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Hamilton, all of whom are now in the NFL. Defensively, the 6rst half of Penn State's season was a mixed bag. The Nit- tany Lions were ninth in the conference against the run (155.3 ypg), but were sur- rendering only 3.8 yards per carry. The overall number was up from last year, when Penn State ranked 68h in the con- ference, allowing 118.0 rushing yards per game. Against the pass, the Lions' perform- ance was comparable to last year. Through six games, they were sixth in the conference, allowing 209.7 yards per game, which was down slightly from 2017. A year ago, Penn State was second in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing 16.5 points per game. This season, the Lions were 68h through six games at 21.0 points per game. Finally, last season Penn State was 68h in the conference in total defense, allow- ing 329.5 yards per game. This season, the Lions were sixth as of this writing with a 365.0-yard average. So the scor- ing and yardage numbers were up a little bit, but that was to be expected with nine new starters on defense. On o7ense, McSorley has completely taken charge. With Barkley, Gesicki and Hamilton no longer in the lineup, he has rede6ned his role as Penn State's leader on that side of the ball. I believe McSorley has become the best dual-threat quarterback in all of college football. His versatility was on full dis- play against Ohio State, a game in which he amassed a school-record 461 yards of total o7ense: 286 passing and 175 rush- ing. McSorley may not end up throwing for more than 3,500 yards this season, but he still could have an opportunity to surpass 4,000 yards of total o7ense and become only the third player in Big Ten history to 6nish his career with more than 12,000 yards. Going into the Indiana game, McSorley had completed 92 of 170 passes for 1,241 yards, with 11 touchdown passes and two interceptions. That's an average of only 206.8 yards per game. Last season, Mc- Sorley led the Big Ten in total o7ense with 4,061 yards, an average of 312.4 yards per game. Through six games this season, he was fourth in the Big Ten, av- eraging 281.3 yards of total o7ense per game. But while his passing totals have de- clined, he's been a much bigger part of Penn State's running game. Heading into the Indiana game, he had rushed for 447 yards on 79 carries, averaging 74.5 yards per game and 5.7 yards per carry. That total was second on the team behind running back Miles Sanders, who had 700 yards on 104 carries (6.7 ypc). Sanders and McSorley were the best running tandem in the Big Ten for the 6rst half of the 2018 season. They com- bined to rush for 1,147 yards on 183 car- ries (6.3 ypc) and 13 touchdowns through six games. Sanders was the sec- ond-ranked rusher in the Big Ten at 116.7 yards per game, while McSorley was eighth. This was the 6rst time in more than a decade that Penn State had two players rated among the top eight rushing leaders in the Big Ten halfway through the season. It's a clear indica- tion of how o7ensive coordinator Ricky Rahne has established a balanced attack using the team's familiar high-octane scheme. Although Penn State's passing has struggled at times this season, one player in particular – redshirt freshman slot receiver K.J. Hamler – has exceeded expectations. He has become Penn State's big-play specialist in the passing game and has also been a special teams catalyst. When the Lions have needed a spark, he has stepped up and gotten the job done. Going into the game against Indiana, Hamler had 18 catches for 374 yards and 6ve touchdowns. He also established himself as one of the Big Ten's more dangerous return specialists, having FAST COMPANY Hamler has given the Nittany Lions a spark on both offense and special teams so far this season. Photo by Steve Manuel

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