UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Five Nittany Lion seniors earned spots in a total of three post-season all-star games. Kyle Vasey played for the National Team in the Tropical Bowl in Daytona Beach, Florida Jan. 13. Koa Farmer and Nick Scott will play for the National Team in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Pasadena, California Saturday, while Trace McSorley and Amani Oruwariye will be on the North Team for the Reese's Senior Bowl Saturday, Jan. 26 in Mobile, Alabama.
Farmer and Scott will be in action when he plays on the National team in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, which airs live on FS1 Saturday at 5 p.m. from the Rose Bowl. McSorley and Oruwariye will take the field in the Reese's Senior Bowl on the NFL Network, Saturday, Jan. 26 at 2:30 p.m. from Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Tropical Bowl Participant
Kyle Vasey, SN, 6-2, 231, Lackawaxen, Pa./Wallenpaupack
- Started all 13 games as the long snapper.
- Won the John Bruno Memorial Award, as an outstanding member of the special teams, at the team's awards banquet.
- Graduated with a degree in rehabilitation & human services.
- Helped junior punter Blake Gillikin break the Penn State season punting average record with a 44.0-yard punting average in 2018, topping the mark of 43.6 set by Ralph Giacomarro in 1981.
- Gillikin has took 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 had three punts of 70 or more yards in 2018.
- Freshman kicker Jake Pinegar went 16-for-24 on field goals and 53-of-55 on extra points.
- Pinegar finished 2018 with 101 points (16 FG, 53 XP), which is 14th on the program's season list.
- Pinegar had 53 extra points made in 2018, which ranks sixth on Penn State's single-season list.
NFLPA Collegiate Bowl Participants
Koa Farmer, LB, 6-1, 230, Lake View Terrace, Calif./Notre Dame
- Was seventh on the team with 53 tackles.
- Won the Ridge Riley Memorial Award, for sportsmanship, scholarship, leadership and friendship at the team's awards banquet.
- Among the candidates on the preseason watch list for the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker.
- Was one of 10 Penn Staters to enter 2018 having already earned a degree, completing degrees in criminology and sociology in December 2017.
- Recorded six tackles, four solo, against Appalachian State (9/1).
- Made three stops, including one solo tackle, at Illinois (9/21).
- Matched a career high with eight tackles and assisted on a tackle for loss against Ohio State (9/29).
- Tallied six stops, including four solo, and added a pass breakup against Michigan State (10/13).
- Posted seven tackles, including four solo, at Indiana (10/20).
- Collected five tackles and forced a fumble for the second time in his career versus Iowa (10/27)
- Registered four solo tackles at Michigan (11/3).
- Tied a career high with eight tackles and broke up a pass at Rutgers (11/17).
Nick Scott, S, 5-11, 200, Fairfax, Va./Fairfax
- Honorable-mention all-conference by media.
- Was Penn State's Sportsmanship honoree.
- Was tied for the team lead and ranked No. 8 in the Big Ten with three interceptions.
- Ranked fourth on the team with 65 tackles.
- Was a candidate on the preseason watch list for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
- One of 10 Penn Staters to enter 2018 having already earned a degree, having graduated with his degree in psychology in May 2018.
- Made a career-best nine stops against Appalachian State (9/1). Also notched his first career sack and tied career highs with a full tackle for loss and a pass breakup.
- Recorded four tackles, including a solo stop, against Kent State (9/15).
- Made five stops, including four solo tackles, at Illinois (9/21).
- Collected five tackles, including three solo, against Ohio State (9/29).
- Tallied five tackles against Michigan State (10/13).
- Recorded his first career interception in the fourth quarter and added a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter on a punt return at Indiana (10/20). Also collected seven tackles.
- Made a big interception in the fourth quarter, picking it off on the PSU 2 and returning it 7 yards to prevent an Iowa score (10/27). Also registered five tackles.
- Collected five tackles and blocked a 50-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter at Michigan (11/3). The block was Penn State's first blocked field goal since Troy Apke at Iowa in 2017.
- Made five stops and intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter and returned it 8 yards against Wisconsin (11/10).
- Collected six tackles at Rutgers (11/17).
