Best performance by a Penn State QB in a bowl game?

[john4psu]

Statistically, the answer might surprise you.
34 of 50 for 371 yards, 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions. All Penn State Bowl records.

Which Penn State quarterback had the greatest performance in a bowl game?

Which Penn State quarterback had the greatest performance in a bowlgame? From Mike Palm in the 1923 Rose Bowl to Sean Clifford in the 2022Citrus Bowl, let’s look at the best performances by Penn St…

johnbaranowski.wordpress.com

 

[Wallace Breen]

Not Surprising at all. Talent wise, Hackenberg is the best QB we have had in the Big Ten era by a decent margin. The Pinstripe Bowl was my first guess. It shows you what can happen when your QB is healthy and deliberately ignoring what was forced on him by incompetent coaching and playing as taught by the predecessor who is the best offensive mind in college football, which is exactly what happened that day.

 

[Psugo823]

Not Surprising at all. Talent wise, Hackenberg is the best QB we have had in the Big Ten era by a decent margin. The Pinstripe Bowl was my first guess. It shows you what can happen when your QB is healthy and deliberately ignoring what was forced on him by incompetent coaching and playing as taught by the predecessor who is the best offensive mind in college football, which is exactly what happened that day.

Kerry Collins was the most talented qb we have had in the Big Ten era, not Christian Hackenberg.

 

[Wallace Breen]

Kerry Collins was the most talented qb we have had in the Big Ten era, not Christian Hackenberg.

I disagree. Collins didn't master a legitimate NFL offense as a true freshmen. That is the hardest thing a QB can do at the college level. Collins is easily #2.

 

[LandoComando]

Kerry Collins was the most talented qb we have had in the Big Ten era, not Christian Hackenberg.

Collins was on the team prior to us joining the Big Ten and after. I'm fine with saying Collins (arguably our best ever) but Hack was the most talented since him.

 

[Obliviax]

Kerry Collins was the most talented qb we have had in the Big Ten era, not Christian Hackenberg.

Agreed. I also think D-Clark was a good QB. One year, he shared B1G offensive player of the year award. He didn't have great bowls but he did lead PSU to victory in 2010 against LSU in one of the worst playing conditions of a football game I've ever seen (perhaps a Steeler game was worse one year). Due to the weather, his stats weren't great but I recall him being a real key to victory that day.

 

[Wallace Breen]

Collins was on the team prior to us joining the Big Ten and after. I'm fine with saying Collins (arguably our best ever) but Hack was the most talented since him.

I wouldn't say Collins is arguably our best ever, he is our best ever. At least since I have been watching Penn State (89), I might put Darryl Clark at #2. MRob at #3. Richardson #4.

 

[Wallace Breen]

Agreed. I also think D-Clark was a good QB. One year, he shared B1G offensive player of the year award. He didn't have great bowls but he did lead PSU to victory in 2010 against LSU in one of the worst playing conditions of a football game I've ever seen (perhaps a Steeler game was worse one year). Due to the weather, his stats weren't great but I recall him being a real key to victory that day.

Contrary to what SEC fans would say, the field conditions kept LSU in the game. Penn State was faster and more talented than LSU that year.

 

[LandoComando]

I wouldn't say Collins is arguably our best ever, he is our best ever. At least since I have been watching Penn State (89), I might put Darryl Clark at #2. MRob at #3. Richardson #4.

I'm using "arguably" as someone will claim otherwise.

 

[voltz99]

Not Surprising at all. Talent wise, Hackenberg is the best QB we have had in the Big Ten era by a decent margin. The Pinstripe Bowl was my first guess. It shows you what can happen when your QB is healthy and deliberately ignoring what was forced on him by incompetent coaching and playing as taught by the predecessor who is the best offensive mind in college football, which is exactly what happened that day.

Hack was overrated. He was a statue with no pocket presence and not that accurate.

 

[Obliviax]

Contrary to what SEC fans would say, the field conditions kept LSU in the game. Penn State was faster and more talented than LSU that year.

My most vivid memory of the game (other than a penalty for a player pulling someone off the pile at a critical time) is PSU's punter. At one point, they showed a punt at a critical time from the PSU endzone. The PSU punted the ball, a good one, and you could see the water and vapor trail off the ball when he kicked it.

 

[Wallace Breen]

Hack was overrated. He was a statue with no pocket presence and not that accurate.

That is pure BS. He was a statue but he had great pocket presence and was absurdly accurate when throwing from the pocket. The worst coaching in Big Ten history was the problem.

 

[LandoComando]

Hack was overrated. He was a statue with no pocket presence and not that accurate.

