Penn State wideout KJ Hamler couldn’t even venture a real guess at how many times he’s since replayed Saturday’s kick return, the one that kept his team’s playoff hopes alive.
“I’ve probably watched that 1,000 times, to be honest with you,” he said Wednesday, after having time to reflect on the 45-38 overtime win against Appalachian State. “Just to see why I made the decision I made, what I could’ve done better.”
Four days after the play and Hamler’s kick return is still the talk around Happy Valley. It’s recited like a folk tale: In his Penn State debut, with a seven-point deficit late in the fourth quarter, the redshirt freshman fields the Appalachian State kick 5 yards in the end zone, hesitates and then takes it out.