Trace McSorley, Penn State Hang on to Beat Iowa in Big Ten Battle
The 17th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions shook off a slow start to knock off the 18th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, 30-24, in a battle of Top 25 teams in Happy Valley on Saturday.
Trace McSorley threw for 167 yards and one touchdown, adding 63 yards and a score on the ground as well.
Iowa's special teams had a strong performance, notching two safeties, and Hawkeyes punter Colten Rastetter also threw a touchdown pass. The Hawkeyes defense also put a touchdown on the board with a 24-yard pick-six by sophomore defensive back Geno Stone.
Trace McSorley's Heroics Helping Penn State Salvage Season
Penn State's College Football Playoff hopes may be all but gone following losses to Ohio State and Michigan State earlier this month, but James Franklin's squad isn't going away quietly.
The Nittany Lions still have something to play for, even if it's not a national championship.
For starters, a New Year's Six bowl game is not out of the question. If Penn State can run the table the rest of the way and finish with a 10-2 record in the competitive Big Ten East, there will be a strong case to be made for the Nittany Lions playing in a showcase bowl game. After all, they would have victories over Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin on their resume in that scenario.
Also, it may be a long shot, but the Big Ten East crown is still a possibility. Both Michigan (7-1, 5-0) and Ohio State (7-1, 4-1) would have to stumble down the stretch, but a trip to Indianapolis could still happen for Penn State.
All of that is possible thanks to McSorley.
After special teams opened the door for the Hawkeyes, the senior quarterback once again took matters into his own hands—even in tough circumstances. McSorley was shaken up in the first half with a knee injury and was briefly sidelined.
However, he returned to the field for good at the start of the third quarter and provided a boost to his team.
His 51-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave the Nittany Lions their first lead of the day:
That play is even more impressive when considering the fact he had suffered a leg injury earlier in the game.
Penn State committed a pair of brutal turnovers—a fumble near the goal line and a pick-six—in the fourth quarter that opened the door for Iowa. However, McSorley responded by making clutch plays in the final minutes to help eat some clock.
It may not have been pretty, but the result is all that matters. For a team that couldn't get much to go its way in the first half, having its leader step up and spark the team in the second half was huge.
McSorley's final year in Happy Valley began with national title aspirations. Those may be long gone, but he is doing everything he can to finish his career on a strong note.
At the very least, McSorley and Co. have the ability to play the role of spoiler down the stretch. Saturday's loss ruined any chance Iowa had of sneaking into the playoffs and also dealt a blow to the Hawkeyes' Big Ten West title hopes. The Nittany Lions also have a chance to wreck the Wolverines' season next weekend and could play a role in keeping the Badgers from the West title as well.
Penn State may no longer be a championship contender, and McSorley may not get serious Heisman consideration, but the dual-threat passer once again came up big for his team on Saturday.
Nittany Lions Freshman WR KJ Hamler Has Makings of Future Star
The Trace McSorley era at Penn State may be nearing an end, but the Nittany Lions offense still figures to be in good hands moving forward.
Freshman wideout KJ Hamler is the reason why.
247Sports rated the 5'9", 173-pound receiver as a 4-star recruit coming out of high school. All he has done since arriving in Happy Valley is show flashes of stardom.
Hamler got off to a solid start to his collegiate career, hauling in touchdown catches in each of his first two games. And with the entire nation watching on Sept. 29, Hamler had a breakout game against then-No. 4 Ohio State, featuring four receptions for 138 yards and a score:
That was part of a stretch in which he caught a touchdown pass in three straight games and notched six total scores in seven contests.
With another ranked opponent coming to town, Hamler was on top of his game once again. He had five catches for 96 yards against Iowa while also coming up with an impressive catch on third down in the second half:
And with the Hawkeyes mounting a comeback early in the fourth, he helped the Nittany Lions regain the momentum with a 67-yard kickoff return.
Hamler has wasted little time in showing off his game-changing speed. Coming into Saturday, he was averaging 17.5 yards per reception, 26.6 yards per kickoff return and 12.3 yards per punt return.
Saquon Barkley was Mr. Do-It-All for Penn State in recent years. With Barkley in the NFL, that title now belongs to Hamler. And the rest of the Big Ten better take note.
Big Ten West Up For Grabs Following Iowa Loss
Iowa had a golden opportunity to stake its claim to the Big Ten West following Wisconsin's 31-17 loss at Northwestern earlier in the day.
The division is now completely up for grabs following the Hawkeyes' loss to the Nittany Lions.
Northwestern (5-3 overall, 5-1 in Big Ten play) has now totaled two more conference wins than a trio of teams: Iowa, Purdue and Wisconsin. And while the Wildcats control their own destiny in the road to Indy, they do have to travel to Iowa City for a game at Kinnick Stadium on Nov. 10.
A lot can happen between now and the end of the season, but that Northwestern-Iowa showdown could have Big Ten Championship Game implications.
Barring absolute chaos throughout college football, the West will not have a team in playoff contention. No team has ever made the College Football Playoff with more than one loss, which seemingly eliminates this entire division, as Iowa (6-2) is the team with the fewest losses.
That said, the West can still play a major factor in the CFP race. Northwestern hosts No. 3 Notre Dame next weekend, and the West winner will ultimately face the top team from the East—with both Ohio State and Michigan currently still in CFP contention—in December.
What's Next
Penn State (6-2) will host the Michigan Wolverines next Saturday, while Iowa (6-2) returns home to host the Purdue Boilermakers on Nov. 3.
