Blue White Illustrated

| P O S T S E A S O N P R E V I E W >> P E N N S T A T E t's been said that the past is a foreign coun- try, and maybe that's true. But it's also true that travel broadens the mind, so as Trace McSorley gets set to play his final game in a Penn State uniform, it seems only fitting to go back and revisit his first game as the Nittany Lions' top quarterback. That game was the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl. It was played in Jacksonville, Fla., which is only about 140 miles from the site of the team's up- coming showdown with Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl. But in some ways, it took place in an entirely different world, one in which former five-star prospect Christian Hack- enberg was the face of the program and McSorley was his rarely seen, lightly re- garded backup. The difference in per- ception between the Trace McSorley of three years ago and the one whom James Franklin referred to recently as "the best player in college football" is most evident in the reaction that followed Hackenberg's de- parture in the second quarter due to a shoulder injury. To judge by the stream of anguished tweets, a lot of Penn State followers were dis- tressed by the thought of having to watch Mc- Sorley finish the game. Some didn't even seem entirely certain who he was. @TheDrewHouse: McSorley sounds like a menu item you'd find at a McDonald's. @geis_shane: Is McSorley a walk-on? @twitchkoff: McSorley is absolutely not the QB of the future. At the time, the Ashburn, Va., native was just a redshirt freshman. He had attempted only 13 passes to that point in his career, completing six for 43 yards. It was a modest statistical portfolio, and it got even more modest when he missed six of his first nine attempts against the Bulldogs. If anyone thought they were watching a future Heisman Trophy hopeful, they did not share that opinion on Twitter. They did share some other thoughts, though. @Ross_Lippy: Visions of a post Hackenberg Penn State on display today. Not a pretty pic- ture so far. @WeAre_Golden: Am I supposed to believe that Trace McSorley is the future of the program? Because I'm not buying it. @thunderducks26: McSorley has no arm, no accuracy, too small. This is Franklin's recruit. The future of Penn State football is dead. Early in the fourth quarter, McSorley threw a 17- yard touchdown pass to Geno Lewis on fourth- GAME CHANGER I Trace McSorley has played a leading role in PSU's transformation back into a national power. Now, he's returning to the state where he first flashed his collegiate potential, hoping to cap a history-making career with one last victory OFF AND RUNNING In his three sea- sons as Penn State's starting quarterback, McSorley has become the program's all- time leader in total offense. Photo by Steve Manuel C O V E R S T O R Y

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