Haley's first-quarter interception helps lift Penn State past Pitt
Steve Manuel/BWI
An offensive standout in high school, Penn State cornerback Grant Haley knows what to do and where he has to go once he has the ball. On the first drive against Pittsburgh Saturday, he found himself in that situation yet again.
"Score," he thinks to himself. "That's the mindset you have to have. Playing offense in high school, I feel comfortable with the ball in my hands, feeling comfortable seeing blocks coming through. My first mindset is to score no matter what."
Last year against Ohio State, he returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown in what goes down as one of the greatest special teams plays in Penn State history. As a freshman in 2014, his first career interception was returned 30 yards for a touchdown against Temple.
Against Pitt Saturday, he almost did it again.
After the Panthers gained 10 yards on their first three plays, quarterback Max Browne dropped back to pass for the second time in the game. Instead of completing the throw to his intended receiver, however, it was Haley who stepped in front of it and grabbed his fourth career pick.
"During the play they ran a post and a corner and me and the safety were able to switch it off," Haley recalls of the play. "I was a little late. I slipped out of my break but the receiver just stopped right there and (the ball) kind of just fell in my lap."
Once he had possession at the 50-yard line, Haley knew where he had to go.
As he made would-be tacklers miss, he returned the ball all the way to the 8 before he was brought down. He didn't score this time, but it set his offense up for quarterback Trace McSorley to find tight end Mike Gesicki for a touchdown one play later.
It gave the Nittany Lions a lead that it maintained throughout the rest of the game, even though Pitt's offense, which controlled the ball for almost two-thirds of the afternoon, began chipping away at the PSU defense as the day wore on.
"They started having some success in the second half with the shovel pass," Haley said. "We just have to work on that. We felt like we contained Quadree Henderson during the game. He wasn't able to get outside. We made everything cut up inside. That was one thing we emphasized this week. We just go back and watch the film, learn from our mistakes. Winning minimizes problems and losing maximizes problems."
