Hackenberg a work in progress

STATE COLLEGE - Last season, heralded true freshman Christian Hackenberg started every game under center for the Nittany Lions, enduring the ebb and flow that comes with an 18-year-old calling the shots.

Fortunately for the Virginia native, there was experience on offense, like wide receiver Allen Robinson and a senior-heavy offensive line, to guide him.

Now, leading one of the youngest teams in major college football, Hackenberg feels like roles have reversed.

"Last year, everyone was being patient with me," Hackenberg said. "Now it's sort of the other way around."

Still, Hackenberg, protected by an inexperienced line and throwing to a growing receiving corps, is not a perfect player by any means. Tossing ill-advised passes, which have contributed to five interceptions through four games, and frequently trying too hard to make plays that aren't there, the sophomore has much to learn.

But for the most part, Hackenberg has commandeered the huddle and field with wisdom beyond his years.

After learning Bill O'Brien's offense last season, Hackenberg understands how difficult it is to adapt to a new system, which the Lions are doing under James Franklin and offensive coordinator John Donovan.

With that, patience is necessary, and it's coming from No. 14.

"We're still trying to get everything together. Guys are getting their first reps . . . for the first time within the system," Hackenberg said. "It's all part of the maturation process; continuing to work hard and understand that it's not going to be perfect every day, rep or game. You have to be able to bounce back and stay even-keeled throughout the entire process."

Despite the five interceptions, Hackenberg has done his job in 2014. The Lions are 4-0 due in large part to the quarterback's Big Ten-leading 1,261 yards.

He hasn't looked consistently stellar, but the sophomore has, in general, found his place in the offense, whether it's carrying the team to victory over Central Florida with a school-record 454 passing yards or simply making the necessary throws in a run-heavy win over Massachusetts.

Hackenberg has accounted for 73 percent of Penn State's yards this year.

"Let's be honest, for most of this season so far, he's shouldered a lot of the offense," Franklin said.

And to think, it's being done by a 19-year-old.

Hackenberg said not a lot of people pay attention to the team's youth, and Penn State quarterbacks coach Ricky Rahne admittedly forgets how young his starter is at times.

"Watching him deal with all of the pressures that he has every day . . . in the rare instance that he acts like a 19-year-old kid, I have to remind myself that in fact, that is how old he is," Rahne said recently.

Of course, Hackenberg's ability to throw the football isn't a Happy Valley secret. The quarterback has received praise from the head coach of all four teams Penn State has played this year. With Northwestern up this weekend, Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald said at his weekly presser that Hackenberg is "as good as anybody in the country."

But still with so much left to master, the field general said he likes to keep an eye on NFL quarterbacks - Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler, in particular.

Why these four? "They're guys who know how to operate and execute an offense," Hackenberg said.

That quality translates into wins; that particular group of stars have combined for 378 NFL regular-season wins as starters and five Super Bowl trophies.

Hackenberg has a long road ahead of him if he wants to reach that status. Like the progression of the Penn State offense, it's a process that takes time - something the sophomore has plenty of.

"We've just got to continue to master it as a unit," Hackenberg said. "It's going to be a work in progress, getting better week in and week out."