Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/916653
I 'll admit it: As the publisher of a Penn State-focused magazine, I have a ten- dency to see things from a blue-and- white perspective. But I was caught o7-guard when Trace McSorley was not selected by either the media or the Big Ten coaches to the 6rst-team All-Con- ference squad. There is no doubt that a legitimate case could be made for either McSorley or J.T. Barrett of Ohio State as the Big Ten's top quarterback. Both players put up amazing statistics this fall. McSorley, a redshirt junior, is the top passer in the Big Ten, having completed 252 of 386 attempts (65.3 percent) for 3,228 yards, with 26 touchdown passes and only eight interceptions. His pass- e8ciency rating of 153.6 is second only to Barrett's 162.0 mark. McSorley also 6nished the regular season as Penn State's second-leading rusher, totaling 431 yards on 132 carries (3.3 yards per carry), with 11 TDs, the most by a quar- terback in the Big Ten this year. McSorley was coming o7 a stellar per- formance as a redshirt sophomore in which he led the Big Ten in passing yards and total o7ense and had an outstanding 29-8 touchdown-interception ratio. A year ago, McSorley outdistanced Barrett in passing yards (3,614 to 2,555), total o7ensive yards (3,979 to 3,400) and touchdown passes (29 to 24). He also had a better pass-e8ciency rating (156.9 vs. Barrett's 135.3) and led the Nittany Lions to the conference championship. Still, Barrett was named by both the media and the coaches to the 6rst-team All-Big Ten squad. Statistically, McSorley had a more pronounced edge over Barrett in 2016 than he did this fall. When you compare the two quarterbacks this year, you have to admit that a very legitimate case can be made for Barrett's unani- mous selection to the Big Ten's first- team offense. With his Big Ten Championship Game performance against Wisconsin included, the Ohio State senior has completed 229 of 354 passes (64.7 percent) for 2,939 yards, with 35 touchdown passes and only nine interceptions. In addition to his passing e7orts, Bar- rett is Ohio State's second-leading rusher, totaling 732 yards on 149 carries (4.9 ypc) and scoring 10 touchdowns. Going into the Buckeyes' Cotton Bowl matchup with Southern California, he's slightly ahead of McSorley in total of- fense, having amassed 3,671 yards on 503 plays, compared to McSorley's 3,659 yards on 518 plays. Obviously, having an extra game skews some of the statistical comparisons in Barrett's favor this year, just as they were skewed in McSorley's favor last year. With Penn State set to face Washing- ton in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 30, Mc- Sorley has a chance to equal or surpass his 2016 numbers in several categories. To equal last year's total o7ense 6gure, he would need to amass 320 yards against the Huskies, a 6gure that isn't very far above his average of 304.9 yards per game this season. I believe it's realistic to think that Mc- Sorley could 6nish the season with more than 4,000 yards of total o7ense and tie or exceed the 29 touchdown passes he threw as a sophomore. He already has more rushing touchdowns (11) than he did in 2016. With one more game to go in his second season as starter, McSorley's career totals include 7,638 yards of of- fense and 73 touchdowns – 55 passing and 18 rushing. There is no question that when Penn State's 2018 season comes to a conclu- sion, McSorley will own school records in almost every single-season and career passing category, along with most of the Nittany Lions' total o7ense records. In all likelihood, he will throw for close to 11,000 yards and have between 80 and 90 passing touchdowns. Maybe the numbers he posted the past two seasons weren't good enough to get McSorley named first-team All- Big Ten either year. But with Barrett set to graduate, the Nittany Lion senior- to-be should definitely be the front- runner for that honor going into the 2018 season. And one 6nal note regarding McSor- ley: I believe that if he's as productive during his senior season as he was the past two years, he will be in line for much more than just 6rst-team All-Big Ten recognition. BTN studio analyst Howard Gri8th said it best while com- menting on McSorley's play during a re- cent edition of "Big Ten Football and Beyond." "McSorley has that 'it' factor," Gri8th said. "If he can come close to matching next season what he was able to accom- plish the last two years, he'll 6nd himself smack dab in the middle of the race for the Heisman Trophy." If that happens, let's hope he receives the credit he so richly deserves. In the meantime, here's a look at sev- eral other developments that caught my attention this season: RECEIVERS SHINE At the beginning of the 2017 season, I asserted that Penn State had the best group of pass-catch- ers in the Big Ten and one of the top 6ve groups in the country. I think the play of Mike Gesicki, DaeSean Hamilton, Juwan Johnson and Saquon Barkley this past season validated that claim. Heading into its 6nal game, Penn State has a chance to end the season with four PHIL'S CORNER McSorley's strong junior season sets the stage for even bigger things