(WHTM)– On August 31, 2013, Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg became the second true freshman quarterback in school history to start a Penn State Season opener.

Hackenberg, who was the first true freshman quarterback to start since 1911, faced all the pressure in the world as the Nittany Lions geared up to face the Syracuse Orange at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The young quarterback didn’t break under the pressure of a game that could define the Nittany Lions’ offense for an entire season on his shoulders. Hackenberg led the Nittany Lions to a 23-17 victory that day, completing 22 of 31 passes for 278 yards and two 50-yard touchdowns.

The performance not only earned Hackenberg the respect of his teammates and fanbase but also earned him his first of five Big Ten Freshmen-of-the-Week accolades.

The Nittany Lions went on to have an overall record of seven wins and five losses and a division record of four and four during the 2013 season. While the team didn’t play in a bowl game that year, they finished the season with a notable upset win against Wisconsin.

The Nittany Lions were ineligible for a bowl game in 2013 due to NCAA sanctions related to the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal. The sanctions lasted four years.

According to PSU Sports, Hackenberg went on to start all 38 games under center and finished his collegiate career as the school’s leader in career 300-yard passing games (9), 200-yard passing games (21), passing yards (8,457), attempts (1,235), completions (693), passing touchdowns (48) and total offense (8,215).

Hackenberg is also the only player in Penn State program history to have three 2,000-yard passing seasons, the only 8,000-yard passer in program history, and just one of eight Penn State quarterbacks to top the 5,000-yard mark, per PSU Sports.

Hackenberg went on to get drafted 51st overall by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft.