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Craig Houtz

Dotson Leads Way for Offense with All-Big Ten First Team Honors

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State senior wide receiver Jahan Dotson was named first-team All-Big Ten by the media, it was announced on Wednesday. This comes after Dotson earned third team honors on Tuesday as a return specialist.
 
Joining Dotson was redshirt junior OL Rasheed Walker (third team), redshirt senior QB Sean Clifford (honorable mention), OL Juice Scruggs (honorable mention), OL Mike Miranda (honorable mention) and TE Brenton Strange (honorable mention)
 
With the six offensive honorees, Penn State had a total of 18 All-Big Ten selections in 2021.
 
Penn State's All-Big Ten honorees are listed below.
 
WR Jahan Dotson
First Team Wide Receiver (Media)
Second Team Wide Receiver (Coaches)

  • Dotson, a current semifinalist Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, was also a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award and on the watch lists for the Maxwell and Paul Hornung Awards.
  • He is the only wide receiver who is a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award.
  • Dotson is the only Power Five receiver and one of two FBS receivers with at least 90 receptions, 1,180 yards and 12 touchdowns in their first 12 games of the season, joining Western Kentucky's Jerreth Sterns (127, He is the first Big Ten player since Braylon Edwards (Michigan, 2004) to have at least 90 receptions, 1,180 yards and 12 touchdowns in their first 12 games of the season.
  • Dotson ranks second in the Big Ten in 2021 in receptions (91, 7th nationally), is tied for second in receiving scores (12, T-5th), and is third in receiving yards (1,182, 13th).
  • The 91 grabs are currently the second-most in a season at Penn State, trailing Allen Robinson (97, 2013) by six, while his 1,182 yards and 101touchdown receptions are second.
  • He is second all-time at Penn State in career receptions (183), tied for second in career receiving touchdowns (25) and is fourth yardage (2,757).
  • His 11 career 100-yard receiving games is second all-time at Penn State.
  • A native of Nazareth, Pa., Dotson had five or more receptions in 12-straight games, dating back to the Michigan State game in 2020 and is the only Nittany Lion in program history to catch at least five passes in 12 consecutive games.
  • The wideout has a reception in 41-straight games, dating back to October 20, 2018 against Indiana, which ranks fifth among current FBS players.
  • Dotson has at least one 20-yard reception in 28 career games, including each of the first five games and 10 of 12 games overall this year.
  • According to PFF, since 2020, Dotson leads all FBS receivers in 20+ yard touchdowns with 12.
  • He had a touchdown reception in each of the first five games this season and since 2000, is the only Penn State receiver with at least six touchdown receptions in the first five games of the season. He's done so in both 2020 and 2021.
  • Dotson had a touchdown reception in six-straight games dating back to the Illinois game in 2020, the longest streak in program history. He reached the end zone in seven consecutive games, including an 81-yard punt return against Michigan State in 2020.
  • The senior owns six career receiving touchdowns of 60 or more yards (86 at Maryland, 2021; 75 and 70 vs. Illinois 2020; 68 vs. Iowa 2020; 60 at Indiana 2020; 72 vs. Purdue, 2019) and 10 receiving touchdown of 40+ yards.
  • Dotson's 15.12 yards per reception in his career are third among current Power Five receivers (minimum 170 catches) and sixth among FBS receivers.
  • Only Purdue's David Bell (17) has more career 100-yard receiving games than Dotson's 11.
  • Dotson recorded a career-high and program-record 242 receiving yards at Maryland, bettering Deon Butler's 216 yards vs. Northwestern in 2006.
  • He is the only Power Five receiver and one of three FBS receivers with 240 yards and three touchdowns in a game this season, joining Northern Illinois' Trayvon Rudolph (14, 309, 3 vs. Kent State) and Old Dominion's Ali Jennings (9, 252, 3).
  • The wideout tied career highs with 11 receptions and three touchdowns against the Terrapins, his fifth career multi-touchdown game.
  • It marked his fourth career game with at least 100 receiving yards and two touchdowns and second career game with at least 100 yards and three touchdowns.
  • Dotson set a career-high with 11 receptions at Ohio State to go along with 127 yards, while also adding a 2-yard rushing touchdown against the Buckeyes.
  • He had 10 receptions against Auburn, becoming the first Penn State player with double-digit receptions in a game since Saquon Barkley's 12 against Iowa in 2017 and the first receiver with double-digit receptions since DaeSean Hamilton's 14 against Ohio State in 2014.
  • Dotson caught a 4-yard touchdown against the Tigers and completed a 22-yard pass to redshirt freshman TE Tyler Warren in the second quarter.
  • It was Dotson's first career pass attempt and completion. He followed it up two weeks later with another completion, connecting on a 21-yard pass to Parker Washington against Indiana.
  • Dotson had five receptions for 102 yards, and a 49-yard touchdown, in the season-opening win at Wisconsin.
  • The senior turned a screen pass into a 25-yard touchdown against Ball State and caught eight passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns against Indiana.
  • Dotson made seven grabs for 117 yards and a touchdown against Villanova, including a 52-yard touchdown reception on Penn State's first offensive play.