That's not true...he broke mentally as time went on. See Derek Carr. Most QBs aren't going to survive what he endured.

 

[Wallace Breen]

My most vivid memory of the game (other than a penalty for a player pulling someone off the pile at a critical time) is PSU's punter. At one point, they showed a punt at a critical time from the PSU endzone. The PSU punted the ball, a good one, and you could see the water and vapor trail off the ball when he kicked it.

I was at the game and it is one of my best Penn State football memories.

 

[bvillebaron]

I disagree. Collins didn't master a legitimate NFL offense as a true freshmen. That is the hardest thing a QB can do at the college level. Collins is easily #2.

I have sat in Row 57 in the north end zone since 1978 and seen lots of great QBs—Marino, Flutie, Brady, etc. NONE of them were better than Collins was in 1994. You couldn’t be more wrong (no big surprise) Collins was a better QB than Hack (and I am not a Hack hater). One thing I could never understand about Hack is that he couldn’t hit a RB on a swing pass to save his you know what.

 

[bvillebaron]

That's not true...he broke mentally as time went on. See Derek Carr. Most QBs aren't going to survive what he endured.

Like I said I am far from a Hack hater, but great QBs don’t break mentally.

 

[bvillebaron]

That is pure BS. He was a statue but he had great pocket presence and was absurdly accurate when throwing from the pocket. The worst coaching in Big Ten history was the problem.

It’s always the coaches fault with you. I guess it was poor coaching which kept Hack from being able to accurately throw swing passes to RBs coming out of the backfield.

 

[LandoComando]

Like I said I am far from a Hack hater, but great QBs don’t break mentally.

Yes, they do. All QBs can break.
For the record, I'm not blaming Franklin if that's what you're assuming. Franklin/Hack was a bad fit from day 1. That's not anyone's fault. Hack should have transferred and it's good that if the situation occurred today he could have.
Hack was asked to play in an offense that wasn't what he signed up for behind a bad line. Franklin was forced to try to adjust want he and his staff wanted to do to accommodate Hack. Everyone was set up to fail.

 

[Wallace Breen]

It’s always the coaches fault with you. I guess it was poor coaching which kept Hack from being able to accurately throw swing passes to RBs coming out of the backfield.

Actually, it was. 100% on Donovan. Hack lacks the feet to be able to shift, set and throw gimmicky spread plays. Rahne and Donovan ruined his mechanics to the degree that he was less of a QB when he left than when he arrived. That takes a special kind of stupid. And Franklin didn't think it was a problem so what does that say about him?

 

[Wallace Breen]

Yes, they do. All QBs can break.
For the record, I'm not blaming Franklin if that's what you're assuming. Franklin/Hack was a bad fit from day 1. That's not anyone's fault. Hack should have transferred and it's good that if the situation occurred today he could have.
Hack was asked to play in an offense that wasn't what he signed up for behind a bad line. Franklin was forced to try to adjust want he and his staff wanted to do to accommodate Hack. Everyone was set up to fail.

You are wrong. It is Franklin's fault. He knew what talent was here when he took the job. He opted to bring a clown car full of bumbling idiots who couldn't run a real offense if their life depended on it with him making him a bumbling idiot as well. Franklin didn't try to adjust. He set the team up for failure and then when it was obvious Donovan, Rahne, Gattis and company needed to be shown the, he refused until Sandy took matters into her own hands.

 

[Wallace Breen]

Like I said I am far from a Hack hater, but great QBs don’t break mentally.

Hack was broken physically, not mentally, when he left. He throwing should was trashed, because of Franklin and his boys (aka, clowns).

 

[LandoComando]

You are wrong. It is Franklin's fault. He knew what talent was here when he took the job. He opted to bring a clown car full of bumbling idiots who couldn't run a real offense if their life depended on it with him making him a bumbling idiot as well. Franklin didn't try to adjust. He set the team up for failure and then when it was obvious Donovan, Rahne, Gattis and company needed to be shown the, he refused until Sandy took matters into her own hands.

You're oversimplifying it

 

[Nit777]

Statistically, the answer might surprise you.

Which Penn State quarterback had the greatest performance in a bowl game?

Which Penn State quarterback had the greatest performance in a bowlgame? From Mike Palm in the 1923 Rose Bowl to Sean Clifford in the 2022Citrus Bowl, let’s look at the best performances by Penn St…

johnbaranowski.wordpress.com

To answer the question, Blackledge in the 1983 Sugar Bowl. MNC

Also, as an HM, Hufnagel in 1972 Cotton Bowl 30-6 over Texas. Game put PSU on the national map.

