Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/847744
2 0 1 7 S E A S O N P R E V I E W McSorley led the Big Ten's highest-rated (156.6) passing attack a year ago and proved to be one of the most di@cult QBs for opposing defenses to sack. AAer leading PSU to a league title with a gutsy e?ort in the Big Ten Champi- onship Game and an eventual Rose Bowl berth, he's on many pre- season Heisman ballots. The question now is about whether he can maintain the altitude to which he soared in the latter por- tion of last season. The bulk of his passing yards came on deep tosses that oAen were leA as 50-50 jump balls for his re- ceivers. If he's to continue his ascent into the upper echelon of college foot- ball's best, he'll need to prove that he's not just playing the odds with those throws. PHIL GROSZ'S TAKE AAer watching the development of Stevens in spring prac- tice, there is no question in my mind that Penn State will enter the upcoming season with the best quarterback combo in the Big Ten. Based on his 2016 per- formance, McSorley rivals Ohio State's J.T. Barrett as the No. 1 QB in the con- ference, and Stevens showed in spring practice that he just might be the best backup in the Big Ten, and quite possi- bly one of the better backups in the country. McSorley and Stevens have the potential to rank among the best pair of quarterbacks in modern Penn State football history, alongside Todd Black- ledge and Je? Hostetler in 1981. The only negative here is that the Nittany Lions are still looking to build depth be- hind their top two quarterbacks. Franklin indicated during the spring that Zembiec has not developed physi- cally the way the coaching sta? had hoped and may need to work with a nu- tritionist to speed his progress. Mean- while, Cli?ord is coming back from a shoulder injury he su?ered in the Ohio Division I state championship game. He had surgery in January, and while he re- ported this spring that he was ahead of schedule in his recovery, he's likely to redshirt this coming season. ■ and someone is like, 'Can you hold this for me real quick?' You hold it and some- one catches you in a photo, it looks bad." McSorley, with his 6-0, 200-pound frame and penchant for low-slung base- ball caps, might be expected to draw a little less attention than his teammate. He was a backup for his first two years at Penn State, and his debut season as the team's starter began with uncertain expectations. But by the end of the year, he had joined Barkley as one of college football's bright- est young stars. He completed 224 of his 387 passing attempts for 3,614 yards and 29 touchdowns while adding 365 yards and seven touchdowns rushing the ball. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection, setting a variety of Penn State season and game records, and he led the Football Bowl Subdivision in yards per completion. With Penn State once again garnering national attention, Mc- Sorley has had to ac- climate to his newfound fame. "The last couple of years I could kind of go out and no one really recognized me. I look like a pretty average white guy," he said. "But now, people recognize you. You wear anything Penn State-related, they're going to know. The biggest thing is just having to get used to it and then just trying to be as understanding about what it is." For Barkley and McSorley, sitting down to dinner with family or friends is no longer an anonymous activity, and that can be frustrating. But they are apprecia- tive of fans wishing them well, and they're determined not to let the experi- ences warp how they view others. That said, those encounters do some- times veer into bizarre territory. There was the time that Barkley was waiting for his meal at an on-campus restaurant and realized that a girl standing close behind him was attempting to take a photo. She was hoping he wouldn't notice, but her plan went awry when her phone's flash lit up. McSorley, too, has had brushes with amateur paparazzi. Once, while he and his girlfriend were out getting breakfast, he noticed out of the corner of his eye a phone pointed directly at him. The phone's owner didn't appear to be paying the couple any attention, but then Mc- Sorley saw him doing a pinch-zoom on his screen. Said McSorley, "I almost wanted to wave at them or let them know, I see you doing that!" It's those surreptitious encounters, es- pecially the stealth photography, that Barkley and McSorley find most vexing. "We're normal guys. We're not going to bite," Barkley said. "I'm not mean. If you want a picture, just come up and ask. I'm going to smile if you take a picture. If you want to talk to me, I'll hold a conversation with you. I'm not weird or awkward or anything. But when it's secretive, it's an- noying because I feel like they're trying to do something sneaky. That's the only time when I'm just like, what's up with you? TOMMY STEVENS Steve Manuel