Hackenberg sees lots of action in Penn State's Blue-White Game

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Penn State's annual Blue-White Game on Saturday featured a lot of sunshine, which was good, and a lot of Christian Hackenberg, which wasn't necessarily good.

With backup quarterback Trace McSorley out with an undisclosed injury, Hackenberg had to carry a disproportionate share of the load for the Blue team, a collection of starters and key reserves, against the White, made up of players on the second and third teams, and beyond.

As a result, with McSorley out and only two other quarterbacks dressed, Hackenberg took 49 snaps in the Blue's 17-7 victory, many more than coach James Franklin expected. Franklin said that the junior-to-be would play no more than "a series or two" and that McSorley was expected to play "a good portion of the game."

And the extended performance came with the inevitable "oh no" moment when Hackenberg, trying to elude the rush, had the back of his right foot stepped on by defensive end Curtis Cothran late in the second quarter.

Hackenberg, who didn't leave the game until the fourth quarter, limped to the line for the next play. He also was favoring the foot as he left the interview room.

After the game, Hackenberg needed just five words to answer three questions about the foot, suggesting everything was fine. Asked if he considered removing his quarterback, Franklin replied: "That's football. He reached down, rubbed his toe, shook his foot, and got going."

Hackenberg completed 17 of 29 passes for 180 yards with one touchdown, one interception, and five sacks.

Under the rules of the day, a "sack" consisted of merely touching the quarterback. But the number still suggested that the offensive line, maligned throughout last year, still has a lot of work to do.

The Nittany Lions have plugged in 6-foot-7, 278-pound junior-college transfer Paris Palmer at left tackle, and the new starter showed his inexperience. Defensive end Evan Schwan beat Palmer twice on one Blue drive to record "sacks."

Still, offensive coordinator John Donovan said the experience Palmer received playing before an estimated crowd of 68,000 was invaluable.

"That was great for him today," Donovan said. "When we started 15 practices ago, Day 1, he didn't know a thing. We can't meet with these guys beforehand, there are very strict rules. So I think he's made some good strides, but he's just going to keep getting better and better."

Franklin said that overall, the offensive line was "way ahead of where we were at this point last year." He said the freshmen entering school in the summer will improve depth and competition.

"I am confident that between now and the start of camp, we can take another step and then continue to grow during camp and be ready to go," he said.

Cornerback commits. Zechariah McPhearson, a cornerback from Upper Marlboro, Md., announced on Twitter that he had made an oral commitment to Penn State.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound McPhearson, rated four stars by 247Sports.com and three stars by Rivals.com, is the sixth player for the class of 2016 to commit to the Nittany Lions. He had received offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Iowa, and Wisconsin, among other schools.

McPhearson's brother, Joshua, is a walk-on wide receiver at Penn State.

Nittany notes. There were no complaints about the first-team defense, which allowed the White only two first downs and 99 yards of total offense. The only misstep came on a 51-yard touchdown run by redshirt freshman Nick Scott, a play on which defensive tackle Anthony Zettel had Scott in the backfield but appeared to let up, enabling Scott to dash through a hole. . . . Senior Carl Nassib, a former Malvern Prep star who started at defensive end, has drawn raves from the coaching staff. "I'm so proud of him, I think he's going to have a breakout year for us," Franklin said. . . . With Sam Ficken having graduated, the Nittany Lions need to find a kicker. If a pregame kicking competition is any indication, the front-runners are redshirt freshman Joey Julius and sophomore Tyler Davis. The Lions do not have a scholarship kicker.