Penn State vs. Illinois Position Grades

Oct 31, 2015; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Christian Hackenberg (14) warms up prior to the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Quarterbacks: 

Christian Hackenberg had one of the best games of his career against the Illinois Fighting Illini. Although he’s had games with better stats, the junior quarterback looked like the potential first-round draft pick that many have projected.

Hackenberg was very efficient while completing 21-of-29 passes, a number that could have been even better if there were not four or five drops. Hack threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns before being taken out in the fourth quarter. He even added a 14-yard touchdown reception on a fantastic trick play.

Last week at Maryland Hackenberg put up great stats, but was still criticized for some of his passes. Truthfully, he was bailed out several times by his wide receivers last week. That wasn’t the case this time around. Sure, the wide receivers made some great plays, but Hackenberg was making some great passes.

The junior signal-caller finally looked comfortable in the pocket and used his feet to move around and avoid pressure. For the first time in a while, it seemed that Hackenberg had his internal clock working, as he was able to feel the pressure and avoid it.

Hackenberg looked great in Week 9 and will look to keep it going next week.

Trace McSorley entered the game in the fourth quarter when the score got out of hand. He missed on all three of his pass attempts and rushed three times for 15 yards.

Grade: A+

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