Penn State football players of the game against Appalachian State
Penn State football started 2018 with a win, but it definitely didn’t come as easy as was expected.
Well, that sure was an interesting start to the season. Despite being favored by over 20 points, Penn State football struggled mightily with Appalachian State on Saturday and had to use overtime to win. The Nittany Lions had to survive a late field goal attempt in order to just make it to overtime.
In the end, the Nittany Lions did what a team vying for a shot in the College Football Playoff has to do. They overcame adversity and found a way to pull out a gritty win. It wasn’t pretty but it’s a win and the Nittany Lions will move on to next week with a record of 1-0.
There were some positives to take away, but unfortunately, there were a lot of negatives, particularly on defense and special teams. The coaching staff will have plenty of film to go through in the coming week.
Although the score was closer than expected, there were some Nittany Lions who stood out. Check out Penn State’s players of the game for Week 1.
Offense – Quarterback Trace McSorley
There were a lot of rough edges on offense, particularly on the offensive line, but overall, it was a productive day for the Penn State offense. The Nittany Lions put up 434 yards, 45 points, and avoided any turnovers.
The star of the offense was Trace McSorley. The senior quarterback avoided any big mistakes and stayed cool under pressure.
While his passing numbers were modest (21-36 for 230 yards and one touchdown), he ran for 53 yards and two touchdowns. There were several instances in which McSorley was able to use his legs to scramble away from pressure and make a play.
When Penn State needed McSorley the most, he stepped up, leading the game-tying drive and throwing a touchdown pass to KJ Hamler to tie the game late.
McSorley had a solid start to his 2018 campaign and will look to keep it rolling against Pitt next week.
Honorable Mention: WR KJ Hamler, RB Miles Sanders
Defense – Cornerback Amani Ourwariye
Let’s be clear. It was not a good day for the Penn State defense. The unit lost several key starters from a year ago, including all four starters in the secondary, and it was glaringly obvious on Saturday.
Appalachian State was able to move the ball almost at will, especially in the fourth quarter when they scored 21 unanswered points. Overall, the Mountaineers racked up 451 yards and 38 points.
Despite the poor performance, there were some individual performances that stood out. This week’s selection for the best defensive player is cornerback Amani Ourwariye. The experienced defensive back made a great play on the goal line when he jumped and intercepted Appalachian State’s chance to tie the game in overtime.
Aside from the game-clinching interception, Ourwariye made seven solo tackles and forced a fumble.
It wasn’t a good day for the Penn State defense, but Ourwariye made a huge play at the end of the game that could ultimately end up saving the season for the Nittany Lions.
Honorable Mention: LB Jan Johnson, S Nick Scott
Special Teams – KJ Hamler
Awful. Horrible. Terrible. Choose whichever adjective you’d like to describe Penn State’s special teams on Saturday. From giving up a 100-yard kickoff return, to allowing Appalachian State to recover a key onside kick, the Nittany Lions had a bad day on special teams.
It’s hard to pick a star from the special teams unit, but the vote is going to KJ Hamler. He has just one kick return, but it went for 52 yards and set up the game-tying drive. The redshirt freshman fielded the kick in the end zone and to the dismay of many fans, decided to return it instead of taking a knee. Fortunately, his speed helped the decision to pay off.
Hopefully, things will get much better on special teams as the year goes on.
Honorable Mention: K Jake Pinegar
