UNIVERSITY Park— The first quarter for the Penn State offense was as dreary as the weather for Saturday’s game. In fact, it wasn’t the offense that found the scoreboard first, it was the punt return unit that did so.
Returner Daequan Hardy hauled in a 43-yard UMass punt, then took it 56 yards to the house to give the Nittany Lions an early lead.
55 YARDS TO THE HOUSE. 😱@PennStateFball gets on the board thanks to Daequan Hardy’s punt return TD.
📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/0mIgQjN3Zp
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) October 14, 2023
It was the first punt return for a touchdown since Jahan Dotson took one back against Michigan State in 2020.
The touchdown was the first of Hardy’s career on special teams. He returned an interception for a touchdown against Michigan State in 2021.
