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Meyers runs over Mid Valley

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Wyoming Area rolls past Holy Redeemer

STATE COLLEGE &#8212; Another week, another major school record for Trace McSorley. And another loss.It&#8217;s that last one that will stick with Penn State&#8217;s senior quarterback the most.A week after putting up a single-game record of 461 total yards of offense in a one-point loss to Michigan State, he became the Nittany Lions all-time passing yardage leader on Saturday, topping his predecessor and former teammate, Christian Hackenberg.Not that he was in much of a mood to discuss it after a 21-17 loss to Michigan State.&#8220;It&#8217;s extremely frustrating,&#8221; McSorley said. &#8220;We&#8217;ve gotta find ways to win these close games against top teams in the country. We&#8217;re winning close games at times, but when it gets time and we&#8217;re playing top-25 teams or bowl (teams), or what have you, we&#8217;re not getting it done. We&#8217;re not winning those close games.&#8220;There&#8217;s a whole bunch of reasons why. But we&#8217;ve got to figure out how to win those.&#8221;Hackenberg finished with 8,457 passing yards in three full seasons at the helm, starting 38 games. McSorley, now halfway through his senior season, has 8,611 in 33 starts, plus half of a game taking over for an injured Hackenberg in the TaxSlayer Bowl at the end of the 2015 season. McSorley has thrown a touchdown pass in all 34 of those contests.Against the Spartans on Saturday, however, he was upset with his performance, finishing 19-for-32 for just 192 yards, including a 5-yard score to KJ Hamler. He only managed 37 yards on 10 carries on the ground.Well off the mark of the numbers he put up against the Buckeyes.&#8220;I wasn&#8217;t accurate enough &#8212; that&#8217;s first and foremost,&#8221; McSorley said. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t execute right. I didn&#8217;t do enough of a good job today to get it done in the passing game. So that&#8217;s on me.&#8221;Infirmary report&#8226; Sophomore defensive end Shane Simmons saw the field for the first time this season, returning from a lower-body injury that had kept him out since training camp.Simmons&#8217; first snap came on Michigan State&#8217;s third drive of the game late in the first quarter. He had two tackles.&#8226; Defensive tackle Fred Hansard appeared to suffer a major injury late in the first half as he was rolled up on at the end of a play. He was down for an extended period and struggled to put weight on his left leg as he was helped off the field by two people and ultimately left the field on a cart after reaching the sideline.&#8221;Man I do anything for this team, they are all my brothers and I love them so much,&#8221; Hansard wrote on Twitter after the game. &#8220;This is just a minor setback, I will be back stronger than ever.&#8221;It was another blow to the Lions&#8217; depth at the position, as Ellison Jordan missed his third straight game while dealing with the after-effects of his serious knee injury suffered in the winter. Antonio Shelton was also forced to sit out the first half after being ejected for targeting in the second half against Ohio State.&#8226; Hamler was right back in the starting lineup as expected after being knocked out of the Ohio State game after taking a hit to the head.&#8226; Cornerback Donovan Johnson, injured three weeks ago at Illinois, made his return after sitting out against the Buckeyes.&#8226; Tight ends Jonathan Holland and Danny Dalton were both dressed but did not play. It was the second straight game Holland sat out and third straight for Dalton.Redshirt reportAs expected, two more true freshmen passed the redshirt threshold as running back Ricky Slade and defensive tackle PJ Mustipher each appeared in their fifth game of the season.That makes seven total rookies who have used up a year of eligibility, joining linebackers Micah Parsons and Jesse Luketa, kickers Jake Pinegar and Rafael Checa, and tight end Pat Freiermuth, who made his second straight start.Homecoming cameosSaturday marked a new homecoming tradition for Penn State, as the convoy of blue buses that brings the team to the stadium was led by a bus filled with lettermen who were in town.And there was plenty of star power.Hall of Famers Franco Harris and Jack Ham were the first players off the bus as Franklin waited to greet them, giving a quick hug to each former player before they led the Lions down Curtin Road into Beaver Stadium.Michael Mauti was also in the mix, as the famed captain of the 2012 post-sanctions squad served as the honorary captain for the game.And, with the Giants having already played on Thursday night, Saquon Barkley was in attendance. He was serenaded with Sinatra as &#8220;New York, New York&#8221; played over the stadium speakers when he appeared on the videoboards before the game.Another Whitehall High School alum who was supposed to be in town but couldn&#8217;t make it was Matt Millen.His Big Ten Network broadcast team was assigned to call the game, but Millen&#8217;s ongoing serious medical issues have forced him out of work for the rest of the season.Millen has been in a New Jersey hospital awaiting a heart transplant as he continues to battle amyloidosis, which involves the abnormal build-up of a protein typically found in bone marrow in vital organs.The BTN crew hung Millen&#8217;s No. 55 Raiders jersey from his NFL days in the doorway to the broadcast booth to honor him.<style>
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<div class="neCaption">Penn State coach James Franklin pats quarterback Trace McSorley on the back as they walk off the field following Saturday&#8217;s loss to Michigan State. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_AP18287012876873_ne2018101320488990.jpg</photo0><caption0>Penn State coach James Franklin pats quarterback Trace McSorley on the back as they walk off the field following Saturday&#8217;s loss to Michigan State. </caption0><photoCredit0>Abby Drey | AP photo, Centre Daily Times </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Derek Levarsedlevarse@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Derek Levarse at 570-991-6396 or on Twitter @TLdlevarse</shirttailMeta></div>

Little consolation for Trace McSorley after breaking passing record in loss