Blue White Illustrated

D E c E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 12 N A T E B A U E R | N B A U E R @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M INDIANAPOLIS - Trace McSorley was named Penn State's starting quarterback late in the Nittany Lions' preseason prac- tice session in August. Saturday night, the redshirt sophomore quarterback was named the Big Ten Championship Game's Most Valuable Player. Putting together a record performance of 384 yards and four touchdowns, Mc- Sorley stamped his name on the confer- ence championship game while simultaneously becoming one of the program's all-time prolific performers at quarterback. "Trace has been dynamic all year long. I'm really proud of him, you know, his at- titude, his demeanor, the type of team- mate he is, the type of leader he is," said head coach James Franklin. "Obviously he made plays tonight. But the wideouts made plays for him. The wideouts made unbelievable plays for him, the tight ends made unbelievable plays for him. His mobility helped the O-line, [once] we were able to get those guys to settle down." Reversing a 28-14 hal?ime deficit with a 24-3 offensive explosion in the second half, McSorley took sole possession of Penn State's season record for passing yards with 3,360 for the season, topping Matt McGloin's 3,266 yards in 2012. In many ways, McSorley's success on the night was tied directly to the of- fense's penchant for big plays. Finishing the night completing 22 of 31 passes for 384 yards, McSorley improved on his na- tion-leading 16.17-yards-per-comple- tion average with a 17.45-yard average against the Badgers. His margin in the category for the season is now up to 16.31. Tight end Mike Gesicki, a recipient of one of McSorley's four passing touch- downs in the 38-31 win against the Badg- ers, said the confidence among the wide receivers and in the play-calling itself helped inspire the performance. "It starts with the play-calling. Coach [Joe] Moorhead did a great job all season long to put us in position to be success- ful, and it moves down towards the of- fensive line giving Trace McSorley a chance to go back and give him time to make plays with his arm," Gesicki said. "When the ball is up in the air, Coach Moorhead said in the offensive meeting last night it's not a 50/50 ball, it's a 100/0 ball. When that ball is in the air, it's our ball. We have to make a play on it." With the performance, McSorley set a record with his fi?h 300-yard passing game. He is also the nation's No. 14- ranked quarterback in passing efficiency for the season. McSorley has two remaining years of eligibility. THE LONG GAME Trace McSorley produces a series of big plays to lift the Lions over Wisconsin McSorley looks downfield during Penn State's game against Wisconsin. He threw for a record 384 yards in the Lions' 38-31 victory. Photo by Steve Manuel

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