Trebor Pena won the Pinstripe Bowl MVP Award after catching five passes for 100 yards and scoring a 73-yard, fourth-quarter pass and run. The catch was Pena’s 12th career receiving touchdown, and this was his third career 100-yard game.
Kicker Ryan Barker hit three field goals without a miss in the game, and his 48-yard kick was the third longest in PSU bowl history. He also set the season field goal record of 94.7% (18-of-19).
Offensive linemen Eagan Boyer, Yvan Kemajou, Dominic Rulli, and Corey Smith all made their first collegiate starts in the bowl game. In all, 17 players made their first collegiate start this season.
Ethan Grunkemeyer’s 73-yard TD pass to Pena was the second-longest touchdown pass in PSU bowl history and the third-longest pass play.
The 43 rushing yards the Penn State D gave up was the fewest ever in the Pinstripe Bowl, and the Nittany Lions tied the bowl record of four sacks.
Grunkemeyer set career highs in completions, 23, attempts, 34, and yards, 262, and he finished the season with a program-record 69.1 completion percentage.
DE Dani Dennis-Sutton had two sacks that brought his career total to 23.5 and he also finished with 34.5 tackles for loss.
LB Amare Campbell completed the season with 103 tackles, the first player to go over 100 since Ellis Brooks in 2021.
The Big Ten is 5-0 so far in bowl games with Washington, Oregon, Northwestern, Minnesota and Penn State all winning. Illinois, USC, Iowa, Michigan, and Nebraska are all still to play with Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana in the Playoffs.
Playoff weekend: 10 Miami vs 2 Ohio State, Dec. 31; 6 Ole Miss vs 3 Georgia, Jan. 1; 9 Alabama vs 1 Indiana, Jan.1; 5 Oregon vs 4 Texas Tech, Jan. 1.
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