Victory Bell Rings
Fansided

Penn State Football: Trace McSorley film review Akron

By Collin Wieder

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - SEPTEMBER 02: Trace McSorley #9 of the Penn State Nittany Lions passes the ball to Juwan Johnson #84 during the second quarter against the Akron Zips on September 2, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - SEPTEMBER 02: Trace McSorley #9 of the Penn State Nittany Lions passes the ball to Juwan Johnson #84 during the second quarter against the Akron Zips on September 2, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

VBR looks back at each one of Trace McSorley’s games this past season. First up, Penn State football battles MAC opponent Akron.

The one game that encapsulated Trace McSorley‘s 2017 campaign actually occurred in week one of the season against Akron. Penn State football’s dual threat, junior quarterback showed off a much-improved skill set and a mental resolve that kept him above water. I gave him an A- during my grade’s article, and he most certainly earned it.

First, he put himself in some early adversity tossing an interception in the red zone on the opening drive. Most of his games this season contained a slow start or turnover, but he more than made up for it. After the pick, he led the Nittany Lions to touchdowns on four of the next five drives.

He threw darts all over the field and opened up chemistry with some of his new receivers in the process. McSorley efficiently picked apart Akron, finding first-year starter Juwan Johnson four times for 84 yards and soon-to-be resurgent senior DaeSean Hamilton three times for 74 yards.

This game represented his season more than most because he didn’t hit the big play many times, but he played smarter. He took what the defense gave him. After the first drive, McSorley completed 16-of-20 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns. When he did take some risks, they were thrown on time and catchable.

Johnson caught a deep post that the junior QB lasered between two defenders. His accuracy went up almost a full 10 percent from 57.9 to 66.5 this past year. It started with smarter reads and less risky throws.

Furthermore, his ground game also mirrored the rest of the seasons. His sneaky-quick speed put the feat into Akron. Although Saquon Barkley made some big plays like his 80-yard run, McSorley added 48 yards and a touchdown to his stat line. Most defenses locked in on No. 26 and he deserved the attention, but the QB can be dangerous in the open field.

(Video Courtesy of Frankie Vision College Football Highlights)

Must Read: Penn State Football: Brandon Smith leaves underrated legacy

Overall, he earned a solid A- throwing precision strikes and operating well inside the pocket. A lot of the knocks from sophomore year were his gunslinging led to inconsistencies on offense. He more than cleaned those up and allowed the offense to open up to more.

Home/Penn State Football