VOLUME 78 ISSUE 13 Penn State vs. University of Georgia January 4, 2016 The Letter Follow us on Twitter and Check out the new Football Letter Blog PSU 0 3 0 14 ­ 17 UGA 3 14 7 0 ­ 24 CONTENTS The Letter Notes from the Cuff Other Sports News of Note Game Photos Statistics Bowl games provide a year­end reward for college football teams, an additional 15 practices for the coaches to tweak their systems and evaluate the players and a preview for the fans of what they might expect for the next season. PAST ISSUES For the Nittany Lions, their 24–17 loss to View past issues Georgia in the TaxSlayer Bowl in FAN ZONE Jacksonville Saturday Football Schedule not only closed their Team Roster second consecutive 7–6 GoPSUSports.com season but also ended the Hackenberg Era at Penn State. And the fans in Radio/TV Listings Everbank Stadium, as well as those watching on television, got a preview Big Ten Football TV of what Nittany Lion football may look like in the post­Hackenberg era. Schedule Big Ten Standings Junior quarterback Christian Hackenberg—a pro­style drop back thrower Big Ten Schedule and who has started all 38 games in his three­year career at Penn State and Results owns almost every passing record in its book—left the game after injuring Penn Staters in the Pros his throwing arm in the middle of the second quarter, when the Lions For advertising info, contact: were trailing Georgia, 3–0, in the 71st classic that used to be called the Angelo Scialfa 609­259­1910 Gator Bowl. [email protected] After the game, as expected, he—along with defensive tackle Austin Johnson, who has started every game for the last two seasons—said they would forego their final year of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft. Redshirt freshman Trace McSorley, a read­option runner and passer, replaced Hackenberg at QB and guided the offense through the next two­and­a­half quarters. Hack, who has thrown more completions for more yardage and touchdowns than any previous Penn Stater, had moved the Lions into position for their first score of the afternoon. And two plays after his departure, Tyler Davis kicked a 34­yard field goal to match the 44­yarder booted by Georgia’s Marshall Morgan in the first quarter. For the next 14 minutes of game time McSorley got his first real taste of action, struggling through four offensive possessions, while the Lions failed to get a first down. During that stretch, the young signal­caller rushed twice for four and two yards and completed two short passes for a total of four yards. He also threw three incompletions. Suddenly, midway through the third quarter, McSorley completed a 19­ yard pass to wide receiver Chris Godwin on a third­and­8 situation, and Penn State had its first first­down in five possessions. Four plays later, however, the rookie QB barely got the ball away under a perfectly timed Bulldog blitz. The pass fell incomplete, and the ball was turned over on downs. Through the second and third quarters, defensive lapses allowed Georgia to score three touchdowns on two long passes and a 21­yard run to take a 24–3 lead. Just when the skies were the darkest for Penn State fans late in the third quarter, McSorley fired another strike to Godwin on a deep crossing pattern 21 yards downfield, then rushed for six more to the GA­44. The offensive line opened one of its few holes of the day to spring Barkley for the longest run of the game—29 yards. But a couple of muffed plays and a penalty left the Lions facing a fourth­and­12 from the GA­17, as the fourth quarter started. McSorley looked left then turned and threw to Geno Lewis in the right corner of the end zone. The junior wide receiver leaped high for the catch and deftly dragged his feet just inside the out­of­bounds line for the Lions’ first touchdown. Austin Johnson sacked the Georgia quarterback for a nine­yard loss on the ensuing series, and the Bulldogs went three­and­out. McSorley immediately hit DaeSean Hamilton with an 18­yard pass down the left sideline. But the drive quickly fizzled, and State had to punt the ball back to the Bulldogs. Penn State’s defense forced another three­and­out by the red team, and the Lions had the ball back with 9:18 remaining. Barkley broke loose for a 20­yard run. Three plays later McSorley faced a fourth­and­8 at the GA­38, and he rifled a 16­yard pass to Lewis down the middle. Two plays later McSorley aimed a laser 20 yards down the middle at Hamilton, who flew