Blue White Illustrated

J A N U A R Y 3 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 12 T I M O W E N | O W E N . T I M . B W I @ G M A I L . c O M PASADENA, Calif. – The third quarter hadn't even ended, and Penn State's Chris Godwin was already breaking records. Finishing with nine catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns, all of which came before the fourth quarter, the junior wide receiver not only broke the school record for the most catches, yards and touchdowns in a bowl, he also surpassed Allen Robinson's mark for most yards in any game by a Nittany Lion junior. He made a one-handed reception. "I just tried to make the catch at any cost," he said. He made a 72-yard circus grab for a score. "The bobble for the touch- down [shows that] he's a special player," head coach James Franklin said. "There is no doubt about it." Godwin did a little bit of it all. But in a game that saw USC win on a last-second field goal, 52-49, Godwin would have traded them all to get just one back. "I think I did a pretty decent job, mak- ing plays that came my way," Godwin said. "Hats off to Coach [Joe] Moorhead and the offen- sive staff for calling plays to get our guys open and giving us op- portunities. It wasn't just me out there. It was all the guys having a great game. Mike [Gesicki] had a great game. It was a total team effort for us. I think I did pretty good. I'm just disappointed I wasn't able to make that last play." The score was tied with less than a minute remaining when quarterback Trace McSorley targeted Godwin on a pass down the right sideline. Instead of landing in Godwin's hands for a 10th time, however, it was intercepted by Tro- jans safety Leon McQuay and returned 32 yards into field-goal territory. The turnover set up Southern Cal's winning score as time expired. A@er an otherwise momentous night for Godwin, the sudden reversal of for- tune was why he and many of his team- mates and coaches had tears in their eyes speaking to reporters inside the locker room. "I was looking for a big moment, but hats off to [USC]," Godwin said. "That safety did a great job of coming over and making a play on the ball. He got it before I did. I took full responsibility for that. As a receiver, that's the position you want to be in when the game is late, but I wasn't able to capitalize on it." Position coach Josh Gattis was heart- broken a@erward as well, but he consoled Godwin – "Just keep your head up," he told him – and reminded him of his in- credible individual effort, not only in the Rose Bowl but throughout the season. On the year, Godwin finished with 982 yards on 59 catches with 11 touchdowns. "I'm just so proud of him," Gattis said. "I'm proud of who he is as a young man. I'm proud of who he is as a player. He's a phenomenal player and he's a special tal- ent to coach. I'm so thankful for him. This [loss] does not define this season or him. He le@ it on the field. He le@ it all. I'm just so proud of him." With the season having reached its conclusion, attention naturally shi@s to Godwin's future. A@er being the team's leading receiver for the second consecu- tive year, will he return for his senior sea- son or test the waters in this spring's NFL Dra@? It was time for the question to be asked, but for Godwin in the immediate a@er- math of a heartbreaking defeat, the an- swer would have to wait. "I'm not worried about looking at next year right now," he said. "I'm just worry- ing about spending this time with my guys, spending time with this 2016 team. It's been a good year. I feel bad for these seniors that we couldn't go out on top for them." 'HE'S A SPECIAL PLAYER' Chris Godwin has a record-breaking night to fuel Nittany Lions' offense Godwin caught nine passes for 187 yards and a pair of touch- downs in the Nittany Lions' loss to Southern Cal. Photo by Steve Manuel

• Cover