Thursday January 3, 2019

A Letter to Trace
Dear Trace,

Our interactions may only consist of a shared journalism class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but the memories
you have created stretch much further.

The introduction date was January 2nd, 2016, the Taxslayer Bowl, for most people-but not me.

November 21st, 2015 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. As a lifelong Penn State football fan,
being in the house that Joe built invoked sheer awe of legends such as Todd Blackledge, Kerry Collins, Michael
Robinson and Daryll Clark. On this day, University Park would be dominated by 5- star recruit and Junior
captain Christian Hackenberg. That is, for all but one offensive snap
.
To say that Penn State’s offensive line was undermanned would be an understatement, what with
the sanctions of the Sandusky scandal still possesing very real and harmful impacts. Hackenberg would be
sacked 38 times on the season, and he would limp to the sideline after his third of the game, giving McSorley
his most meaningful playing time of the season. A 3rd down passing attempt to Chris Godwin fell incomplete,
but his presence had been felt by all the Nittany Lion faithful who longed for a change.

I was like any other football fan-an adamant supporter of the backup quarterback. Whether it was Colin
Kaepernick or Shaun Hill behind Alex Smith, I went through a childhood of idolizing whoever was second in
command. Penn State proved no different, except in this instance, I couldn’t have been righter. McSorley may
have fallen short in the Taxslayer bowl against Georgia just a little over three years to the date, but the spirit
of his comeback attempt is what many Penn Staters remember.

A similar spirit came to life in the 2019 VRBO Citrus Bowl. McSorley’s senior campaign may not have been as
glamorous as people may have hoped: expectations of winning the Heisman, a Big Ten championship and a
National title were all dreams of the past. Yet, in a senior season where McSorley’s stats more closely
resembled Hackenberg than they did McSorley, the New Year’s Day bowl game gave us all a glimpse of what
once was. With State down 27-7 against Kentucky in the third quarter, the senior captain played freely and
reminded us all of the joy he had brought. He was scrambling, passing to tight ends in the flat, and even
remembering, “Hey, I have DeAndre Thompkins on this team!”

But this is beside the point. A 9-4 senior season is not what most Penn State fans would want, and reasonably
so. Head Coach James Franklin has the program in the position to compete for national championships, and in
the program’s mind, anything less is considered a failure.

People may point to Franklin’s impressive recruiting as the reason for this, or for a defensive unit led by Brent
Pry that seems to improve week to week. Yet, the truth is quite simple; Trace McSorley has brought this
program back to national prominence. Whether that means a national championship in the coming years, I
can’t say. But without him, the Penn State timeline between the 2016 Gator Bowl and now surely would have
looked a whole lot different.

Thanks again, Trace

For Everything.