Sam Ficken kicked four field goals, including a 36-yarder as time expired, to lift the Nittany Lions over the Knights, 26-24 in Dublin and give James Franklin a win in his Penn State coaching debut.
Sophomore Christian Hackenberg completed 32 of 47 passes for a career-high 454 yards and a touchdown while driving Penn State 55 yards to set up the winning score. DaeSean Hamilton caught 11 passes for 165 yards in his first college game and Geno Lewis grabbed eight for 173 — 79 coming on a second-half touchdown.
Justin Holman replaced Pete DiNovo late in the first half and completed 9 of 14 passes for 204 yards and a score for Central Florida while running for a pair of touchdowns. Holman connected with Josh Reese for 37 yards on fourth down before scoring on a 6-yard draw with 1:13 left in the contest, but the Knights saw their nine-game winning streak end.
Hackenberg completed 17 of 26 passes, Zach Zwinak plowed in for an early 1-yard touchdown run and Central Florida totaled just 35 yards, but Penn State managed only a 10-3 halftime lead. Holman connected with Breshad Perriman for 50 yards to get the Knights going, and then dived in from the 1-yard line with 2:39 left in the third quarter.
Lewis broke wide open and Hackenberg found him only 1:44 later to push the Nittany Lions’ lead back to 20-10. Holman responded by driving the Knights 77 yards in seven plays, capped by a 10-yard scoring strike to Reese with 11:31 left before Ficken’s third field goal made it 23-17.
NOTEBOOK: Penn State held the Knights to 29 yards on 24 carries. … Central Florida was without WR Rannell Hall (arm), who led the team in receiving in 2013 with 57 receptions and 886 yards, and RB William Stanback (undisclosed) with injuries. … The game was played at Croke Park, home of the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland.
