| 2018Penn State Nittany Lions football | |
|---|---|
 | |
Citrus Bowl, L 24–27 vs.Kentucky | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Division | East Division |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 17 |
| AP | No. 17 |
| Record | 9–4 (6–3 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Ricky Rahne (1st as OC; 5th overall season) |
| Offensive scheme | Spread |
| Defensive coordinator | Brent Pry (3rd as DC; 5th overall season) |
| Co-defensive coordinator | Tim Banks (3rd season) |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| Captain | Trace McSorley Blake Gillikin Nick Scott |
| Home stadium | Beaver Stadium |
Seasons | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3Ohio State xy$ | 8 | – | 1 | 13 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14Michigan x | 8 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 17Penn State | 6 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 5 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maryland | 3 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 2 | – | 7 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rutgers | 0 | – | 9 | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 21Northwestern xy | 8 | – | 1 | 9 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 5 | – | 4 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 25Iowa | 5 | – | 4 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 5 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 3 | – | 6 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 3 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 2 | – | 7 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship:Ohio State 45, Northwestern 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The2018 Penn State Nittany Lions football team representedPennsylvania State University in the2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by fifth-year head coachJames Franklin and played its home games inBeaver Stadium inUniversity Park,Pennsylvania. They were a member of the East Division of theBig Ten Conference.
Penn State, coming off an 11–2,Fiesta Bowl-winning season in2017, began the year at 10th in the preseasonAP Poll. They narrowly escaped an upset in their first game of the year by defeatingAppalachian State in overtime. The Nittany Lions won their first four games and entered an anticipated home game against No. 4Ohio State at No. 9, but lost to the Buckeyes by a score of 26–27. The following week the team was upset byMichigan State on homecoming. The team rebounded with a home win against then-No. 18Iowa, but was blown out the following week byMichigan 42–7. The Nittany Lions finished the regular season in third in the Big Ten East with a conference record of 6–3. They were invited to theCitrus Bowl, where they lost toKentucky to finish the year at 9–4.
Senior quarterbackTrace McSorley led the team in passing, finishing with 2,530 passing yards and 18 passing touchdowns to go along with 12 rushing touchdowns. He was named second teamAll-Big Ten by both the media and coaches. During the season, McSorley became the all-time school record holder in several categories, including career passing yards, completions, passing touchdowns, and total touchdowns responsible for.[1] Junior running backMiles Sanders finished in second in the conference in rushing with 1,274 yards.[2] On defense, cornerbackAmani Oruwariye and linemanYetur Gross-Matos were named first-team all-conference by the media.[3]
On November 29, 2017, it was announced thatoffensive coordinator andquarterbacks coachJoe Moorhead was hired to be the head coach for theMississippi State Bulldogs.[4] Shortly after, it was reported thatrunning backs coach andspecial teams coordinator Charles Huff would be joining Moorhead at Mississippi State as his assistant head coach, run game coordinator, and running backs coach.[5] On December 1, 2017,James Franklin announced thattight ends coach Ricky Rahne would replace Moorhead as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.[6] It was also announced that formerMarylandoffensive line coachTyler Bowen was hired to coach tight ends and consultantPhil Galiano was hired to coordinate special teams and assist with thedefensive line.[6] On January 12, 2018, formerArmywide receivers coachDavid Corley Jr. was hired to the staff as the running backs coach.