Christian Hackenberg put up big numbers against Michigan in Penn State’s four-overtime victory: 305 passing yards and three touchdowns on 23 of 44 passing. Those numbers were enough to earn Christian Hackenberg this week’s Big Ten Freshman of the Week Award. Yes, the Ghost of Joe Paterno was responsible for all that good stuff and not Christian Hackenberg.
Even though it’s only been six games for Christian Hackenberg he is already one of the best passers in the Big Ten — and perhaps one of the best quarterbacks the Big Ten has ever seen in its 100-plus year history.
Ok I’m joking about that obviously. But he is a top rated recruit who is indeed living up to the hype and fulfilling his potential.
Christian Hackenberg is leading the Big Ten in passing yards per game with a 278.7 yards per game average. And fourth in the Big Ten in total offense (267.5). I’m not a huge fan of his delivery or the way he throws the ball. It’s not as unsightly as Taylor Martinez, but it isn’t really quite fluid. Still, you can say he’s the best pure passer in the Big Ten. Because maybe the league is pretty weak in that department?
There’s no one you can say is definitely better throwing the ball. And it helps immensely that he has Allen Robinson out there catching it.
Either this Christian Hackenberg kid is going to be a surgeon on Big Ten defenses, cutting them up with scalpel-like precision, or the Ghost of Joe Paterno is better as a dead coach than a live one. In fact, the Ghost of Joe Paterno has the Nittany Lions second in the league in pass offense (283.7) behind Indiana. And speaking of Indiana, that loss to the Hoosiers? That wasn’t the Ghost of Joe Paterno’s fault. That one was all on Bill O’Brien.