Penn State Football: McSorley And Sanders Earn All-Big Ten Honors

Penn State football’s beloved quarterback Trace McSorley and star running back Miles Sanders earned second team all-Big Ten honors as selected by both Big Ten coaches and the media, the Big Ten Network announced Wednesday night.

McSorley closed out his final regular season as a Nittany Lion with 2,284 passing yards and 16 passing touchdowns, but he didn’t stop there. The Wizard of Camelot also got it done on the ground with 723 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.

It’s not hard to see how McSorley captivated the hearts of Nittany Lions fans everywhere. He shattered the Penn State record books this year to poach career records for wins (31), passing yards (9,653), passing touchdowns (75), pass completions (703), total offense (11,275), rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (29), touchdowns responsible for (104), 300-yard passing games (10), and 200-yard passing games (27). McSorley’s also the first Penn State quarterback to earn three career All-Big Ten honors.

Sanders spent much of his Penn State career in the shadow of now-Giants rookie Saquon Barkley, but broke out as a starter this season with 1,223 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. He ranks second in the Big Ten for rushing yards, third in all-purpose yards per game (112.92), fourth in rushing yards per game (101.9), fifth in yards per carry (4.79), and sixth in rushing touchdowns (9). 

Offensive linemen Connor McGovern and Ryan Bates made the third team All-Big Ten on both the coaches’ and media lists. Honorable mentions were awarded to wide receiver KJ Hamler, tight end Pat Freiermuth, and offensive lineman Steven Gonzalez.

All-Big Ten awards for defense and special teams were announced Tuesday night, including first team honors for defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos and cornerback Amani Oruwariye.