Penn State’s Hackenberg out with apparent shoulder injury

During his one season under O’Brien, Hackenberg was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year after throwing for 2,955 yards with 20 touchdowns to only 10 interceptions and looked like a future first rounder.

Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg was forced to take a different role as a bystander Saturday during the TaxSlayer Bowl, and it proved to be an unceremonious way for his collegiate career to end.

It served as a lovely metaphor, Terry Godwin passing to Malcolm Mitchell for a 44-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter.

Hackenberg completed 8 of 14 passes for 139 yards against Georgia. The game could have taken an ugly turn, but Franklin is undoubtedly proud of the effort in the second half.

Defensive tackle Austin Johnson, a 323-pound run-stuffer who some draft experts believe could be a first- or second-day pick, confirmed he will be entering the 2016 draft.

McSorley completed 14 of 26 passes for 142 yards.

“It was tough”, he said. “I think the fans and the alumni and the lettermen mean so much to this place, and it’s a really special place”. My family and I talked about it and we felt this was the best decision for me.

“I feel like it was a big experience”, McSorley said.

“He came to the sideline, was fiery, had some emotion”, head coach James Franklin said.

Before the Lions boarded the bus and headed home, Franklin said he wanted his players to thank the upperclassmen who will begin going their separate ways and preparing for NFL futures or life after football as soon as they return.

“I was like ‘is it ever going to fall or do I need to jump up and get it, ‘” said Mitchell.

“Those plays included two fourth-quarter touchdowns – a 17-yard pass to Geno Lewis and a 20-yarder to Hamilton – that fueled McSorley”. When the comeback fell short in a 24-17 loss to Georgia, McSorley’s teammates – including many on defense – sought out the quarterback to pat his back, a gesture that went noticed all over EverBank Field. But patience among the fan base is thinning as the Lions finish back-to-back 7-6 seasons, their worst two-year record since 2003-04.

McSorley got the Nittany Lions in position for a Hail Mary, but the pass was batted down in the end zone, sealing the win for the Bulldogs.

Chris Godwin became the third player in school history to register 1,000 receiving yards in a season, joining Allen Robinson (2013, 2012) and Bobby Engram (1994, 1995) as players to accomplish the feat.

Georgia (10-3) answered with a long, time-consuming drive down to the Penn State 25-yard line.

On their following possession, and with time running down in the half, quarterback Greyson Lambert connected with Godwin for a 17-yard score, beating cornerback Grant Haley on a corner route for a 17-3 lead.

McSorley was able to find DaeSean Hamilton in the middle of the endzone to cut the lead to seven with a little over six minutes left in the game.

Penn State ended its season in disappointing yet exciting fashion on January 2.