Kicker propels Nittany Lions

NEW YORK – At Yankee Stadium, Sam Ficken was Penn State’s captain in the clutch.

Ficken used Derek Jeter’s old locker, then showed No. 2 must have left behind some postseason kismet. He booted a walk-off winner deep into Monument Park, kicking the extra point in overtime that Boston College could not to give the Nittany Lions a 31-30 win in the Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday night.

Christian Hackenberg hit Kyle Carter for a 10-yard touchdown pass that set up Ficken’s automatic kick that sent the Nittany Lions dancing on top of the Yankees’ dugout.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better ending for my career,” Ficken said.

The Nittany Lions (7-6) played in a bowl game for the first time since January 2012 after the NCAA lifted the most severe sanctions levied against the program in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

Captain to captain, Ficken had the honor of using the retired Jeter’s locker and some of the five-time World Series champion shortstop’s clutch postseason play rubbed off.

Ficken sent the game into OT with a 45-yard field goal with 20 seconds left in regulation and won it with his extra point.

“He’s probably been our best offensive weapon all year long,” coach James Franklin said.

Tyler Murphy hit David Dudeck for a 21-yard touchdown pass on Boston College’s drive. Mike Knoll shanked the extra point for the Eagles (7-6) and that was the opening Penn State needed to complete its comeback from a 21-7 deficit late in the third quarter.

“We lost a game we didn’t need to lose,” BC coach Steve Addazio said.

Penn State has played under the cloud of scandal and sanctions for most of the last four years, tearing at the fabric of the community known as Happy Valley and tarnishing the legacy of Joe Paterno.

Moments after Penn State hoisted the bowl trophy on the field, Franklin took the microphone and thanked the seniors “who stayed with this program when we needed them most.”

“I think experiences and games like this has restored the hope,” Franklin said.