Week 14 Wrap Up

If you can’t go to a bowl game, you might as well go out in style.  Penn State came into Camp Randall Stadium as 24.5 point underdogs, against the 5^th best defense in the country, having yet to win a road game this season.  They left in an epic final bow to the Penn State audience, beating the #15 Badgers 31 – 24.  It was a shocking display of superior execution and a little bit of luck.  In the end, the Nittany Lions rode off into the sunset of the 2013 season with a winning record and all the promise in the world in front of them.

No one – myself included – saw this coming, nor could they have predicted what happened on Saturday.  No one thought the Nittany Lions could accomplish anything more than a respectable showing against a team as talented as Wisconsin.  Frankly, those same Lions didn't exactly give anyone a reason to be optimistic, given how they had played on the road, and at times even at home, all season long.  Inconsistent was probably the nicest way of describing Penn State’s play this year.  Flashes of talent and brilliance were plentiful, but so were the mind-boggling mistakes and miscues exhibited by this still very young team.  Just how young are they?  23 freshmen (on a roster of approx 61 scholarship players) boarded the plane on Friday en route to Madison; among them, Christian Hackenberg, Adam Breneman, Geno Lewis, and Brandon Bell.  Each of them made an impact in this game, which took place ironically on Wisconsin’s Senior Day.

In the end, as it so often does, heart trumped talent.  It was obvious from the opening drive that the 24 point underdogs felt wildly disrespected by the prognosticators.  They had a chip on their collective shoulder and the entire team seemed hell bent on proving the doubters wrong.  On a frigid Wisconsin afternoon, Penn State’s fire burned so passionately that all the advantages enjoyed by the home-team Badgers seemingly melted away.  In less than 2 minutes, Christian Hackenberg would begin what was to become simultaneously his greatest performance to date and his coming out party.  He launched a 68-yd pass (the longest play Wisconsin had allowed all season) to fellow freshman Adam Breneman, who broke a tackle and took it all the way to the endzone… and that was just the start.  Opposing defenses will watch the tape from this game during the offseason and likely recoil in terror at the prospect of defending against Hackenberg in coming seasons.  Worse still will be the realization that Christian will be a year older, a year wiser, and will finally have been through a full winter and spring of indoctrination into O’Brien’s pass happy, pro-style system.  And they probably won’t feel any better when they realize that even if stud receiver Allen Robinson heads to the NFL, Geno Lewis, Richy Anderson, and a 3-headed monster at tight end (James, Breneman, and Carter) are all returning next year to catch the flurry of passes that are sure to come their way.  The entire Big Ten should be afraid, very afraid, of what may lay in store for them over the next 2-3 years.

For those who were too captivated by an admittedly crazier game over on ABC between Alabama and Auburn, you missed a great one that almost equaled last year’s season finale.  Both teams went back and forth, with Penn State tying it up at 14 just before halftime.  However, the 3^rd quarter, and the start of the 4^th, were all Nittany Lions as they jumped out to a commanding 31 – 14 lead on 2 more Hackenberg TDs and a Sam Ficken FG.  The lead forced Wisconsin to prematurely abandon their prized running game and instead turn to their mediocre passing game.  QB Joel Stave threw a season-high 53 pass attempts, compared to just 30 rush attempts.  Those kind of numbers are anything but Wisconsin football.  Although Stave ended the night with an impressive 339 yds - exactly equaling Hackenberg’s total for the day - he did it on 23 more attempts than the 18 yr old freshman.  Thankfully, the Penn State secondary did something most fans have waited all season to see… they buckled up their chin straps and went to work.  Tipped passes, blocked passes, constant pressure, and 3 interceptions (2 of which lead to TDs) eventually spelled doom for Wisconsin and in spite of a desperate attempt to come back, it was all for naught.  On their last possession, O’Brien simply gave the ball to Zach Zwinak, who, after having difficulty all day, broke free late in the 4^th quarter with a 61 yd run, effectively sealing the deal.  The home crowd was stunned and sent home in near silence, wondering what in the world just happened.

Now don’t get me wrong, it wasn't a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination.  Most notably, the offensive line committed what I can only assume was a record 8 false start penalties, 4 by Donovan Smith alone.  The special teams also continued to struggle as Alex Butterworth had a punt blocked for the 2^nd week in a row and Sam Ficken missed 2 of his 3 FGs.  Normally, mistakes like that would cost a team the game, yet somehow, Penn State won anyway.  It seemed like destiny.  In the face of overwhelming sanctions, the Lions have now managed 2 winning seasons and sent 2 of the most beloved senior classes in school history out with the wins they so proudly earned and deserved.

As for my prediction, who really cares?  I got basically nothing about this game right, and I couldn't imagine being more happy to be wrong.  Christmas came early and all Penn State fans got a present on Saturday: a victory that has never tasted so sweet. 

Go State!