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PLAYER OF THE GAMETrace McSorley spent the first quarter Saturday night getting knocked around. Then he went out and engineered one of the best passing performances in Big Ten Championship Game history. He fin- ished with 384 passing yards and four touchdowns, breaking Connor Cook's record for most passing yards in a Big Ten Championship Game. Cook threw for 304 yards for Michigan State in 2013. PLAY OF THE GAMESaeed Blacknall's 70-yard, backyard football catch-and- run for a touchdown to open the third quarter gave the Nittany Lions the boost they desperately wanted coming out of halftime. The score cut the Lions' deficit to just seven points, setting up a thrilling finish to the game. BEST PASSFacing a third-and-12 sit- uation midway through the first quar- ter, Wisconsin quarterback Bart Hous- ton calmly dropped back and delivered a strike to Jazz Peavy. The 24-yard completion set up the Badgers' first score of the game, as Austin Ramesh slammed home a 1-yard touchdown two plays later. BEST RUNWith the Nittany Lions al- ready reeling from two quick three- and-outs, Wisconsin running back Corey Clement delivered what initially appeared to be a brutal knockout punch before the end of the first quarter. Fol- lowing his blocks left, Clement made Grant Haley miss and traveled 67 yards into the end zone to give the Badgers a 14-0 lead. BEST CATCHSet up by a critical third- down completion to move into Wiscon- sin territory, McSorley's 33-yard touchdown completion to tight end Mike Gesicki revived a lifeless Nittany Lion team late in the first quarter. Leap- ing above the Badger secondary, Gesicki made the critical play when it mattered. DaeSean Hamilton's 38-yard recep- tion to round out the third quarter gets a runner-up nod. It was a jump ball on which he was surrounded by three Badgers defenders yet still found a way to emerge with the catch. WORST DROPThe Nittany Lions were poised to steal momentum from Wis- consin, but an errant snap from Brian Gaia to McSorley produced the worst possible result for Penn State on a third-and-1 in the second quarter. Sail- ing high and right, Gaia's snap couldn't be corralled by McSorley, and further attempts to corral the loose ball proved fruitless. Wisconsin's Ryan Connelly pounced on it and dashed 12 yards into the end zone to give the Badgers a 21-7 lead. JUDGMENT CALLS 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 4 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

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