 OL Rasheed Walker
Third Team Offensive Lineman (Media)
Honorable Mention (Coaches)

  • Walker, who was on the preseason Outland Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Watch Lists, leads the returnees with 32 starts, all at left tackle.
  • Penn State did not allow a sack against Auburn on 33 pass attempts and against Indiana on 34 pass attempts.
  • The Penn State offensive line helped the Nittany Lions to rush for 240 yards and two touchdowns against Ball State. 


QB Sean Clifford
Honorable Mention (Coaches and Media)
Sportsmanship Award Nominee

  • Clifford is in his third season as Penn State's starting signal caller, having played in 36 career games, making 31 starts.
  • The quarterback is a finalist for the NFF's William V. Campbell Trophy, awarded to the nation's top football scholar athlete and is a member of the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Class.
  • Clifford, who was named to the Allstate Good Works Team, is currently a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, owns a 3.45 cumulative GPA, graduated with a degree in public relations in December 2020 and is pursuing a second degree in journalism.
  • The Cincinnati native was a semifinalist for the Wuerffel Trophy, one of 25 quarterbacks considered for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and one of 40 candidates for the Davey O'Brien Award.
  • A 2021 honorable mention All-Big Ten honoree, he also began the season on the watch lists for the Manning Award and Reese's Senior Bowl.
  • Clifford is just one of three Penn State players all-time to reach 8,000-plus yards of total offense and one of three quarterbacks to reach 7,500 career passing yards.
  • The redshirt junior is one of 13 current FBS quarterbacks with 7,500 passing yards and over 850 rushing yards in his career.
  • Clifford owns 26 career games with multi-TD passes, including 12 with three or more TDs, most by a PSU quarterback since 2000, and three with four or more.
  • Clifford has tossed multiple touchdowns in a half on 16 occasions and nine different times has thrown multiple touchdowns in a quarter.
  • He owns eight career games with at least 250 passing yards and three passing touchdowns.

 
OL Juice Scruggs
Honorable Mention (Coaches and Media)
Scruggs made his first career start against Wisconsin.

  • He has played in 20 with 12 starts.
  • Penn State did not allow a sack against Auburn on 33 pass attempts and against Indiana on 34 pass attempts.
  • The Penn State offensive line helped the Nittany Lions to rush for 240 yards and two touchdowns against Ball State.

 
OL Mike Miranda
Honorable Mention (Media)
Miranda has been a valuable member of the line with his versatility.

  • He's appeared in 46 games with 29 starts, including nine at left guard, nine at right guard and 12 at center.
  • Miranda was also on the Outland Trophy and Reese's Senior Bowl watch lists.
  • Penn State did not allow a sack against Auburn on 33 pass attempts and against Indiana on 34 pass attempts.
  • The Penn State offensive line helped the Nittany Lions to rush for 240 yards and two touchdowns against Ball State.

 
TE Brenton Strange
Honorable Mention (Media)

  • Strange owns 19 receptions for 226 yards and three touchdowns this season.
  • He set career highs with four catches for 71 yards against Auburn, including a career-long 40-yard reception.
  • Strange added 63 yards on four grabs at Michigan State, including a long reception of 25 yards, bringing his 20-plus yard reception total to three this season.

 
The 2021 Penn State football season is presented by PSECU.