Penn State vs. Indiana Position Grades

Oct 10, 2015; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Christian Hackenberg (14) signals during the first quarter against the Indiana Hoosiers at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Line:

This wasn’t a great outing for the much maligned boys in the trenches.  Despite that, Hackenberg and the offense somehow put together their best game of the season.

When they gave Hack time to go through his progressions and throw, the results were great.  However the run blocking still wasn’t that great and the line gave up four sacks total.  Hackenberg was flushed from the pocket several times but showed he could actually move with his feet.

Andrew Nelson returned for the first time since the Buffalo game, but he started at right tackle with Paris Palmer still at left tackle.  Wendy Laurent started at center for the injured Angelo Mangiro.  I’m still quite concerned with Palmer’s development on the left side.  There were so many snaps where Indiana’s defensive end ran right by him while he was keying in on a linebacker coming up the middle.  He can get away with that against some teams, but he must improve as the Big Ten schedule gets more challenging.

Grade: C

Next: Defensive Line