Dec. 4, 2016
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TEAM
- Penn State won its first Big Ten Championship since 2008 and fourth overall (1994, 2005).
- The Big Ten Football Championship is the 100th Big Ten regular season or tournament title in Penn State Athletics history.
- QB Trace McSorley was named the Grange-Griffin Most Valuable Player.
- Penn State has its sixth 11-win regular season since joining the Big Ten, and the first since the 2009 team was 11-2.
- The Nittany Lions posted their 16th 11-win season overall.
- The nine-game winning streak is Penn State's longest overall winning streak since clicking off nine consecutive victories in 2008.
- Penn State has improved its regular season win total each season under head coach James Franklin. The Nittany Lions went 6-6 in 2014, 7-5 in 2015 and are now 11-2 in 2016.
- For Franklin, the 11 wins are the most in a single season during his six years as a head coach.
- Penn State has scored 30 or more points in 10 games this year, the most in a season since the 1994 squad did it 12 times.
- Penn State has outscored its opponents 132-50 in the third quarter this season and 298-105 in the second half this season.
- Trailing 28-7 in the second quarter, the Nittany Lions scored 31 of the game's next 34 points to secure the win. It is Penn State's largest comeback since rallying from a 21-0 deficit versus Northwestern Nov. 6, 2010.
- The 21-point comeback win marks the fourth double-digit comeback of the season for the Nittany Lions, which is believed to be the first time Penn State has accomplished that feat on four occasions in a single season.
OFFENSE
- The 38 points scored by the Nittany Lions are the most given up by the Badgers in regulation this season (23, Ohio State).
- The 38 points are the most points scored by a Wisconsin opponent since a 59-0 loss to Ohio State in 2014.
- The 38 points are the fifth-most points scored in a Big Ten Championship game.
- RB Saquon Barkley broke the Penn State sophomore season rushing yards record with 1,302 on the season. He passes the mark of 1,236 yards set by Evan Royster in 2008.
- Barkley's 83 yards rushing today give him 1,302 yards this season, moving him into 10th place at Penn State. He trails Rodney Kinlaw (1,329 yards, 2007) for ninth place.
- Barkley's third quarter rushing touchdown gives him 23 for his career, which is good for sole possession of 14th place at Penn State, tied with Lenny Moore (1953-55).
- Barkley's touchdown in the third stanza also gives him 16 this season, which ranks seventh place in the Penn State record books.
- Barkley moved into ninth place on Penn State single season scoring list with his 114th point on the season via a pair of touchdowns (one rushing and once receiving).
- Barkley scored his third receiving touchdown of the season on a 18-yard catch from McSorley.
- With 103 all-purpose yards against Wisconsin, Barkley upped his season total to 1,666 yards, which moved him up three spots to sixth place.
- QB Trace McSorley is the third Penn State quarterback to pass for 3,000 yards in a season, joining Matt McGloin (2012) & Daryll Clark (2009).
- McSorley broke the Penn State sophomore season passing record with 3,360. He breaks the mark previously held by Christian Hackenberg (2,977).
- McSorley upped his season passing mark to 3,360 and broke the Penn State season record, supplanting the record of 3,266 yards by Matt McGloin in 2012.
- McSorley's 384 passing yards break the Big Ten Championship game passing record of 304 set by Michigan State's Connor Cook against Ohio State in 2013.
- McSorley had a career-best 384 yards passing, which ranks fourth in the Penn State record books.
- McSorley had his fifth 300-yard passing game of his career, setting the school record in a season. Matt McGloin (2012) and Christian Hackenberg (2013 and 2014) previously held the mark with four apiece.
- McSorley had his 10th 200-yard passing game of the season, moving him into a tie with Kerry Collins (1994) for second place. His 10 career 200-yard outings are ninth on Penn State's all-time list.
- McSorley's first quarter touchdown pass gives him a touchdown pass in 14 consecutive games, tying the Penn State record held by Kerry Collins (1993-94).
