Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/768693
GAME GRADES QUARTERBACKTrace McSorley didn't have the start he hoped for, but in typi- cal McSorley fashion, he led the Nit- tany Lions to seven consecutive touchdowns in the second and third quarters. McSorley finished the day with 254 yards passing and four touch- downs, but two of his three intercep- tions led to points, none bigger than the one at the end of the game. He'll learn from his mistakes, but this one is going to sting for a while. GRADEB RUNNING BACKRight from the start, it was clear that Saquon Barkley was going to have some success against the Trojans. But I don't think many ex- pected to see him finish with 249 yards of total offense and three touchdowns. Penn State fans have a lot to look for- ward to next season. GRADEA RECEIVERIf Chris Godwin didn't do enough this season to impress NFL scouts, he certainly took advantage of Monday's stage, torching USC's sec- ondary with nine receptions for 187 yards. He also scored two of the more impressive touchdowns we've seen all season. The rest of the unit didn't get much going, so that knocks them down a grade, but man, what a night for God- win. GRADEB OFFENSIVE LINEUSC brought a ton of pressure, especially in the first half, but once the offensive line gained some confidence and made the right reads, the Lions were able to have success through the air and on the ground. Mc- Sorley was sacked just once the entire game. GRADEA DEFENSIVE LINEPenn State had just one tackle for loss against the Trojans, and that was by Malik Golden. How- ever, that doesn't tell the full story. The Lions did manage to pressure Sam Darnold early in the game, but they shifted their focus to spying him once he showed how athletic he really is. Give credit where credit is due: Darnold is a heck of a player. He's a lot like an- other quarterback whom we watched all season. GRADEC LINEBACKERManny Bowen's athleti- cism was missed, and things didn't get much easier when Brandon Bell left in the third quarter. Penn State's lineback- ers have struggled in pass coverage all year, and the Rose Bowl was no differ- ent, but they also made a few important plays that will be overlooked given the result. USC has some excellent athletes. I can't think of too many units that would have performed better. GRADEC DEFENSIVE BACKThat was tough to watch. Going into the game, most ex- pected USC to have some success, but they didn't expect 453 yards passing and five touchdowns. To make matters worse, when the game was on the line, Penn State had no answers. Again, USC is a heck of a team. The Trojans have some of the best athletes that PSU has seen this season, but the secondary has to perform better. GRADED SPECIAL TEAMSMiles Sanders showed some serious jitters to start the game, muffing the opening kick. Blake Gillikin also started out slow, but give the freshman some credit, as he aver- aged 50.8 yards per punt, knocking one inside the 20. GRADEB COACHINGThere are a lot of ways to look at today's game plan, but the thing that most fans won't forget anytime soon is the fact that Penn State became very conservative late in the game. At the same time, it's on the players to perform. GRADEC 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 6 R Y A N S N Y D E R | S N Y D E R 4 2 0 8 8 @ G M A I L . c O M Barkley had a superb day against USC, rushing for 194 yards and two TDs and adding 55 receiving yards and an- other score. Photo by Steve Manuel