 

[voltz99]

Hack was broken physically, not mentally, when he left. He throwing should was trashed, because of Franklin and his boys (aka, clowns).

Are you hacks dad? He wasn't that good. Do I have to post the eastern michigan video of hack again? That was with obrien and hack was brutal. Hack was ranked about 8th in the b10 with obrien. His 3rd down completion % was also brutal.

 

[blair10]

Are you hacks dad? He wasn't that good. Do I have to post the eastern michigan video of hack again? That was with obrien and hack was brutal. Hack was ranked about 8th in the b10 with obrien. His 3rd down completion % was also brutal.

I have to admire you for being so kind. Hack was a huge bust as a QB. It must be a relative of Hack arguing otherwise.

 

[Thus Spoke Mainer]

Statistically, the answer might surprise you.

Which Penn State quarterback had the greatest performance in a bowl game?

Which Penn State quarterback had the greatest performance in a bowlgame? From Mike Palm in the 1923 Rose Bowl to Sean Clifford in the 2022Citrus Bowl, let’s look at the best performances by Penn St…

johnbaranowski.wordpress.com

Scott Fitzkee, 1979 Liberty Bowl. One for one, touchdown to Tom Donovan.

 

[Delco Lion]

Chuck Burkhardt 1969 Orange Bowl in OT and also dropped a Missouri fan who ran his mouth.

 

[Bob2022]

To answer the question, Blackledge in the 1983 Sugar Bowl. MNC

Also, as an HM, Hufnagel in 1972 Cotton Bowl 30-6 over Texas. Game put PSU on the national map.

I saw Hufnagel play also and would give it to him by a small margin. Interesting that both Blackledge and Hufnagel finished 6th in the Heisman voting in in their years.

 

[OaktonDave]

Hack was overrated. He was a statue with no pocket presence and not that accurate.

Hack was consistently inconsistent. The OL recruiting from 2010 - 2012 was not good, and the end result was Hack playing behind a makeshift line of guys who weren't that good (some were converted DL) and young guys being pressed into service before they were ready. The OL couldn't protect him, and he couldn't move - the results were predictable and, given the talent of the players involved, including Hack, generally unfixable. It would have been nice if the OL could have given him time, and it would have also been nice if he could move and consistently deliver on short passes. Sadly, none of that was true. IMHO, Hack was comparable to Morelli. Morrelli had size and arm strength, but he, too, played behind poor lines (not Hack era poor, but poor none the less) and was generally immobile.

 

[ryoder1]

Fusina in '77 Fiesta vs ASU. Blackledge was just clutch in the '81 Fiesta vs O$U, '82 Fiesta vs U$C and the '83 Sugar vs GA to win the NC. A starting QB who delivers 3 straight bowl wins against those teams is on our Mt Rushmore.

Collins in the '94 Citrus vs Tenn and the '95 Rose vs Oregon is right there with Blackledge.

 

[eidolon21]

Blackledge no question!!!

 

[RussianEagle]

I remember Rashard Casey looked damn good in the 1999 Alamo Bowl. So much that I thought our team would be alright the next year, which was my freshman year attending PSU. Oops!

Is there any truth to the rumor that the reason Kevin Thompson did not play in that game because he and Jay Paterno had actually come to blows.

 

[Wallace Breen]

Are you hacks dad? He wasn't that good. Do I have to post the eastern michigan video of hack again? That was with obrien and hack was brutal. Hack was ranked about 8th in the b10 with obrien. His 3rd down completion % was also brutal.

HE WAS A TRUE FRESHMEN PLAYING IN AN LEGITIMATE NFL OFFENSE. AN OFFENSE MORE COMPLICATED THAN WHAT SOME CURRENT NFL TEAMS (ARIZONA, BALTIMORE) RUN.

That takes a special player. He started rough but finished 2013 as the best pro-style QB in the country playing perhaps the best game any QB played the entire decade at Wisconsin. I can count the number of QBs with the talent to do that on one hand and they were all #1 overall picks. That is how bad our offensive coaching was in 14 and 15. The worst coaching in college football history.

 

[voltz99]

HE WAS A TRUE FRESHMEN PLAYING IN AN LEGITIMATE NFL OFFENSE. AN OFFENSE MORE COMPLICATED THAN WHAT SOME CURRENT NFL TEAMS (ARIZONA, BALTIMORE) RUN.

That takes a special player. He started rough but finished 2013 as the best pro-style QB in the country playing perhaps the best game any QB played the entire decade at Wisconsin. I can count the number of QBs with the talent to do that on one hand and they were all #1 overall picks. That is how bad our offensive coaching was in 14 and 15. The worst coaching in college football history.

