Christian Hackenberg’s Penn State Football Career? Here’s Some Context

Saturday will very likely be Christian Hackenberg’s final game in Beaver Stadium.

His Penn State career? Here’s some context:

The last time that Penn State finished a season undefeated (1994), Hackenberg (birthday: Feb. 14, 1995) had yet to be born.

The next time Hackenberg is sacked will be his 100th as a Nittany Lion. 

He has been sacked 99 times over his 35-game Penn State career. That’s 22 in 2013, 44 in 2014 and 33 in 2015. Kerry Collins was sacked a total of 13 times in 1993 and ’94. Combined. (Zack Mills, with 87, ranks No. 2 since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993.)

Hackenberg’s touchdown pass-to-interception ratio over the past 11 games is 17-to-3.

Hackenberg’s 2013 performance against Michigan in Beaver Stadium – 23 of 44 for 305 yards, with three TDs and two picks in a 43-40 four-overtime victory — came in the sixth game of his true freshman season.

He has engineered a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime six times in his career, most recently last month against Maryland. That ties him with Navy quarterback Kennan Reynolds for the most in the NCAA among active quarterbacks.

He is Penn State career leader in passing yardage (7,924), completions (650), attempts (1,151), 200-yard passing games (20) and 300-yard passing games (9).

Penn State has four Big Ten Conference victories in 2015, with two games to go. Penn State averaged 4.45 Big Ten victories per year from 2000 through 2010.

James Franklin: “If you think about the impact that Christian Hackenberg has had on our program the last three years and where this program would have been without him, I think it’s pretty significant. That’s the thing to me that probably isn’t talked about enough.”

BEAVER STADIUM FINALES

Here’s how some of Penn State’s notable quarterbacks fared in their final appearance in Beaver Stadium over the past half-century:

Chuck Fusina, Nov. 24, 1978 – 109 passing yards in a 17-10 win over Pitt. A few days later, he finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Todd Blackledge, Nov. 26, 1982 – 10 of 24 for 149 yards, with one interception and a 31-yard TD pass to Kenny Jackson in a 19-10 victory over Pitt. Penn State won the 1982 national championship and Blackledge was the No. 7 pick in the NFL Draft – leaving school with a year of eligibility.

John Shaffer, Nov. 22, 1986 – 6 of 19 for 52 yards before being injured and being relieved by Matt Knizner (2 of 4, 92 yards, 1 TD) in a 34-14 victory over Pitt. Penn State won the 1986 national championship.

Kerry Collins, Nov. 26, 1994 – 16 of 24 for 289 yards, with a56-yard TD pass to Freddie Scott in a 59-31 victory over Michigan State. Penn State finished 12-0 and Collins played 16 seasons in the NFL.

Matt McGloin, Nov. 24, 2012 – 19 of 37 for 200 yards and a 41-yard touchdown pass to Jesse James in a 24-21 overtime win over Wisconsin. NCAA sanctions kept Penn State from going to a bowl game. McGloin is in his third season in the NFL.

CONTEXT TO START

Hackenberg has started all 35 games of his Penn State career. He’ll likely end the season with 38. Only Tony Sacca, with 40, will have more. (This season, he has passed Mills, 34; Blackledge, 33; Fusina, 32; Collins, 28; Shaffer, 26; Daryll Clark, 26; Wally Richardson, 26; and Anthony Morelli, 26.)

Michigan’s offensive line, the one that protects Jake Rudock, enters Saturday’s game with 126 career starts (34, 27, 22, 22 and 21). Sans Andrew Nelson, Penn State’s O-line — the one that protects Hackenberg — has 78 career starts (22, 22, 18, 9 and 7).

Michigan has 18 seniors and fifth-year players who are starters. Penn State has four.

Only Hackenberg, Jordan Lucas, Trevor Williams and Nyeem Wartman-White started Penn State’s opening games of the 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons. Only Hackenberg and Williams will start on Saturday.

Number of career starts per class of Penn State seniors and early departures, by year: 2012 – 211 career starts; 2012 – 227 career starts; 2013 – 297 career starts; 2015 – 128 career starts; 2015, if Hackenberg and Austin Johnson leave early – 188 career starts.

HOME AND AWAY

Statistically, Hackenberg has been remarkably consistent, whether home or away, in Ireland or America, in a college or a pro stadium. The big difference? Win-loss and points per game. Here are his average stats for games in Beaver Stadium and on the road:

HOME (20 games) – 18 for 33 for 220 yards (367-662-4,394), with .8 interceptions, 1.2 touchdown passes and 2.5 sacks; 29 points; record of 14-6.

AWAY (15 games) – 19 of 33 for 235 yards (283-489-3,530), with .8 interceptions, 1.4 touchdown passes and 3.3 sacks; 18.9 points; record of 7-8.

Ten of Penn State’s 21 wins and seven of its 14 losses with Hackenberg as a starter have come by a touchdown or less. He is 3-2 in overtime games.

FINAL CONTEXT

Hackenberg could’ve picked Alabama, Georgia, Miami (Fla.), South Carolina, Tennessee and plenty of others when he verbally committed to Penn State on Feb. 29, 2012. He didn’t.

Hackenberg could have left for those schools and plenty of others when the NCAA sanctions were handed down on July 23, 2012. He didn’t.

Hackenberg could’ve picked those schools and plenty of others when he signed his National Letter of Intent on Feb. 6, 2013. He didn’t.

Hackenberg could have left for those schools and plenty of others after Bill O’Brien left and Franklin was subsequently hired on Jan. 11, 2014. He didn’t.

“I think Christian has grown probably as much as any player in the country,” said Franklin on Tuesday, “in terms of leadership, in terms of adversity, in terms of all the things that he’s been through in a very, very short period of time and how he’s handled it.”