Penn State 26, UCF 24: Oh, Sammy Boy

Penn State’s flight home across the Atlantic Ocean was likely a smooth one. You can thank kicker Sam Ficken for that one. Ficken successfully kicked all four of his field goal attempts on the pitch in Dublin, Ireland, and Penn State needed every one of those 12 points to get past UCF in the Croke Park Classic. Ficken’s fourth field goal was a game-winning field goal as time expired in Croke Park, giving Penn State a thrilling 26-24 victory over the defending American Athletic Conference champions.

Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg had a fine afternoon, setting a school record for passing yards in a single game, but he also made some un-Hackenberg decisions that made you realize there is still room to grow (a scary proposition for sure). Hackenberg was Penn State’s offense, with young receivers serving up reminders of another young crop of receivers that helped turn the program around in 2005. James Franklin won his first game as head coach of the Nittany Lions, bringing this emotional return home for the Pennsylvania guy with a Penn State heart. The defense put together an effort that showed real grit with a goal-line stand and clamping down on a quarterback that was as far from Blake Bortles as you could find. The defense played well, although it should be pointed out it let a lead slip away in the final two minutes of the game.

But this day belonged to Ficken, and for good reason. How could it not?

“There was only a minute or so left in the game, and I looked across the sideline and there wasn’t doubt in anybody’s eye. Everybody believed. They believed in Hack. They believed in Ficken,” Franklin said. After the game, Franklin fulfilled his postgame obligation for an interview with ESPN but then went in search of his kicker before continuing with any other interviews.

We are now two years removed from the Sam Ficken narrative that has been brought up time and time again. Ficken’s start to the 2012 season was painful at times, but since then Ficken has grown tremendously as a kicker and a leader. You do not often look to kickers to be leaders of a team, but when a kicker can go out and do his job and give his team a victory in week one, being voted a team captain is validated.

I remember being in the media interview room for Penn State’s third home game of 2012, following the dreadful 1-for-five performance against Virginia. Ficken met with the media, accepted his responsibility for his shortcomings and vowed to improve. You could sense the disappointment in his performance from the previous week (he made four of five extra point attempts the following week against Navy, with fans applauding him in a big way). Ficken may not be the best kicker in the country, or even the Big Ten, but he has been one of the most dedicated to improving what he can. And that is all you ask from a college player, is it not?

Will Ficken miss a kick somewhere along the line? Sure he will. Even the best kickers miss one from time to time. In week one though, Ficken was perfect.

Milestones

Christian Hackenberg became the first quarterback in school history to pass for 400 yards in a single game. Hackenber’s 454 yards surpassed the previous school record of 399 yards set by Zack Mills in 2002.

Head coach James Franklin won his first game as head coach of Penn State. The last time a head coach won his debut as head coach was Joe Paterno, in 1966.

Ficken’s four field goals was a career high for a single game. Ficken had attempted four field goals twice in the past two seasons (1-for-5 at Virginia in 2012 and 3-for-5 vs. Michigan in 2013).

Since having 112 victories vacated by the NCAA, Penn State has won 16 games.

Around the Big Ten: Week 1

What’s next?

Penn State opens up the home schedule next week in Beaver Stadium. Penn State hosts Akron from the MAC for a noon kickoff (on ABC). The Zips are coming off a 41-0 rout of Howard, with quarterback Kyle Pohl passing for 304 yards and four touchdowns and leading the Zips on the ground with 48 rushing yards.