Penn State's Future Bright, Bowl Win Helps Nittany Lions Leave Sanctions Behind

When Penn State kicker Sam Ficken bolted down the field at Yankee Stadium on Saturday night, celebrating the walk-off extra point that gave his Nittany Lions a 31-30 win over Boston College in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, it seemed to mean more than a simple celebration. 

It looked as though Ficken was running away. Running away from the darkest hours of Penn State's history. 

He was running to the light that now illuminates Penn State's future, which is as bright as it's ever been since the NCAA levied sanctions for the Jerry Sandusky investigation back in July 2012, keeping Penn State out of the postseason. 

It was announced in September of this season that the scholarship and postseason sanctions had been lifted. 

So, the game on Saturday night in The City That Never Sleeps gave the State College faithful a moment of peace. A moment of recovery. A weight was finally lifted. 

Is the Pinstripe Bowl the standard the Nittany Lions tradition dictates? Of course not. 

But it's not just better than nothing. For a program as rich in tradition as Penn State, it's much more than that. 

Bill O'Brien kept this program on life support and laid the foundation for a resurrection. But now, it's James Franklin's job to inject new life. 

He's the face of the program now, and after years of turmoil and instability, he'll deliver a trophy to Pennsylvania. 

After the bowl victory, Franklin talked about the program's struggles up to that point, per James Kratch of NJ.com. 

"

I think we've been fractured in the last three years. But I think experiences and games like this has restored the hope. I believe when Penn State is together and we're all pulling the rope in the same direction, and doing what's best for the students and the players, and what's best for the community as a whole, than the sky is very high at Penn State.

"

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The Nittany Lions didn't just win a pity bowl against a lesser opponent either. No, they beat a feisty Boston College team that, had it possessed a decent kicker on its roster, might have upended Penn State. The Eagles also hung with Florida State earlier this year, and the Seminoles are in the playoffs. 

Make no mistake. Penn State beat a good football team to win the Pinstripe Bowl. 

But more importantly, the Nittany Lions established that they are still a good football team. That's something worth bragging about considering the dire circumstances. 

It wasn't too long ago that the phrases "death penalty" and "Penn State" were synonymous. 

But Penn State survived, and now it's ready to thrive again. 

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The Nittany Lions finished with seven wins this year—not a groundbreaking mark but certainly a strong building block. 

They have quarterback Christian Hackenberg, a sophomore who threw for 371 yards and four touchdowns against Boston College and will return next year. 

Hackenberg was mostly inconsistent this season, throwing 15 picks. But the progress he made in the bowl practices certainly has a chance to be replicated this summer. If he keeps on this pace, he'll be one of the most feared quarterbacks in the Big Ten. 

Josh Moyer of ESPN pointed out Franklin's comments regarding Hackenberg after the game: 

Franklin's also reeled in the ninth-best recruiting class for 2015, according to 247Sports. That list includes four 4-star offensive linemen and a loaded class of defensive backs, both of which are positions that play huge roles in the Big Ten, where quarterbacks love to move in methodical fashion. 

Ultimately, it was Ficken's sprint down the field that said it all. Penn State can finally put its sanctions behind and run toward the future.