Penn State Football: Position Grades versus Appalachian State

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STATE COLLEGE, PA – SEPTEMBER 01: Trace McSorley #9 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after rushing for a 12 yard touchdown in the first quarter against the Appalachian State Mountaineers on September 1, 2018 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Penn State took down Appalachian State in overtime on Saturday, 45-38, in one of the craziest season openers the Nittany Lions have ever played.

All 105,000 fans were able to catch their breath walking out of Beaver Stadium on Saturday after Amani Oruwariye grabbed the game-winning interception over the Appalachian State wide receiver. The end result was a win, which is what all the fans expected, but the way it happened was unlike anything anyone could have imagined.

After leading 31-17 in the fourth quarter, the Penn State defense allowed 21 unanswered points, giving Appalachian State a seven-point lead with 1:47 left in the fourth quarter. Thankfully, with a little bit of magic from Trace McSorley and redshirt freshman wide receiver K.J Hamler, the Nittany Lions tied the game with 42 seconds left. Miles Sanders ran in the touchdown to take the lead in overtime before the Penn State interception.

There was certainly a range of emotions during that game as the Nittany Lions allowed 451 yards of total offense and 38 points to a team that plays in the Sun Belt Conference despite getting the win.

It will be interesting to see if and how this game affects the Nittany Lions in the AP Poll, and how well Penn State will rebound when they play Pitt at Heinz Field next Saturday night.

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