Penn State Football: Position grades versus Ohio State
By Dylan Burd
Quarterbacks
At this point in the season you can’t say there are many college quarterbacks better than Trace McSorley. Once again, when it mattered the most, Trace McSorley played out of his mind, and you legitimately couldn’t ask him to do more.
McSorley threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-32 passing (there were many dropped passes once again), while rushing for 175 yards on 25 carries. This accounted for 461 of Penn State’s 491 offensive yards. The 461 yards were the most ever by a quarterback in Penn State history, as Trace McSorley broke Christian Hackenberg’s 2014 record of 456 yards.
Trace McSorley also had the most rushing yards in a game for a Penn State quarterback since 1913. McSorley did all this against an elite defense in Ohio State, as his pocket awareness and elusiveness were absolutely fantastic. It’s certainly disturbing to think that such a great quarterback will likely never get a chance to play in the College Football Playoff.
It’s worth noting that Tommy Stevens saw his first playing time of the 2018 season, but didn’t attempt a pass. He carried the ball three times for minus-12 yards.
Overall, McSorley had a legendary performance in this game, but several other Penn State problems led to a loss. The Nittany Lions are going to miss this guy terribly next season, as he might be the best quarterback in school history.