April 16, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - You often learn the most about a competitor in the face of adversity.
When things are going well, it's easy to be a leader and set an example.
But when you never waver under fire, that's when an individual shows mettle and earns the utmost respect from his peers.
Regardless of the score, team record or how many times he gets knocked to the mat, the approach and undying will to win never changes for Penn State's signal-caller.
That's what makes him unique.
No one wants to win more than Christian Hackenberg. And no one believes the team can win every time it steps on the field more than Hackenberg. His competitiveness permeates through the locker room because of the way he works to be the best.
And he doesn't settle for anything less.
Rather than dwell on any shortcomings in 2014, Hackenberg viewed the winter and spring practice periods as opportunities to understand why things transpired the way they did and turn any negatives into positives and turn all of the positives into bigger positives.
"This spring has been a lot about focusing on us and what we need to do as an entire offensive unit, and I think we've done a great job with that," said Hackenberg. "It's gone really well for us, and I think we've gotten better every day."
Buoyed by a record-breaking performance in the Pinstripe Bowl, Hackenberg and the Penn State offense have taken the strong finish to 2014 and run with it. To a man, the game reps from 2014 have led to more comfort and more comfort has led to greater confidence. That starts with the man in the center of the huddle.
"For me, it's being as genuine as I can with everything and working as hard as I can," Hackenberg said. "I think that's the biggest asset of any good leader, it's earning the respect of everyone else with how you work. I feel a little more comfortable this year. And it's about showing people that you hold yourself to the same standard that you hold everyone else to."
A starter in his first 25 games on campus, Hackenberg has played superb football this spring, and his growth in the offensive system is apparent every time he steps on the field. The unit's collective growth is certainly a byproduct of this being year two in the scheme, but Pinstripe Bowl MVP is a big piece to that puzzle.
"I think this spring it has been my confidence in the entire scheme and getting the ball to guys and letting them go make plays instead of trying to go make the plays myself," said Hackenberg. "I think that's the biggest part about being a good quarterback, being able to distribute the ball, executing the offense, managing the game and making sure that we stay on track. Making that a focus has been big. I've really tried to understand when to make the smart play and when to make the spectacular play and when you need to do those things and when you don't."
At this time last year, he was the voice in the huddle and the man orchestrating the show on the field when things were new to everyone. And thus, Hackenberg had a big burden on his shoulders to make sure each individual unit within the offense understood how to execute. It was a steep learning curve for a true sophomore, and in a lot of ways, Hackenberg's team-first attitude of ensuring that the offensive units grew hindered some of the things he wanted to work on individually.
But this spring has taken on a much different tone. The offense's growth has aided Hackenberg in his growth, and it has been a win-win for the Virginia native and the offense as a whole.
"With everyone coming along so well this spring, it has given me the opportunity to focus on things in my game that need improvement. There are always things I need to work on," said Hackenberg. "I know these guys are going to hold me to a high standard because I'm doing the same for them. And that's something that has been awesome for me to do this spring."
His development as a player is evident watching the Virginia native take command of the offense and throw the ball, but it's the subtle differences in leadership that have elevated the rising junior to another level as a complete player.
It's a regular occurrence on the practice field that you see Hackenberg pulling a young player aside to teach an aspect of the offense or offer insight as to what he might be seeing.
"I just think the fact that everybody is on the same page allows Christian to be the type of leader that he wants to be and we know he can be," head coach James Franklin said. "Leadership is so important at the quarterback position, and I think the other thing that is really important as a leader is when the leader is reinforcing the overall message...And that fact that we are now all aligned, year two has allowed that to happen."
With one practice left before Saturday's Blue-White Game Presented by AAA (4 p.m. on BTN), consistency is the name of the game for Hackenberg and the offense. Sure Saturday is an opportunity for the team to showcase its progress since the bowl game, but Hackenberg wants to see the unit execute and use the game as springboard towards the summer workout period and the start of training camp.
"Last year, a lot of guys were forced to play for the first time," Hackenberg said. "That's tough, especially up front with the amount of focus teams are putting on defensive fronts and schemes up front. That was difficult last year because no one had seen a lot of that stuff until we were in a game. But they started to get it towards the end of the year, and this offseason they have done a great job getting in better physical shape and you can definitely see the difference in everybody this spring."
Always humble, Hackenberg sees a difference in the play in those around him. The same is true for the player wearing No. 14.