into the end zone to grab it and held on during a rough landing on the turf to record State’s second TD in the final frame. With their lead cut to seven points, the Bulldogs growled their way downfield, trying to run out the clock. They got three first downs rushing before having to punt, and Penn State got the ball back on its own 25 with just 1:52 left. As the clock ran down, the Lions faced a fourth­and­1 at the PS­34, and McSorley completed an eight­yard pass to Hamilton. On a fourth­and­5 with only a precious few seconds remaining, the mobile quarterback ran 14 yards for another first down. But after two incompletions, the clock expired on the Lions’ attempted comeback in its 46th bowl game. Penn State’s post­season record slipped to 28–16–2 and its record against Georgia to 1–1. The Bulldogs moved ahead of the Lions’ into third place nationally with their 29th bowl win. The only other time these two teams met was in the national championship game in the 1983 Sugar Bowl. In that contest, Ashley Walker helped Penn State’s defense stymie Georgia’s Heisman Trophy winning tailback Herschel Walker, while All­Americans Curt Warner and Todd Blackledge led the Lion offense in a 27–23 win for Penn State’s first national championship. The game’s most spectacular play was made by Gregg Garrity, father of the Lions’ current redshirt freshman punt returner. Gregg Sr., a wide receiver, made a diving touchdown catch that was immortalized on a Sports Illustrated cover. Coach James Franklin said his team can’t start slow the way it did and beat an opponent the caliber of Georgia, which finished the season with a 10–3 record. Defensively, he said, “We made big plays later in the game … but weren’t able to get going early.” Offensively, he said, the Lions weren’t able to run the ball consistently and make plays when they needed to. He said McSorley took a while to get going, but once a couple of guys made plays for him, it built his confidence and he was able to go from there. “I noticed the shift in him once we started making some plays, scored some touchdowns. He came to the sideline fiery and had some emotion … At the quarterback position, you need that leadership as well,” he said. Franklin praised Hackenberg’s participation along the sideline in the second half with a headset on getting messages from Coach Ricky Rahne in the press box and communicating with McSorley, supporting and encouraging him. Hackenberg, Penn State’s only quarterback to post three 2,000­yard passing seasons, said, “It’s been an awesome ride, tough with the way it ended, but I bleed blue and white … You’re going to see me around a lot.” The 6–4, 233­pound 20­year old who set school passing records with 1,235 attempts, 693 completions, 8,457 yards, 48 touchdowns, nine 300­yard passing games, 21 200­yard passing games, and most yards in one game (454) thanked his teammates, coaches and fans for making Penn State such a special place. Coach James Franklin said, “For all his accomplishments on the field, he also will be remembered for his leadership off the field during a trying time in program history.” Franklin said, “Christian has the tools to excel at the next level, and the future is bright for this young man.” Austin Johnson also thanked coaches from Larry Johnson and Joe Paterno to Bill O’Brien to James Franklin and Sean Spencer for helping him succeed and the Nittany Nation for its support. “I will carry my pride as a Nittany Lion with me always,” he said. Franklin said, “Austin has been an impact player on this team and leader for us on defense … We’re excited to see him continue his career in the NFL and wish him nothing but success.” Johnson’s 78 tackles this fall are third among all defensive tackles in the FBS and the most by a Nittany Lion defensive lineman since Jimmy Kennedy had 87 in 2002. Johnson also had 6.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. He finished his career with 154 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 24 TFLs, five pass breakups and four fumble recoveries, including one for a 71­yard touchdown return. Chris Godwin led all receivers in the game with six catches for 133 yards to raise his season total to 1,101 and join Allen Robinson and Bobby Engram in the exclusive 1,000­yard club. Saquon Barkley led the team with 69 yards on 17 carries, and McSorley was second with seven for 31. McSorley completed 14 of 27 passes for 142 yards and his first two TDs.