Saturday, December 27, 2014 04:30 PM (ET)

Recap: Penn State 31, Boston College 30 (OT)

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 27, 2014

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Hackenberg, who finished 34-of-50 for 371 yards and tied a career high with four TD passes, orchestrated a two-minute drive late in regulation and Sam Ficken sent the game into overtime with a 45-yard field goal. Boston College (7-6) missed the point-after attempt after scoring a touchdown on its overtime possession, and Hackenberg hooked up with Carter on a fade pattern in the left corner of the end zone before Ficken ended it with the extra point.

Freshman Chris Godwin set season highs with 140 yards on seven catches and was one of three other receivers to score for Penn State (7-6), joining Geno Lewis and DaeSean Hamilton. Freshman Jon Hilliman ran for a season-high 148 yards and a touchdown while Tyler Murphy went 11-of-19 for 97 yards, rushed for 105 more and accounted for three scores for the Eagles.

Hackenberg hit Godwin in stride for a 70-yard score on Penn State’s third drive before Hilliman gashed the nation’s top-ranked rush defense with a 49-yard gallop to even it two plays later. The Eagles found their offensive stride in the third quarter, pulling ahead 21-7 on Shakim Phillips’ 19-yard TD catch and Murphy’s 40-yard sprint before Lewis hauled in a tipped pass by BC defensive back Justin Simmons for a 7-yard score as time expired in the period.

Hackenberg knotted it with 6:48 left on a 16-yard strike to Hamilton and Penn State tied it again at 24-24 with 20 seconds remaining when the sophomore quarterback marched the Nittany Lions 49 yards in eight plays in 1:50 to set up Ficken’s field goal. David Dudeck’s only catch of the game resulted in a 21-yard touchdown on the third play of the extra period, but Mike Knoll hooked the point-after attempt, leaving the door open for the Nittany Lions to win it six plays later.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Nittany Lions finished the regular season as the only FBS defense that did not allow a rushing play more than 30 yards, but the Eagles ripped off three runs of at least 40 yards. … Neither team entered the red zone until BC moved to the Penn State 18 on the first drive of the second half – its eighth possession. … Godwin, Lewis and Hamilton each entered Saturday with one receiving touchdown.
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