Reese's Senior Bowl Participants
Trace McSorley, QB, 6-0, 203, Ashburn, Va./Briar Woods
- All-Big Ten second team selection by the coaches and media.
- Earned third-straight all-conference second team honor.
- Is the first Penn State quarterback to earn All-Big Ten honors in three consecutive seasons.
- Associated Press All-Big Ten second team honoree.
- Was a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection.
- Named a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete, the 18th in program history, and was a finalist for the Campbell Trophy.
- Finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
- Selected as a Finalist for the Pop Warner National College Football Award.
- Named to the Pro Football Focus Midseason All-Big Ten team.
- Named Rose Bowl Player of the Week and Senior Bowl Senior of the Week after the Ohio State (9/29) game.
- Named to the Pro Football Focus Big Ten Team of the Week following the Ohio State (9/29) game.
- Selected to the Pro Football Focus Big Ten Team of the Week following the Kent State (9/15) game.
- One of 10 Penn Staters to enter 2018 having already earned a degree, graduating with his degree in accounting in May 2018.
- Ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 31 in the FBS with 13.05 yards per completion.
- Was No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 34 in FBS with 12 rushing touchdowns in 2018.
- Sat No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 25 in FBS in points responsible for (180).
- Ranked No. 3 in the Big Ten and No. 30 in FBS in points responsible for per game (13.8).
- Ranked No. 5 in the Big Ten and No. 40 in the country with 256.0 total yards per game.
- Finished 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).
- Threw at least one touchdown pass in 34-straight games, from the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl until Indiana in 2018, a Penn State record, which was previously held by Kerry Collins at 14-straight games from 1993-94. His streak is the fifth-longest in FBS Autonomy Five history.
- McSorley threw for 2,530 yards and rushed for 798 yards this season, joining Michael Robinson (2005; 2,350 passing, 806 rushing) as the only PSU quarterbacks with 2,000 passing and 700 rushing yards in the same season.
- McSorley was one of five players in FBS this season to have 2,000 passing yards and 700 rushing yards, joining Oklahoma's Kyler Murray, Virginia's Bryce Perkins, Ohio University's Nathan Rourke and Syracuse's Eric Dungy.
- Established a Nittany Lion record with 461 total yards against Ohio State (9/29/18), including 286 passing and 175 rushing.
- Is one of two Penn State quarterbacks with more than 1,000 rushing yards, joining Michael Robinson (1,637; 2002-05)
- Had 22 career games with both a rushing and passing touchdown (seven in 2016, nine in 2017, five in 2018).
- Became the first Penn State player and 11th in Big Ten history to eclipse the 10,000-yard mark in total offense.
Amani Oruwariye, CB, 6-1, 203, Tampa, Fla./Gaither
- First-team all-conference selection by the coaches and media.
- Earns second All-Big Ten honor of his career with an appearance on the coaches' and media's second team in 2017.
- Is the first Nittany Lion cornerback to earn All-Big Ten first team accolades since Justin King claimed honors in 2007.
- Associated Press All-Big Ten first team honoree.
- Ranked No. 30 in FBS and No. 5 in the Big Ten in passes defended with 1.2 per game.
- Led the team and was tied for No. 8 in the Big Ten in interceptions (3).
- Named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.
- Named to the Pro Football Focus Midseason All-Big Ten team.
- Selected to Pro Football Focus National and Big Ten Teams of the Week following the Pittsburgh (9/8) game.
- One of 10 Penn Staters to enter 2018 having already earned a degree having graduated with his degree in telecommunications in December 2017.
- Sealed the game with an interception in overtime, his sixth career pick, his third-straight season opener with a pick against App State (9/1). Also recorded seven tackles and forced the first fumble of his career.
- Picked off a pass in the first quarter, marking the second time in his career he made interceptions in back-to-back games, at Pittsburgh (9/8).
- Collected four tackles and broke up four passes against Michigan State (10/13).
- Recorded a career-best nine tackles at Indiana (10/20).
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and reserving new season tickets for the 2019 Penn State Football season presented by PSECU, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 9 a.m-4:30 p.m.
Nearly 1,900 new season tickets have already been sold for the 2019 campaign.