TEAM
- Penn State is now 3-3 against Kentucky, including 1-1 in bowl games.
- The Nittany Lions are 23-23 all-time against current SEC schools, including 12-8 in bowl games.
- The Wildcats' punt return for a touchdown was the first allowed by the Nittany Lions since Oct. 6, 2012 against Northwestern.
- DT Antonio Shelton made his first career start today, the 20th different Nittany Lion to make their first start this season.
TEAM BOWL
- Penn State is now 29-18-2 in bowl games, including 2-4 in the Citrus Bowl.
- The Nittany Lions are now 18-13 in January bowl games and 3-1 in bowl games played on Tuesday.
- James Franklin is now 4-4 as a head coach in bowl games.
- Penn State's 22 first downs are tied for ninth in the program's bowl history.
- The Nittany Lions' 246 passing yards are the eighth-most in Penn State bowl history.
OFFENSE
Trace McSorley
- QB Trace McSorley started his 40th consecutive game.
- McSorley is the first Penn State player to throw a pass in four consecutive bowl games.
- McSorley finishes his career as the Penn State career record holder for passing yards (9,899), completions (720), 300-yard passing games (10), 200-yard passing games (28), rushing yards by a quarterback (1,697), rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (30), passing touchdowns (77), total offense yards (11,596), touchdowns responsible for (107) and wins as a starting quarterback (31).
- In the second quarter, McSorley broke the Penn State quarterback rushing record, topping the mark set by Michael Robinson (1,637; 2002-05). He finished his career with 1,697 yards.
- McSorley finishes his career ranked 21st in program history in rushing with 1,697 yards. He passed Michael Robinson (1,637; 2002-05), Bill Belton (1,657; 2011-14), Rodney Kinlaw (1,657; 2004-07), Silas Redd (1,678; 2010-11) and Mike Archie (1,694; 1992-95) with his performance in the Citrus Bowl.
- McSorley finished second on Penn State's quarterback rushing yardage chart with 798 yards behind Michael Robinson's 806 yards in 2005.
- With three total touchdowns, McSorley finished his career with 107 touchdowns responsible for. He moved into second all-time in Big Ten history, passing Purdue's Drew Brees (106; 1997-00).
- McSorley's 30 career rushing touchdowns rank him tied for fifth in program history with Charlie Pittman (1967-69).
- McSorley's 12 rushing touchdowns in 2018 are tied for 13th on the single-season charts and are the most by a quarterback in a season.
- McSorley's 9,899 career passing yards rank him sixth in Big Ten history. With his effort against Kentucky, he passed Iowa's Chuck Long (9,671; 1981-85), Michigan's Chad Henne (9,715; 2004-07) and Purdue's Mark Herrmann (9,883; 1977-80).
- McSorley's 2,530 passing yards in 2018 rank 10th on the program's season list. He owns three of the top-10 passing seasons in program history.
- McSorley's 192 pass completions this season are tied for 10th at Penn State.
- McSorley's 18 passing touchdowns are tied for 12th on the single-season list.
- McSorley's 59.3 career completion percentage is second on the school's all-time list.
- McSorley's 11,596 yards of total offense in his career ranks fourth in Big Ten history. With his performance against Kentucky, he passed Indiana's Antwaan Randle-El (11,364; 1998-2001), Purdue's Curtis Painter (11,511; 2005-08) and Northwestern's Brett Basanez (11,576; 2002-05).
- McSorley's 3,328 yards of total offense this season rank third in program history behind his 2017 and 2016 performances.
- McSorley's 30 touchdowns responsible for in 2018 are fourth in program history. He owns three of the top four TDR seasons in program history.
- With two passing touchdowns, McSorley finished his career with 77, ranking fourth all-time in Big Ten history.
- McSorley earned his 21st career game with both a passing and rushing touchdown and his 25th game with multiple touchdown passes.
BOWL
- McSorley's 246 passing yards rank sixth in Penn State bowl history. He owns three of the top six performances in PSU's bowl history.
- McSorley's 17 completions and 33 attempts are both tied for eighth in Penn State bowl history.
- McSorley totaled a school-record 984 yards in four bowl appearances.
- McSorley's 321 yards of total offense against Kentucky rank third in PSU bowl history behind his 2017 Fiesta Bowl (402) performance and Christian Hackenberg's 371-yard game in the 2014 Pinstripe Bowl.
- McSorley's 52 offensive plays are fourth in Penn State bowl history.
Miles Sanders
- RB Miles Sanders moved into 25th place on Penn State's career rushing list with 1,649 yards. He passed Michael Robinson (1,637; 2002-05) for the position against UK.
- Sanders finished 11th on Penn State's single-season rushing list with 1,274 yards.
Pat Freiermuth
- TE Pat Freiermuth had a pair of catches in the fourth quarter, extending his streak to 12 consecutive games with a reception.
- Freiermuth pulled in his eighth touchdown reception of the season, which ranks tied for 10th in Penn State season history. It is also the most by a freshman tight end in program history.
