Penn State Football: Amani Oruwariye earns AP first-team All-Big Ten honors

Penn State football picked up more postseason awards Wednesday.

Amani Oruwariye, a senior cornerback for Penn State football, picked up a big honor by being named to the AP first-team All-Big Ten team. Oruwariye was the lone Nittany Lion to pick up a first-team honor from the AP. As a senior, Oruwariye was a leader in the Penn State secondary this season and was a key piece of the defense as a whole.

He started every game and finished with 49 total tackles and led the team with three interceptions and 12 break-ups. Oruwariye ranked No. 4 in the conference and No. 17 nationally with 1.3 passes defended per game.

The all-conference honor is the second of Oruwariye’s career, having picked up a second-team nod last season. He’s the first Penn State cornerback since Justin King in 2007 to earn All-Big Ten first team recognition.

Three other Penn State players picked up AP all-conference honors, with defensive tackle Robert Windsor, quarterback Trace McSorley, and running back Miles Sanders each being named second-team All-Big Ten.

McSorley adds another honor to a long list over his Penn State career. He will leave the school as the winningest quarterback in program history and will be remembered as one of the best players to ever play for the Nittany Lions.

Tabbed as a Heisman Trophy candidate before the 2018 season started, McSorley didn’t live up to some of the higher expectations that were set for him heading into the year. Still, he accounted for 162 points and has a chance in the Citrus Bowl to lead the Nittany Lions to a third-straight 10-win season.

Junior running back Miles Sanders had some huge shoes to fill this season. He took over for Saquon Barkley, who was taken No. 2 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Sanders finished the regular season ranked second in the Big Ten and No. 14 in the nation with 1,223 rushing yards. He averaged over 101 yards per game and scored nine touchdowns.

Windsor made a name for himself in 2018 and stepped up as a big part of Penn State’s defensive line. He finished with 39 total tackles and finished second on the team with 7.5 tackles. A native of Wisconsin, Windsor had his best performance of the year against the Badgers, recording a career-high six tackles and two sacks.

Penn State will wrap up its 2018 season on January 1 against the Kentucky Wildcats in the Citrus Bowl. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.