle Carter played most of the game with a banged up elbow and had no catches. Junior placekicker Sam Ficken, who got off to such a difficult start last year, connecting on only one of five field goal attempts in Penn State’s 17-16 loss at Virginia, actually provided the margin of victory against Syracuse by booting all three attempts through the uprights Saturday. Thus, he matched his total in the final game of last season against Wisconsin, including the game-winner in overtime, and extended his string of consecutive three-pointers to 13. Ficken also booted four of his six kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. Syracuse got two touchdowns on the ground and their kicker was successful on just one of two field goal tries. State had two passing touchdowns, and Slender Sam converted all three field goal attempts of 35, 36 and a career-high 46 yards. Robinson, who set a Penn State record for receptions last year while leading the Big Ten in catches, receiving yardage and touchdowns, sat out the first half in MetLife Saturday for what Coach O’Brien said was an issue between he and ARob. But the minute he entered the game on Penn State’s first possession of the second half, he took control of the contest. On the Lions’ first play from scrimmage, Hackenberg tossed a screen pass to Robinson, and he cut behind blockers for a 25-yard gain.