Oct. 2, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Just as calm and collected as usual, Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley strolled out of the Beaver Stadium locker room Saturday evening with a big grin. Just a few moments before that, Nittany Lion place kicker Tyler Davis walked out with the same composure.
Just another day at the office for the two.
"It's an amazing feeling and great to get that comeback win," McSorley said. "Anytime you get a win in Beaver Stadium it's awesome, so I'm on cloud nine right now."
Facing a 10-point deficit at the half, the Nittany Lions came out of the locker room focused on a mindset they've found themselves having to deal with this season. Letting go of what's done and in the past to focus on what is yet to come.
"We knew we had to come out firing in the second half," McSorley said. "We always talk about how good we can be and it was time to stop talking and start doing it."
Keeping composure, McSorley hit freshman wideout Irvin Charles on the Nittany Lions' second drive of the third quarter. Keeping his eyes up as he maneuvered quickly through a gap in the Minnesota defense, he found Charles for an 80-yard touchdown pass that ignited the crowd.
"He makes plays like that all the time in practice," McSorley said. "He's a guy who just builds off of his own confidence, he starts feeling things and gets in that zone and he can be pretty fun to watch."
Backed by the energy of more than 95,000 fans in Beaver Stadium, McSorley stepped up once again, tossing 36 yards to junior wide receiver Chris Godwin to put Penn State in scoring position.
It was Tyler Davis this time though, who nailed his second field goal of the day on fourth and goal from 27 yards out to tie the score, 13-13, while also setting a program record with his 16th consecutive career conversion.
McSorley was next, as he found tight end Mike Gesicki for 53 yards on second and 10 to put the Nittany Lions on the Minnesota 6-yard line. Locating another opening in the Minnesota defense, he faked to running back Saquon Barkley before taking off for the 6-yard go-ahead rushing touchdown with fewer than three minutes to play in the third quarter.
"It came down to the third quarter," Golden Gopher head coach Tracy Claeys said. "We didn't lose that game at the end, we lost that game in the third quarter. The other kids really competed."
Minnesota battled back throughout the fourth quarter, pulling ahead by three, 23-20, with less than a minute remaining, giving McSorley and Davis another perfect opportunity to put their true grit on display.
At third and 10, McSorley went off of one foot under pressure to execute a 20-yard pass to a diving Godwin, who caught the ball to set up a new set of downs for the Nittany Lions. Soon facing third-and-3 with 20 seconds left, it was up to McSorley again.
Green grass is all he recalls as McSorley stepped through once again and took off running, hauling 26 yards out of bounds to halt the clock. The Nittany Lions were in prime position for Davis to step in after McSorley's next attempt fell incomplete.
"I didn't even talk to him before that kick," head coach James Franklin said. "Most of the time head coaches will go over and say something to him. I don't say anything to him. If the snapper and holder do their job, that guy will. He is money."
Mr. Consistency, Tyler Davis, converted on his 17th consecutive career field goal from 40 yards to force overtime.
With pivotal roles, both McSorley and Davis helped Penn State engineer its biggest comeback victory since the 2014 New Era Pinstripe Bowl and its largest at home since the Nittany Lions came back from a 34-24 deficit against Michigan in a dramatic quadruple-overtime win in 2013.
McSorley finished with 408 yards of total offense to mark the third-highest total in school history via 335 passing yards and led the team with 74 yards on the ground. Davis matched his career high mark with three field goals and also set a personal best, totaling 11 points.