Penn State Football: Position Grades For The Army West Point Game
By Shane Lunnen
Oct 3, 2015; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Christian Hackenberg (14) drops back to pass against the Army Black Knights during the first quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Quarterbacks:
It’s so frustrating to watch Christian Hackenberg. At one end of the spectrum, you can see why pro scouts love him. On the Nittany Lions last scoring drive, which consisted of three completed passes, Hackenberg delivered a 49-yard long ball to Chris Godwin, followed by a 33-yard strike to Mike Gesicki which he ran into the end zone. It was a quick strike drive that should have happened more often against a weak Army defense.
Then there is the other end of the spectrum, where Hack misses open receivers or doesn’t have great pocket presence. We hear the same excuses over and over. The offensive line is bad. His receivers are not getting separation and they are dropping passes. The play calling is terrible. All of this is true. However, with Penn State’s top two running backs missing in this game, Hackenberg needed to step up in this one and he didn’t.
Through five games this year, Hackenberg is not consistent enough to win games in the Big Ten. Most games he has struggled with a few flashes of brilliance mixed in. Conference play against teams not named Rutgers will be a struggle until Hackenberg steps up to be the quarterback he needs to be.
Grade: C
Next: Running Backs