Penn State Football: Quarterback Report Post Citrus Bowl 2019

All-time Penn State football great Trace McSorley ended his tremendous career in an exhilarating, dramatic game. It just didn’t conclude with a victory.

Warrior, competitor, fighter and Penn State football’s greatest quarterback Trace McSorley put up an unreal comeback effort only to suffer a heartbreaking, 27-24, Citrus Bowl loss to the Kentucky Wildcats Tuesday afternoon.

In almost scripted fashion, McSorley left the game with a possible broken foot, according to multiple media outlets, including Philly.com. Faced with severe pain and even damage to his draft stock, he pushed through and rallied the team back from a 27-7 deficit with another vintage McSorley moment.

The moment was almost legendary and the team’s play, inspired. With no offensive pulse in the second half and a defense that was gassed against Kentucky’s all-time leading rusher Benny Snell, the team did a complete 180-degree turn.

PSU’s defense stepped up and forced two consecutive three-and-outs, and McSorley did his job. After tossing an interception on his first drive back, he led scoring drives of 75, 60 and 61 yards, resulting in a 17-0 run in the fourth quarter. He threw on time, accurately, on-the-run, in the face of pressure, with and without touch, made quick decisions in the ground game – to put it simply, he did it all.

Facing a couple third-and-longs, he lasered strikes to Jahan Dotson and Nick Bowers over the middle. He found Pat Freiermuth on two separate occasions (one for a touchdown) on the boundary, fitting the ball in between defenders.

The zone read run right through the teeth of the Kentucky defense was the most courageous of all the comeback plays. On third-and-one, he faked to Ricky Slade and sprinted up the field for a 17-yard gain.

Had PSU not settled for a field goal on the final drive, McSorley could have closed out his career with another win and another signature moment in his career.

The Nittany Lions didn’t though, they settled for the field goal, and Kentucky bled out the clock, cementing a loss in McSorley’s career finale. The senior QB finished with 246 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 17-of-33 passing attempts, with 75 rushing yards and another TD on the ground in the loss.

His grade comes out as a B-plus in this one. The stat line wasn’t efficient, but he laid everything out on the field for Penn State and played some of his best football of the year in the fourth quarter.

Yet, as I wrote last week, his final moment was slated to leave the fan base with a lasting memory of his grit and impact on the program, and it did. He never gave up and gave Penn State fans hope like he did every time he was on the field.

Entering games, Penn State players, coaches and fans felt like they had a chance with McSorley under center. Before he arrived in Happy Valley, no one thought the Nittany Lions would beat Ohio State, win a Big Ten title, claim a Fiesta Bowl Championship or win 31 games over a three-year span. The program owes a lot to him, and his 107 home-run swings after each touchdown, which is now the second-most in Big Ten history.

McSorley deserves all the accolades, records, awards and respect. He made every game exciting and did it with a swagger and toughness rivaled by none.

Checkout McSorley’s season and career stats along with the rest of Penn State football’s QB stats below courtesy of College Football Reference.

McSorley SEASON STATS: 9-4, 2018 record; 192-of-361, 2,530 yards, 18 touchdowns, seven interceptions; 798 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 4.7 yards per carry; 3,328 total yards, 30 total touchdowns

McSorley CAREER STATS: 31-9 career record; 9,899 passing yards; 59 completion percentage; 77 touchdowns, 25 interceptions; 1,697 rushing yards, 30 rushing touchdowns; 11,956 total yards, 107 total touchdowns

Stevens CAREER STATS: 24-of-41 for 304 yards, four touchdowns and one interception; 506 rushing yards, eight touchdowns, 6.5 yards per carry; 14 catches, 62 yards, two touchdowns; 872 total yards, 14 total touchdowns

Clifford CAREER STATS: 5-of-7 for 199 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions