Blue White Illustrated

Penn State is once again one of the na- tion's premier schools in home atten- dance. During the fall sports season, four Nittany Lion teams ranked in the top 10 in average home attendance, the most of any school nationally. Nine schools were tied for second with two teams in the top 10. The Penn State field hockey, football, women's soccer and women's volleyball teams all ranked in the top 10 in average home attendance last fall, with field hockey and football ranked No. 2, ac- cording to the NCAA. Including men's soccer, the Penn State fall squads in the survey ranked in the top five in average home attendance among Big Ten institutions, with field hockey and women's soccer leading the conference. Football was No. 2, with men's soccer and women's volleyball ranked fourth in the conference. Additionally, Penn State is No. 2 na- tionally in wrestling home attendance with an average of 6,551 after five home dual meets. The men's hockey team is No. 4 in home attendance with an aver- age of 6,078, and the women's hockey team ranks 13th nationally in average home attendance. ■ FALL SPORTS Penn State ranks among national leaders in attendance F A L L S P O R T S A T T E N D A N C E AVG. NATIONAL BIG TEN SPORT ATTENDANCE RANK RANK Field hockey 559 2 1 Football 105,485 2 2 Men's soccer 1,086 26 4 Women's soccer 1,598 6 1 Women's volleyball 3,346 7 4 *Attendance averages through end of the regular season for fall sports teams 17) and a home game against Central Michigan (Sept. 24). After wrapping up its nonconference season against the Chippewas, Penn State will resume Big Ten action vs. Ohio State on Oct. 1. In 2023, the Nittany Lions open the season by hosting West Virginia (Sept. 2) for the first time since 1991. They will host Delaware (Sept. 9) and open Big Ten play at Illinois (Sept. 16). The game against Massachusetts (Nov. 11) will conclude the nonconference slate. To see Penn State's future schedules through the 2025 season, see page 79. BARKLEY HONORED Former Penn State All-American Saquon Barkley was one of dozens of stars to appear in a Super Bowl ad celebrating the NFL's 100th anniver- sary. The ad featured such all-time great running backs as Jim Brown, Franco Har- ris, Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshawn Lynch and ended with Barkley leaping over a would-be tackler during a banquet that descends into mayhem when an im- promptu football game breaks out. Given that he's only just completed his first season in the league, it's impossible to know whether Barkley will join that pantheon of legends. But we do know this: He's off to a very good start. On Feb. 2, Barkley was named Offen- sive Rookie of the Year by The Associ- ated Press, beating out the player who was drafted just ahead of him last spring, Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. Chosen No. 2 overall by the New York Giants, Barkley finished second in the league in rushing with 1,307 yards and scored 11 rushing touchdowns, including a memorable score against Dallas in De- cember in which he leaped over a pileup from nearly the 4-yard line. Barkley also caught 91 passes for 721 yards and four TDs. His reception total was the highest in league history by a rookie, surpassing the previous record of 88 set by Reggie Bush with New Orleans in 2006. Barkley's total yards from scrimmage – 2,028 – were the third-most by a rookie in league history, trailing only Eric Dick- erson (2,212 with the Los Angeles Rams in 1983) and Edgerrin James (2,139 with the Indianapolis Colts in 1999). McSORLEY IN SENIOR BOWL Bouncing back from the leg injury he suffered in the Citrus Bowl, Trace McSorley com- pleted 7 of 13 passes for 59 yards and also had an 8-yard run in helping lead the North to a 34-24 victory over the South in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 26 in Mobile, Ala. Lining up under center as well as in the shotgun, the three-year Penn State starter and career passing leader led the North on a 16-play, 77-yard drive that produced a field goal. It was the North's only scoring drive of the first half. McSorley said during the week of practice leading up to the game that he thought his leadership skills would help make him appealing to NFL teams. "My leadership is something that was able to make me successful in college, and my competitiveness," he said. "I was always out there competing, trying to get better. My guys believed in me. That was something I was able to take and turn into a lot of victories in college and give myself and my team a good career." Projected as a potential late-round draftee or free agent, McSorley brought the same determined attitude to the

• Cover