- Freiermuth made a 20-yard grab in the fourth quarter, his eighth catch of 20 or more yards this season.
KJ Hamler
- WR KJ Hamler had a 41-yard catch in the second quarter for Penn State, which extended his streak to all 13 games of his career with at least one catch.
- Hamler's 41-yard catch in the first quarter was his 16th over 20 yards this season, sixth over 30 yards and third over 40 yards.
Nick Bowers
- TE Nick Bowers tied a career high with three catches. He also had three against Michigan State.
- Bowers established a career high with 32 receiving yards, including a career-best 25-yard catch, topping the 18 yards he had against Michigan State.
- Bowers hauled in a 1-yard touchdown in the first quarter. It was Bowers' first touchdown grab since 2017 against Nebraska.
DeAndre Thompkins
- With 74 receiving yards, WR DeAndre Thompkins finished his career with 1,245 yards to rank 21st in program history.
Jahan Dotson
- WR Jahan Dotson made a 24-yard grab in the fourth quarter, his fourth catch over 20 yards.
- Nine of Dotson's 13 catches this season resulted in first downs.
Justin Shorter
- WR Justin Shorter set career highs with two catches for 17 yards. He hauled in a career-best 12-yard reception. Shorter had one catch for three yards against Wisconsin.
DEFENSE
Micah Parsons
- LB Micah Parsons had a career-high 13 tackles, including eight solo. Parsons had two previous games with eight tackles with the last coming against Michigan.
- Parsons finished the season with a team-high 82 tackles. He is the first freshman (true or redshirt) in program history to lead the Nittany Lions in tackles in a season.
- Parsons registered his second career forced fumble on a strip of the Kentucky quarterback in the second quarter.
BOWL
- Parsons' 13 tackles are the 13th-most in Penn State bowl history.
Garrett Taylor
- S Garrett Taylor registered a career-high 10 tackles, including six solo. His previous career high was eight tackles against Appalachian State.
Tariq Castro-Fields
- CB Tariq Castro-Fields registered his first career sack in the third quarter.
- Castro-Fields matched a career high with 1.5 tackles for loss, matching his performance at Maryland.
Kevin Givens
- DT Kevin Givens recorded two sacks on the day, tying a career high that he set against Maryland.
- Givens finished the season with at least a full tackle for loss in six games this season and three games with 2.0 tackles for loss.
Shareef Miller
- DE Shareef Miller set a career high with eight tackles, bettering his seven-tackle performance against Rutgers.
- Miller registered a tackle for loss, finishing the year with eight games with at least a full tackle for loss.
CJ Thorpe
- DT CJ Thorpe assisted on a sack in the second quarter. It was Thorpe's first career half tackle for loss and first career half-sack.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Jake Pinegar
- K Jake Pinegar had six points on the day (1 FG, 3 XP) to finish the year with 101 points (16 FG, 53 XP), which is 14th on the program's season list.
- Pinegar hit all three extra point attempts in the game, bringing his season total to 53. He has the sixth-most extra points in a single season at Penn State.
Blake Gillikin
- P Blake Gillikin's 44.0-yard punting average this season breaks the Penn State season punting average record of 43.6 set by Ralph Giacomarro in 1981.
- Gillikin has also taken over the No. 1 slot on Penn State's career punting average list with a 43.3 average. Jeremy Boone (2007-09) previously held the record with a 43.1 average.
- Gillikin landed two punts inside the 20, giving him 68 for his career.
- Gillikin dropped one punt inside the 10, giving him 37 for his career.
- Gillikin averaged 51.2 yards per punt on five boots, which ranks fifth on Penn State's game punting average list. The mark is also a career-best (min. 4 punts), bettering his 50.80 in the 2017 Rose Bowl.
- Gillikin booted a 71-yard punt in the first quarter, his third punt of 70 or more yards this season and the sixth punt of 65 or more yards in his career.
- Gillikin is the only player in program history with three punts of 70 or more yards in a season or a career.
- The 71-yard punt is tied for the seventh-longest in program history with kicks by Joe Colone at Syracuse in 1946 and John Bruno Jr. versus Boston College in 1985.
- Gillikin added a 56-yard punt in the first quarter and a 52-yard punt in the third quarter, giving him 15 punts over 50 yards on the season and 42 punts over 50 yards for his career.
BOWL
- Gillikin's 71-yard punt is the longest punt in a bowl in program history, breaking the record of 68 yards set by Bob Campbell in the 1967 Gator Bowl.
- Gillikin's 51.2-yard average ranks second in Penn State bowl history behind Jeremy Boone's 51.4 average in the 2007 Alamo Bowl.
KJ Hamler
- KR KJ Hamler had a 29-yard kick return in the third quarter. It was Hamler's ninth kick return over 20 yards this season.
- Hamler finished the season with 523 kick return yards, the sixth-most in a season at Penn State.