Penn State vs. Northwestern Game Grades

Sep 27, 2014; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Christian Hackenberg (14) is tackled during the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. The Northwestern Wildcats won 29-6. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterbacks

It’s not easy to gauge Christian Hackenberg’s performance, due to the ineptitude of the offensive line on Saturday. Either way, it wasn’t pretty. Hackenberg consistently struggled to get into a rhythm throughout the day. This was partly because, for the most part, he was running for his life. Hackenberg was brought down for a sack four times and was forced to scramble multiple others.

The young QB completed less than 50 percent of his passes and I’m sure there’s quite a few throws he wants back. Especially leaving a likely touchdown pass, to a wide-open Bill Belton, short. Add in a pick-six and it wasn’t a memorable day for the promising QB.

Chalk up a lot of his struggles to pass protection, but with talent like his, I can’t completely give him a pass.

Grade: C-