JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Trace McSorley ripped off his helmet and went down the Penn State sideline pumping up teammates after bringing the Lions within a touchdown of tying the Georgia Bulldogs.
Christian Hackenberg stood back and let his heir apparent take the reigns, a position McSorley presumably will continue to grow into as a player and as a leader in the coming months and years. McSorley was fiery, throwing his 6-foot, 196-pound frame into teammates for celebrations, tapping on their shoulder pads and even getting a smile out of coach James Franklin, who did a double-take as the redshirt freshman who played his best football in the fourth quarter of Penn State’s TaxSlayer bowl defeat was energetic on the sideline and had teammates rallying behind him.