The right arm of Trace McSorley took Penn State football from an ugly freefall to the Rose Bowl — if not the College Football Playoff.
The sophomore quarterback from Ashburn, Va., made a mockery of Big Ten defenses in his first season as a starter with a school-record 3,360 passing yards and 25 touchdowns. He also ran for 352 yards and six scores.
While the college football landscape focused its attention on Ohio State and Michigan in the Big Ten, McSorley was only priming himself for a breakout performance in the conference championship against Wisconsin.
McSorley led Penn State from a 28-14 halftime deficit to a 38-31 win with big throw after big throw.