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Penn State Football: Quarterback Report Post Wisconsin 2018

By Collin Wieder

STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 10: Trace McSorley #9 of the Penn State Nittany Lions drops back to pass against the Wisconsin Badgers during the first half at Beaver Stadium on November 10, 2018 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 10: Trace McSorley #9 of the Penn State Nittany Lions drops back to pass against the Wisconsin Badgers during the first half at Beaver Stadium on November 10, 2018 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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The greatest quarterback in Penn State football history rebounded against Wisconsin Saturday. Trace McSorley backed up that statement with a solid game.

Like all great quarterbacks, Penn State football senior quarterback Trace McSorley had a short memory in a 22-10 win over Wisconsin. He didn’t dwell on the struggles of last week and put up arguably his best passing performance of the year. Against a quality Wisconsin pass defense, he completed 19-of-25 passes for a season-high 76.0 completion percentage for 160 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions. Maybe the most impressive part, he played well on an injured knee to tie the Penn State QBs’ all-time wins record with No. 29.

Now, I know the first thought of most you reading this was his numbers don’t scream, best performance of the year. However, considering the situation and a yearlong struggle in the passing game featuring a bevy of drops, he played fantastic. McSorley hit quick, decisive strikes through the air, whether it was lasers over the middle or putting some nice touch on the ball to the perimeter.

He threw a perfect pass to DeAndre Thompkins for a touchdown, where he put the ball high and away from the defender for the score. In addition, he made a similar throw to the perimeter early on to Pat Freiermuth that showed a lot of trust in his receivers.

Although his running was hampered by the knee injury, he made a few plays there as well. Without the help of his legs, the Penn State run game did a great job of backing him up. Miles Sanders ran for 159 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, surpassing 1,000 yards on the season, to take the pressure off the senior quarterback.

Tommy Stevens added in seven carries for 25 yards to help out. He didn’t get the same amount of reps like he did the previous week, but that’s a good thing. Penn State didn’t flip-flop like head coach James Franklin did much of the Michigan game. He trusted McSorley, and he got the job done. I’d give the quarterbacks an A-minus in the win. McSorley is close to a few milestones next week. If he wins, he’ll nab win No. 30, the most in Penn State’s history.

Next. Penn State Football: Nittany Lions shut down Wisconsin. dark

McSorley SEASON STATS: 7-3, 2018 record; 147-of-270, 1,712 yards, 13 touchdowns, five interceptions; 620 rushing yards, nine rushing touchdowns, 4.7 yards per carry; 2,492 total yards, 22 total touchdowns

McSorley CAREER STATS: 29-8 career record; 9,241 passing yards; 60.1 completion percentage; 72 touchdowns, 23 interceptions; 1,519 rushing yards, 27 rushing touchdowns; 10,760 total yards, 98 total touchdowns

Stevens CAREER STATS: 22-of-39 for 279 yards, four touchdowns and one interception; 471 rushing yards, eight touchdowns, 6.5 yards per carry; 14 catches, 62 yards, two touchdowns; 812 total yards, 14 total touchdowns

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