PHILADELPHIA — Have to say this much about Christian Hackenberg: He’s a quick starter.
In his first start as a true freshman in 2013, the rifle-armed Hackenberg threw for 278 yards and a pair of touchdowns at MetLife Stadium against Syracuse.
Last year at the Croke Park Classic in Dublin, he threw for a career-high 454 yards to kick off the 2014 campaign.
That streak of season-opening success ended with a thud Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field.
Hackenberg completed a mere 11 of his 25 passes for just 103 yards and an interception in the stunning, 27-10 loss to Temple, and perhaps more telling is the fact that just 65 of those passing yards came in the final three quarters, during which he was sacked a career-high 10 times.
As for the hits taking a physical toll on him, Hackenberg pooh-poohed the thought.
“It’s part of the deal,” Hackenberg said. “Those guys are getting up after every play too and patting each others’ heads. So, we have to focus on what we can control, what we can fix and head into Buffalo next week as prepared as we can be.”
What Penn State can fix up front will be a topic of conversation as the season progresses, but one thing seems clear: If Hackenberg can’t get the time in the pocket to perform better than he did against Temple, the Nittany Lions’ offense will continue to struggle.
“We have to protect him,” coach James Franklin said. “It starts with us as coaches and offensive players. Guys, it’s the same message. We have to protect consistently and have to run the ball consistently.
“There were one or two times where they rushed three and dropped eight. You shouldn’t have pressure on your quarterback when you are rushing three and have six or seven in for protection.”
Lewis starts fast
Receiver Eugene Lewis wasn’t listed as a starter for the opener, but the former Wyoming Valley Conference standout sure didn’t waste any time establishing himself into the game plan.
On the game’s first drive, Lewis caught two passes for 15 yards, but he was targeted on three other occasions, seemingly becoming a go-to receiver on third downs for Hackenberg.
Problem was, he played only sparingly afterward, and those were the only passes thrown his way.
“We have to go back, watch the film and just really see what was going on,” Lewis said. “We didn’t do what we were capable of doing today. We can’t let this affect the rest of our season.”
Haley out
Penn State’s defense suffered some key losses during the game — most notably linebacker Nyeem Wartman-White to a season-ending knee injury — but it also lost a member of the secondary before it.
Sophomore cornerback Grant Haley missed the game for undisclosed reasons, although Franklin said afterward he expected he’d be able to return for Saturday’s home debut against Buffalo at Beaver Stadium.
True freshman John Reid started in Haley’s place, and while Franklin said he didn’t notice any issues from the youngster, sophomore Christian Campbell handled that cornerback spot for most of the second half.
“Not having Grant Haley, obviously, was a factor for us,” Franklin said. “We think he’s a special player.”
Strong debut
The true freshman who had the biggest impact on the game clearly was wideout Brandon Polk. But he didn’t make that impact catching the ball.
He carried twice on sprint sweeps, totaling 50 yards. His first carry came on Penn State’s opening play, which went for 33 yards.
“We’ve felt all summer long that Brandon would bring some speed that we haven’t had,” Franklin said. “He was able to do that.”