STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Christian Hackenberg treated Saturday’s praise much like he does criticism. He smiled politely, told reporters he’s just doing what the coaches ask and reiterated that nothing has really changed.
"I don’t think anything was different," he added, minutes after arguably his best game of the season against Illinois. "We just went out, and we executed."
Chalk that up to humility instead of reality. Because this didn’t seem like the same Hackenberg who completed less than half his passes against Temple. This was a different quarterback from early in the season, the one who pulled a ball cap close to his eyes during postgame news conferences and was roundly criticized for making poor throws and poorer decisions.