Blue White Illustrated

PLAYER OF THE GAMETrace McSorley completed 32 of 41 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns, and Saquon Barkley ran for 137 yards and two more scores, while also hauling in seven of McSorley's throws. Together, their im- pact was significant to Penn State's 35- 28 victory over Washington, and they are equally worthy of recognition here. PLAY OF THE GAMEAfter Washington cut the deficit to one touchdown in the third quarter, Penn State responded with an eight-play, 70-yard drive that was capped by a 24-yard touchdown pass. McSorley put it up there, and DaeSean Hamilton made an amazing grab to haul it in, securing his second TD of the night and giving Penn State a 35-21 lead with just over 20 minutes left in the game. BEST PASSMcSorley fired a 48-yard pass deep down the field to Hamilton, who reeled in the reception, cut back across the grain of the field and trotted into the end zone for the Nittany Lions' first touchdown of the afternoon. It was the 28th consecutive game in which McSorley threw for a touchdown. BEST RUNFrom his own 8-yard line, Barkley slid behind a huge block from center Connor McGovern and into Washington's second level. The rest was history, as Barkley dashed 92 yards into the Huskies' end zone to give the Nit- tany Lions a 28-7 second-quarter lead. BEST CATCHDeAndre Thompkins twisted, turned and finally positioned himself perfectly to haul in a 34-yard teardrop from McSorley all the way down to the Huskies' 1-yard line. Two plays later, the Nittany Lions were in on a Miles Sanders carry to improve their lead to 21-7 with 11 minutes, 59 seconds remaining in the half. WORST DROPMcSorley stayed with his man, wideout Juwan Johnson, in spite of a collapsing pocket on the Nit- tany Lions' second play of the game. He got the ball into Johnson's hands over the middle, but the receiver dropped it. Also, Thompkins muffed a punt in the first quarter BEST SACKJason Cabinda forced Huskies quarterback Jake Browning into Tyrell Chavis's arms for a key third-down sack in the first quarter. The 6-yard loss forced a punt. Shareef Miller's takedown of Browning late in the third quarter should earn an honor- able mention nod here, too, as it forced a Washington punt in a critical juncture in the game. BEST HITBrowning's pass to Drew Sample went incomplete midway through the first quarter, and Penn State safety Troy Apke's punishing hit had everything to do with it. Nailing Sample with a shoulder to the sternum, Apke jarred the ball loose. BEST EFFORTOn second-and-5 at the 18-yard line, with an opportunity to in- crease their lead to three scores, disas- ter struck for Penn State. McSorley's pass, intended for Hamilton, was batted into the air and intercepted by Austin Joyner, returning possession to the Huskies with 13:05 left in the game. Facing a crucial third down late in the first quarter, Hamilton initially bob- bled, then hauled in, a 9-yard reception to extend a Penn State's possession that produced its second touchdown of the afternoon. WORST EFFORT Browning had his man. Finding Myles Gaskin wide open on a misdirection play, the Washington quarterback simply sailed an important first-down pass in the fourth quarter. BEST KICKBlake Gillikin wasn't asked to kick a punt until late in the second quarter, and he when he did, he booted a 47-yarder that was downed at the 6- yard line, preventing Washington from scoring on its final drive of the first half. BEST RETURNThompkins made three would-be tacklers miss when he re- turned a punt 20 yards in the fourth quarter. BEST DECISION Washington was get- ting physically dominated throughout the first quarter, but a roughing-the- passer penalty against Penn State opened the door to opportunity. Huskies head coach Chris Petersen opened his bag of tricks, calling an op- tion pass from wideout Andre Baccellia to a wide-open Will Dissly for a 52-yard completion. The play set up Washing- ton's first points of the game. WORST DECISIONMcSorley's pitch to Miles Sanders midway through the sec- ond quarter went straight into oncom- ing traffic from the Huskies. The ball dropped to the ground and into the hands of Ryan Bowman, giving Wash- ington possession at Penn State's 33- yard line. MOST TELLING MOMENTBarkley cer- tainly made his impact, setting a PSU bowl record with his 92-yard run in the second quarter, but Sanders came in on the second series of the game and ro- tated almost every other drive from there on out. Barkley still got his touches, finishing with 18 carries and seven receptions, but the coaches sig- naled to Sanders by playing him regu- larly that he's next in line. JUDGMENT CALLS D E c E M B E R 3 1 , 2 0 1 7 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 The best and the rest from Penn State's victory over the Huskies Steve Manuel DaeSEAN HAMILTON

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