He was drafted and failed in the NFL. If he transferred he would not have started at most schools and probably does not get drafted. Mcsorley should have probably started over hack

 

[lowhandicapper]

Kerry Collins was the most talented qb we have had in the Big Ten era, not Christian Hackenberg.

It's not even really all that close. Kerry Collins is one of the finest ball throwers in the history of football. Not many could spin a ball like Collins......Warren Moon, Mike Vick, Aaron Rodgers are in his category.
I'm not saying Collins was the greatest quarterbacks ever, he certainly had his faults, but from a pure throwing standpoint, he is among them. Kerry is in the top 20 of all-time NFL passing yardage and owns numerous NFC Championship passing records. Not many players in the history of the game of football have had Kerry Collins level of arm strength and spiral ability, but being an absolute great quarterback is much more than how you spin the rock.

 

[Wallace Breen]

He was drafted and failed in the NFL. If he transferred he would not have started at most schools and probably does not get drafted. Mcsorley should have probably started over hack

You are crazy. He failed in the NFL because his shoulder was wrecked during the 2015 season. That is it. Had he done the smart thing and transferred after his freshmen year (he should have but he didn't so it is on him) he would have started for every pro-style team in the country including the four Big Ten programs that tried to pry him away.

 

[lowhandicapper]

You are crazy. He failed in the NFL because his shoulder was wrecked during the 2015 season. That is it. Had he done the smart thing and transferred after his freshmen year (he should have but he didn't so it is on him) he would have started for every pro-style team in the country including the four Big Ten programs that tried to pry him away.

Hahahaha. That's funny stuff.

Look at these elite eye popping stats.....

2013	Penn State	Big Ten	FR	QB	12	231	392	58.9	2955	7.5	7.4	20	10	134.0
*2014	Penn State	Big Ten	SO	QB	13	270	484	55.8	2977	6.2	5.3	12	15	109.4
*2015	Penn State	Big Ten	JR	QB	13	192	359	53.5	2525	7.0	7.2	16	6	123.9
Career	Penn State					693	1235	56.1	8457	6.8	6.5	48	31	121.4

If only a player was what some paid internet recruiting service says they are. Hedging your opinion on hunch, opinion is always the wise thing over performance itself. Performance be damned! Christian Hackenberg was so bad he's one of the only top 3 round draft picks at QB in NFL history to never be given a start in an NFL game. That's something. He never could even the earn the trust of his coaches and teammates to get the starting nod once in his career.

 

[Wallace Breen]

Hahahaha. That's funny stuff.

Look at these elite eye popping stats.....

2013	Penn State	Big Ten	FR	QB	12	231	392	58.9	2955	7.5	7.4	20	10	134.0
*2014	Penn State	Big Ten	SO	QB	13	270	484	55.8	2977	6.2	5.3	12	15	109.4
*2015	Penn State	Big Ten	JR	QB	13	192	359	53.5	2525	7.0	7.2	16	6	123.9
Career	Penn State					693	1235	56.1	8457	6.8	6.5	48	31	121.4

If only a player was what some paid internet recruiting service says they are. Hedging your opinion on hunch, opinion is always the wise thing over performance itself. Performance be damned! Christian Hackenberg was so bad he's one of the only top 3 round draft picks at QB in NFL history to never be given a start in an NFL game. That's something. He never could even the earn the trust of his coaches and teammates to get the starting nod once in his career.

He left Penn State less developed than when he arrived. That is a fact. Franklin's first offensive coaching staff was the worst in history. Let that sink in. You are funny. Not funny haha, but funny preocular because of your lack of knowledge.

 

[voltz99]

He left Penn State less developed than when he arrived. That is a fact. Franklin's first offensive coaching staff was the worst in history. Let that sink in. You are funny. Not funny haha, but funny preocular because of your lack of knowledge.

This was with Obrien.

 

[john4psu]

Fusina in '77 Fiesta vs ASU. Blackledge was just clutch in the '81 Fiesta vs O$U, '82 Fiesta vs U$C and the '83 Sugar vs GA to win the NC. A starting QB who delivers 3 straight bowl wins against those teams is on our Mt Rushmore.

Collins in the '94 Citrus vs Tenn and the '95 Rose vs Oregon is right there with Blackledge.

Fusina:
Fiesta 9 of 23, 83 yards passing. Eye popping!
Blackledge
Ohio State Fiesta 8 of 22, 117 yards
USC Fiesta 11 of 24, 175 yards, 1 TD, 2 Int.
Spectacular! Uh no.

Collins:
Citrus 15 of 24, 162 yards, 2 TD, 1 int.