Week 1 Grades

It's time for the first grades of the season!  Penn State traveled all the way to the Emerald Isle and came home with a victory and a really sweet trophy.  For the most part things went well, but there were the normal first game mistakes.  I've taken that into consideration, so let's get to the grades.

Offense
QB: (B+) Christian Hackenberg set the all-time record for passing yards in a single game, previously held by Kerry Collins, and became the first QB in Nittany Lion history to break 400 yds in a single game.  So why the B+?  The truth is, when you attempt 47 passes you're going to have a lot of passing yards.  However, far too often Hackenberg looked like he was thinking too hard, had a slow release, forced too many throws into tiny holes, and generally looked jet lagged.  You're allowed a few bad throws but he threw too many for an elite QB and needed his receivers to bail him out too many times.  With all of that said, the 8 yd run on 4th down with the game on the line demonstrated great athleticism and was super clutch.  As scary as it sounds, Hack will have better games, and I'll save the A+ for then.

OL: (D) Everyone knew going into this game that the offensive line was going to be the biggest issue.  I will give the big boys up front credit for keeping Hackenberg's jersey clean and performing much better in pass protection than I anticipated.  However, I also give a lot of that credit to Hack for his improved scrambling.  Additionally, the running backs had absolutely nowhere to run and the line got no push all morning long.  This was especially noticeable on the goal line where even the human wrecking ball Zach Zwinak had trouble getting through.  Still, the UCF defensive line was one of the best the that "Lions of Scrimmage" will face this season and considering the circumstances, they did admirably.  I think it's safe to say this line will be more serviceable than originally thought.

RB: (C) I was right that Zwinak would get the bulk of the carries, although technically Belton got the start.  I was also right that no one back would reach 100 yds, but I didn't think the alliteration twins would only rush for a combined 60 yds on 22 carries.  Much of the poor statistics can be attributed to poor offensive line play and a strong UCF defensive front, but at some point those just become excuses.  I expect a HUGE performance against Akron next week that proves this outing was the exception, not the rule.

WR: (A) This would have been an A+ except for Daesean Hamilton's drop on a would be TD, and the offensive pass interference by Chris Godwin... but that's just being picky.  454 yds between 7 targets, two 160+ yd receivers?  I loved Allen Robinson, but more of this please!  Oh, and all but one of these guys is a freshmen; that's just scary.  It's about to get really exciting at this position for years to come.  Time to watch the fireworks!

TE: (A) I've called Jesse James a freak of nature in the past and it's true.  At 6' 7" 254 lbs and seemingly unlimited strength he is a complete matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.  Sure enough, he had 7 catches for 60 yds, all despite the minor injury he suffered in the 2nd quarter.  Supa 6 member Kyle Carter added 2 crucial grabs for 21 yds.  Even freshman Mike Gesicki had a 9 yd catch.  It was also good to see the help these big bodies provided in blocking.  That will be important moving forward as the offensive line continues to gel.

Defense
DL: (A+) Coming into the season, there was a lot of focus on DEs Deion Barnes and C.J. Olaniyan, and for good reason.  On Saturday they had a combined 6 tackles, 2 for a loss, and 1 sack, although not nearly as many as the 3 sacks I predicted for Barnes.  But very few people were talking about DE turned DT Anthony Zettel.  Well I have a feeling they're going to be talking about him a lot more after this game.  He had 6 tackles by himself, 3 for a loss, a sack, a pass breakup, and he even recovered a fumble!  Zettel and company were outstanding and are the clear strength of this defense.

LB: (B+) The linebacking unit was solid throughout the game, but not spectacular.  Mike Hull lead the team with 11 tackles, and Nyeem Wartman added another 6.  Wartman seemed a lot more comfortable, so maybe the game is slowing down for him.  Brandon Bell was the only other linebacker to record a tackle.  That speaks more to the depth of this group than it does the talent.  Maybe we'll see freshmen Jason Cabinda and Troy Reeder in the coming weeks.

DB: (C) The secondary isn't really measured by tackles because if your last line of defense is making a lot of tackles you have serious issues up front.  As such it was good to see low tackle numbers out of this group, especially compared to the Syracuse game which kicked off last season.  Jordan Lucas was solid with 3 pass breakups.  In the future, QBs would be smart to avoid his side of the field from the looks of things.  Adrian Amos, now back at his natural safety spot, added a tackle and a breakup to his stat sheet.  The question for this unit is, who will take over the 2nd CB spot opposite Lucas?  Da'Quan Davis and Trevor Williams both looked overmatched for much of the game.  Will they step up, or will a freshmen like Grant Haley step in to save the day?  Keep an eye on that moving forward.

Special Teams
K: (A+++) Sam Ficken gave us the complete opposite of his performance at Virginia two years ago.  He hit all of his extra points and all 4 of his field goals, including the game winner!  Check yesterday's wrap up to see the heartwarming picture of James Franklin celebrating the victory with Ficken.  Congrats Mr Automatic!  The kick return game may have also found a very nice option in freshmen CB Grant Haley who had 4 returns for 118 yds, including a wonderful 44 yarder.

P: (A) Chris Gulla got the nod as the starting punter, replacing Alex Butterworth.  He only punted once for a respectable 41 yds.  Jesse Della Valle and Jordan Lucas each returned a punt, but neither did anything special.  Basically the jury is still out on this group.

Bonus
Your bonus grade goes to the skydivers who parachuted into Croke Park Stadium during pregame.  The Penn State skydiver gets an A+!  Unfortunately, the Central Florida skydiver gets an F for missing the stadium altogether.  OnwardState has you covered with both videos.

Alright, I'm done grading for the day.  Check back tomorrow for the weekly awards, don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!