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In just under three minutes, McSorley engineered a 10-play, 75-yard drive that he capped with a 1-yard touchdown carry. Suddenly, PSU had a bit of hope. As Penn State's defense systematically took away Kentucky's physical offense in the fourth quarter, McSorley showed off his game-changing ability. After a quick three-and-out for the Wildcats, he took the field again in hope of reducing the Nittany Lions' 27-14 deficit. In spite of back-to-back negative- yardage plays to open the possession, he accomplished that goal. After connecting with Jahan Dotson for 24 yards on third- and-18, McSorley completed a 20-yard pass to Pat Freiermuth, and two plays later he found the freshman tight end again for an 18-yard score that trimmed the deficit to just six points. Following another three-and-out by Kentucky, McSorley led the Nittany Lions 61 yards on 10 plays. But when they were unable to complete a pass on third-and- 7, Franklin opted for a 32-yard field goal with 4:12 left to play. "Obviously at that point in time, we were able to get on a run, we were able to get a couple of touchdowns, get into the end zone and make it a touchdown game," McSorley said. "I had full confidence that we were going to get the ball into the end zone, and that was the mindset of the en- tire team. When it got to fourth down, you kick it to make it a field goal game, and it's still manageable. "We could have rolled the dice and been in a worse spot had we not converted. So I understand why we kicked the field goal. We got the three and gave ourselves an opportunity." Kentucky responded by holding the ball for just over four minutes, denying Penn State a chance to put together one last drive. McSorley finished the game with 17 completions in 33 passing attempts for 246 yards and two touchdowns, and he also rushed 19 times for 75 yards and a TD. He was sacked five times by a vicious Kentucky defensive front, but he endured all the pain that Josh Allen and company doled out. By leading the Lions to the brink of victory in a game that had seemed to be turning into a Kentucky rout, he showed yet again why he was so valuable throughout his college career. "I think today was a really good example of the kind of leader he is, the type of player he is, the type of person he is," Franklin said. "When we gave him time, he was able to make some big plays. He was able to make big plays with his arm, and he was able to make big plays with his feet." Finishing his career with a 31-9 record as a starter, McSorley spent much of the postgame media session answering ques- tions about his injury – how it affected him against the Wildcats and how it might impact his efforts to reach the next level. He said he would just have to take it one step at a time. "That's all I can do. Whatever comes my way, I'm going to be ready to face it head on," he said. "My career as a player isn't over. I wholeheartedly believe that. Whatever occurs, does come or doesn't come, I'm going to face it head on and I'm going to attack these next couple of months like nothing else." No matter what comes next, McSorley's legacy at Penn State is sure to be cele- brated for many years to come. He owns school records for passing yards, passing touchdowns, rushing touchdowns and victories by a quarterback, among others. And the numbers only hint at what he did for the program during his three seasons as the Lions' starter. "Trace is special. I can't put into words the type of relationship I have with him, his family. He's a special guy for a lot of different reasons," Franklin said. "Obvi- ously, you look out on the field and you focus on his arm and his legs, but it's his heart and it's his mind that really make him special." ■ C I T R U S B O W L H I G H S & L O W S B Y N A T E B A U E R PLAYER OF THE GAME After engi- neering a fourth-quarter comeback attempt, Trace McSorley has to be considered here, but the nod ulti- mately goes to Kentucky running back Benny Snell Jr. In his last college game, Snell rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. PLAY OF THE GAME With Kentucky facing a third-and-3 situation at its own 36-yard line late in the fourth quarter, Snell gained 4 yards to help the Wildcats maintain possession and deny Penn State's offense one last chance to win the game or send it to overtime. BEST PASS McSorley's fourth-quar- ter bullet to tight end Pat Freiermuth was a beauty. The touchdown pass covered 18 yards and narrowed Ken- tucky's lead to six points. WORST PASS After evading a Ken- tucky rush, McSorley stepped up in the pocket and overthrew a wide-open Freiermuth as he slanted toward the end zone late in the second quarter. The Lions were eventually forced to settle for a field goal attempt, which was no good. BEST RUN Snell opened the second half with a bang for Kentucky. Taking the ball at the 35 following an out-of- bounds kick, the junior running back headed up the sideline for 32 yards. BEST CATCH K.J. Hamler's big mo- ment was more of a catch-and-run, as he sprinted to the Kentucky 1-yard line in the second quarter. The play covered 41 yards and set up a touch- down pass to Nick Bowers. WORST DROP A season-long problem resurfaced, as Penn State dropped at least four passes against the Wildcats. Running back Miles Sanders was the first to cough one up, mishandling an easy pitch-and-catch from McSorley on the second play of the game. Later, DeAndre Thompkins let two slip through his hands. BEST HIT Early in the game, Penn State linebacker Jan Johnson met Snell head-on at the line of scrimmage on third-and-2. The stop forced a Wild- cat punt. BEST EFFORT How can this go to any- one but McSorley? It was initially re- ported that the senior QB had suffered a broken foot and was done for the day. McSorley clearly was hurt, but he re- turned to the game and engineered a fourth-quarter comeback. ■ F A S T F O R W A R D >> A N E A R L Y L O O K

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