- With 13 consecutive games with a scoring pass this season, McSorley sets the Penn State season record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass. He was previously tied with Matt McGloin, who had 12 straight games in the 2012 season with a touchdown pass.
- McSorley had a Big Ten Championship game-record four passing touchdowns. It also marks the fifth time in the last six games that he has thrown for multiple scores in a game.
- With four touchdowns passes, McSorley broke the Penn State season record for touchdown passes with 25 on the season. He breaks the record of 24 set by Daryll Clark (2009) and Matt McGloin (2012).
- McSorley has thrown for four touchdown passes each of the last two games, marking the first time since at least 2000 that a Penn State quarterback has done so.
- McSorley moved into the seven place on Penn State's single-season pass completions (206) list and eight in season pass attempts (58).
- TE Mike Gesicki made his fifth career touchdown catch and fourth of the season on a 33-yard pass from McSorley in the first quarter. It is his first career touchdown outside of Beaver Stadium.
- WR Saeed Blacknall caught his fourth and fifth career touchdown passes and his second and third of the season on a 40-yard reception in the second quarter and a career-long 70-yard catch in the third quarter.
- Blacknall had career highs in receptions (6), yards (155) and touchdowns (2). It was the second career 100-yard game for Blacknall.
- The 70-yard McSorley to Blacknall pass is the third-longest passing play in Big Ten Championship game history.
- Blacknall's 155 receiving yards are a Big Ten Championship game record, passing the previous mark set by Ohio State's Devin Smith (137) against Wisconsin in 2014. It also ranks 19th on Penn State's single game list.
- Blacknall's two touchdowns are second in Big Ten Championship game history, behind the three touchdown receptions by OSU's Smith in 2014 and Michigan State's B.J. Cunningham in 2011.
- Blacknall (155) and Hamilton (118) gives Penn State a pair of 100-yard receivers in the same game for the first time since the Rutgers game in 2014 (Geno Lewis & Hamilton).
- WR DaeSean Hamilton had eight catches for 118 yards, which ranks second in Big Ten Championship game history behind Keshawn Martin's nine catches in 2011 for Michigan State.
- Hamilton posted his fifth career 100-yard receiving performance, but his first since the Ohio State game in 2014.
- Hamilton moved into moved into 10th place on Penn State's career receiving yards list with 1,985 markers.
- WR Chris Godwin had three catches for 33 yards to into 17th place on Penn State's single season receiving yards list with 795 yards.
- Godwin moved into a tie for seventh place on Penn State's career receptions list (144) with Derek Moyre (2008-11).
DEFENSE
- The Nittany Lions allowed just three points in the second half. Penn State last allowed a second-half touchdown at Indiana with 11:06 remaining in the fourth quarter.
- DE Torrence Brown forced his third fumble of the season, but it was recovered by the Badgers.
- LB Brandon Bell forced his third fumble of the season, but it was recovered by the Badgers, who were forced to punt.
- Bell's 13 tackles ties the Big Ten Championship game record with the mark set by Chris Borland of Wisconsin (2012 vs. Nebraska) and Isaiah Lewis of Michigan State (2013 vs. Ohio State).
- Bell's 10 solo tackles equal the Big Ten Championship game record set by Ryan Shazier of Ohio State vs. Michigan State in 2013.
- It is Bell's third double-digit tackle performance of the season.
- S Marcus Allen had his third double-digit tackle game of the year with 11 stops.
- DT Curtis Cothran had a career-high five tackles, all solo, to surpass his previous high of four (two occasions).
SPECIAL TEAMS
- With eight points vs. Wisconsin, K Tyler Davis moved into fifth on the single season scoring charts (121). He moved up three spots, passing Richie Anderson (116; 1992), Pete Mauthe (119; 1909) and Kevin Kelly (120; 2008).
- Davis converted on his 22nd field goal of the season, which moves him into a tie for second on Penn State's single season chart with Matt Bahr (1978) and Kevin Kelly (2006).
- With 121 points on the season, Davis ranks fourth on the Big Ten's single season kick scoring chart.
OTHER
- Penn State's bowl destination will be announced on Sunday.