The accolades continue to pour in for Trace McSorley, who was named as having the best individual season in the Big Ten by BTN.com’s Tom Dienhart.
1. Penn State QB Trace McSorley. Truth be known, he probably should have been the Big Ten Player of the Year—and he wasn’t even a first-team All-Big Ten choice at quarterback. Go figure. McSorley was a revelation as a sophomore in taking over for Christian Hackenberg. The 6-1, 201-pound McSorley is No. 1 in the Big Ten in passing efficiency, hitting 57 percent of his attempts for 3,360 yards with 25 TDs and five picks. He also is No. 1 in total offense (285.5 ypg) and led the Big Ten title team. Pretty nice resume. Is anyone’s REALLY better? C’mon.
McSorley was named the starting quarterback over Tommy Stevens late in fall camp, and while it took the sophomore gunslinger some time to get comfortable, he would eventually lead the Nittany Lions offense to unforeseen heights.
Over Penn State’s final nine games, McSorley had a knack for making a big play when it mattered most — and perhaps even more importantly — not making the big mistakes. Since the Michigan loss, McSorley threw for 20 touchdowns to just two interceptions, both picks coming in the Indiana game. He was also a much stronger threat on the ground, running for 320 of his 350 rushing yards during that nine-game win streak.
With offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead coming back and the Penn State offense only losing center Brian Gaia, McSorley will be entering the 2017 season as the head of one of the nation’s strongest offenses. And perhaps, as one of the more likely Heisman favorites.