Week 13 Grades

There’s only one game left in the season.  I can’t believe it flew by so quickly.  We've had the privilege of watching some of the younger Nittany Lions like Christian Hackenberg and Adam Breneman make an immediate impact and grow as the season went on.  Unfortunately, we’re also charged with the task of saying goodbye to an incredible group of seniors who lead Penn State during its darkest hour.  Although they were unable to get a victory that they more than deserved against Nebraska on Senior Day, they fought hard to the very end and showed the determination that has come to characterize this entire season.  I think I speak for all Penn Staters when I say thank you and you will all be missed!  With that said, it’s time for this week’s grades!

Offense

QB: (B+) Hackenberg surpassed my expectations throwing for an impressive 16/33 for 217 yds and 2 TDs.  He also ran for a third TD on a QB sweep for the second week in a row, showing off his surprising running skills.  However, he continues to make mental errors that lead to interceptions, and once again this week he threw a pass to the wrong color jersey.  So far this season he has 16 TDs to 10 INTs.  Not bad for a true freshman, but if he keeps that up next year I’m going to want to see what Tyler Ferguson can do.

OL: (A) Hackenberg routinely had all day to throw and as you’ll see in a second, Zach Zwinak had yet another great day running the ball.  They got a decent push when they needed it and were definitely not the reason for the loss.  A number of starting linemen are seniors, so it was good to see them perform well in their last home game.

RB: (A-) It wasn't exactly their fault, but despite Zwinak’s very impressive 149 yds on 35 carries, he never made it to the endzone.  This was especially disappointing considering it was Zwinak’s Senior Day and at times he was asked to drive the entire length of the field just to watch Hackenberg throw it in the red zone.  Not cool playcalling O’Brien!  Oh, Belton was suffering from strep throat all week and didn't even suit up for the game.  He should be back for this week's game against Wisonconsin though.

WR: (B+) Robinson gets an A here as he collected 106 yds on 8 catches, but, like Zwinak, he was held scoreless.  That makes 4 games in a row that Robinson hasn't scored a TD and I personally think it’s a big reason why he didn't make the finalist list for the Belitnikoff Award.  As for the other receivers, they continue to be absent.  Geno Lewis and Brandon Felder each caught 1 pass, and that’s it.  Hopefully with Robinson most likely headed to the NFL, the other receivers will step it up in the off season.

TE: (A+) Um, more of this please!  Everyone got involved in this game as 2/3 of the TE corps scored a TD and together they caught 6 passes for 83 yds.  This is what I was expecting out of O’Brien and his talented TE group.  But here’s the best part, all 3 of the starters are coming back next year!  Let’s hope we see more games like this!

Defense

DL: (A) Not a lot of stats, although Da’Quan Jones recorded 7 tackles and C.J. Olaniyan added 5 of his own including a sack.  Still, this group consistently brought pressure and held the run game in check for the most part.  Ameer Abdullah’s 147 yds may seem like a lot, but for one of the best running backs in the game, that’s actually a fairly good day for the D-line.

LB: (A) I really hoped that Mike Hull would get an interception on Senior Day.  Alas, he did not, but at least the linebackers played well as a whole.  Carson and Hull were the teams leading tacklers combining for 19 in the game.  It was also nice to see Brandon Bell and Nyeem Wartman step up as they’ll be needed next year to fill in the gaps left by the seniors.

DB: (B-) They weren't terrible as Malcolm Willis and Jordan Lucas were the number 3 and 4 tacklers combing for 17 against the Huskers.  On the other hand, most of Nebraska’s big plays seemed to come through the air and at times the secondary looked a little lost.  I’m holding out hope that this will be the most improved part of the defense come next season.

Special Teams

K: (F) Sorry Ficken, you know we all love you, but that was unacceptable.  In arguably his 2^nd worst game ever Ficken missed an extra point that would have changed the entire course of the game and eventually missed a FG in overtime that allowed Nebraska to win.  He topped it off by allowing a kickoff return for a touchdown for the 2^nd week in a row.  Not good.

P: (C) Alex Butterworth had plenty of chances to show off on his Senior Day as Penn State punted 10 times.  One of those was essentially blocked, which is why he gets a C, but otherwise not much really stood out.  He did OK.

That about wraps up Senior Day 2013.  Again, it wasn't what we wanted, but at least the fans were treated to one heck of a game.  Check back tomorrow for your pre-Thanksgiving Awards, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus for all the latest Penn State football news and notes, and as always, go State!