Blue White Illustrated

GAME GRADES QUARTERBACK Trace McSorley came out firing, hitting DaeSean Hamilton for a 48-yard deep pass on Penn State's first drive. He stayed aggres- sive on the next series but threw an interception. McSorley had another pick later on, but ultimately he settled in. On third down, he was perfect. His numbers were astounding and his overall play not far behind that. He finished with 342 yards and a pair of touchdowns and a 78 percent comple- tion rate. He also added 60 yards on the ground. GRADEA RUNNING BACKBackup Miles Sanders had a strong block on McSor- ley's first TD pass, and then he got on the board himself, tunneling into the end zone for PSU's third score. The story, however, was Saquon Barkley. He flung himself in for the team's sec- ond TD and then he ran another one from 92 yards out later in the second quarter, the longest run in PSU bowl history. Barkley finished with 137 yards on 18 carries, adding 38 more yards on seven receptions. GRADEA RECEIVERHamilton ran an outstand- ing route to get open on the first score, and then he scored again in the third quarter on another well-run route that ended in a great contested catch. A great grab from DeAndre Thompkins set up Penn State's third score. Hamil- ton led the team with 110 yards receiv- ing on five catches, while Juwan Johnson and Mike Gesicki had six re- ceptions apiece, combining for 128 yards. Six other players caught at least one pass, including Barkley, who led with seven grabs. There were a couple of drops, but his group was almost per- fect. GRADEA- OFFENSIVE LINEThe push from this unit helped set up Penn State's first two touchdowns, and the third, Barkley's 92-yarder, was set up nicely by second-level blocking from center Connor McGovern. The Nittany Lions amassed a Fiesta Bowl-record 545 total yards, also the most Washington sur- rendered this season, and the offensive line was a major reason why that num- ber was so high. McSorley was sacked only once. GRADEA DEFENSIVE LINEShareef Miller was suspended for the start of the game but returned in the second half and gath- ered a sack and three tackles. Kevin Givens had a slick move to get a sack, while Tyrell Chavis and Yetur Gross- Matos also got in the sack column. The defensive line was all over quarterback Jake Browning in this one, and it was effective against the run, too. GRADEA LINEBACKERIn their Penn State fi- nales, Brandon Smith and Jason Cabinda combined for 11 tackles. Smith made a few standout plays, corralling a lateral pass on Washington's last play of the game. Koa Farmer added a pair of tackles, and while it wasn't a bad game for this unit, the performance wasn't exactly textbook either, espe- cially in pass coverage. GRADEB+ DEFENSIVE BACKBrowning was held to just 67 yards in the first half and finished with a total that was 32 yards below his season average. The sec- ondary didn't force any interceptions, but Marcus Allen tied Smith for a team-high seven tackles. Troy Apke, meanwhile, had a couple of physical hits, including one that jarred loose a pass for an incompletion. The consis- tent pass rush provided a boost to this unit. GRADEA- SPECIAL TEAMSBlake Gillikin's first punt didn't come until right before halftime, a 47-yarder that put Wash- ington back deep. In the fourth quarter, DeAndre Thompkins made three would-be tacklers miss en route to a 20-yard return. Those were the high- lights. Thompkins also muffed a punt earlier on, while Tyler Davis missed his only field goal attempt, a 45-yarder that would have given Penn State a two-possession lead with 34 seconds left. GRADEC+ COACHESIn only his second game as play-caller, and for the first since being named Penn State's offensive coordina- tor, Ricky Rahne called an offense that put up 365 first-half yards and finished with a bowl-record 545. Brent Pry dialed up the pressure on Washington's passing game early and often, and it paid off. De- spite some postseason upheaval, the coaches had this team ready to play – and win. GRADEA 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 6 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 Sizing up the Lions' performance in their win against Washington McSorley enjoyed a spectacular season fi- nale, throwing for 342 yards and two touch- downs in the Nittany Lions' victory. Photo by Steve Manuel

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