[7] Corley was hired as the 10th assistant coach because of a new rule change by theNCAA, that expanded staff sizes by one.[8] On January 24, 2018, wide receivers coachJosh Gattis announced that he would be leaving to serve as the co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for theAlabama Crimson Tide.[9] The next day it was announced that formerFlorida Gators running backs coachJa'Juan Seider would be joining Penn State in the same capacity and David Corley Jr. would be coaching the wide receivers.[10] It was also announced that defensive line coachSean Spencer received the title of associate head coach, a title previously held bydefensive coordinatorBrent Pry.[11]
The Nittany Lions signed 23 recruits.[12][13]
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saquon Barkley | Running back | 1 | 2 | New York Giants |
| Mike Gesicki | Tight end | 2 | 42 | Miami Dolphins |
| Troy Apke | Safety | 4 | 109 | Washington Redskins |
| DaeSean Hamilton | Wide receiver | 4 | 113 | Denver Broncos |
| Marcus Allen | Safety | 5 | 148 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Christian Campbell | Cornerback | 6 | 182 | Arizona Cardinals |
| Jason Cabinda | Linebacker | UFA | Oakland Raiders | |
| Saeed Blacknall | Wide receiver | UFA | Oakland Raiders | |
| Grant Haley | Cornerback | UFA | New York Giants | |
| Brendan Mahon | Guard | UFA | Carolina Panthers | |
| Curtis Cothran | Defensive tackle | UFA | Minnesota Vikings | |
| Parker Cothren | Defensive lineman | UFA | Pittsburgh Steelers | |
| Tyler Davis | Kicker | UFA | Buffalo Bills | |
Offense
| Defense
| Special teams
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rimington Trophy[15] | Connor McGovern | C | JR |
| Chuck Bednarik Award[16] | Shareef Miller | DE | JR |
| Maxwell Award[17] | Trace McSorley | QB | SR |
| Davey O'Brien Award[18] | Trace McSorley | QB | SR |
| Doak Walker Award[19] | Miles Sanders | RB | JR |
| John Mackey Award[20] | Jonathan Holland | TE | JR |
| Butkus Award[21] | Koa Farmer | LB | SR |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy[22] | Amani Oruwariye | CB | SR |
| Outland Trophy[23] | Ryan Bates | OL | SR |
| Connor McGovern | C | JR | |
| Ray Guy Award[24] | Blake Gillikin | P/K | JR |
| Wuerffel Trophy[25] | Trace McSorley | QB | SR |
| Walter Camp Award[26] | Trace McSorley | QB | SR |
| Ted Hendricks Award[27] | Shareef Miller | DE | JR |
| Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award[28] | Trace McSorley | QB | SR |
| Manning Award[29] | Trace McSorley | QB | SR |
Seniors Trace McSorley and Nick Scott, and junior Blake Gillikin were elected by their teammates as captains.[30] Running Back C. J. Holmes is a transfer fromNotre Dame.[31] On August 4, 2018, Linebacker Manny Bowen returned to the program after being dismissed near the end of the 2017 season.[32]
| 2018 Penn State Nittany Lions football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
| Defense
| Special teams
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As of August 28, 2018
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| Date | Time | Spring Game | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 21 | 3:00 p.m. | Blue vs. White | Beaver Stadium •University Park, PA | BTN[35] | Blue 21–10 | 71,000[36] |
The team hosted two of the three non-conference games against theAppalachian State Mountaineers (first ever meeting) from theSun Belt Conference and theKent State Golden Flashes from theMid-American Conference (MAC).[37] They traveled to thePittsburgh Panthers from theAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC).[38]
During the 2018 Nittany Lions season, Penn State facedBig Ten conference opponentsIllinois,Ohio State,Michigan State,Indiana,Iowa,Michigan,Wisconsin,Rutgers andMaryland. Their annual homecoming game was played on October 13.[39] The 2018 regular season schedule consisted of 7 home games and 5 away.[40][41]
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | 3:30 p.m. | Appalachian State* | No. 10 | BTN | W 45–38OT | 105,232 | |
| September 8 | 8:00 p.m. | atPittsburgh* | No. 13 | ABC | W 51–6 | 68,400 | |
| September 15 | 12:00 p.m. | Kent State* | No. 11 |
| FS1 | W 63–10 | 106,528 |
| September 21 | 9:00 p.m. | atIllinois | No. 10 | FS1 | W 63–24 | 34,704 | |
| September 29 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 4Ohio State | No. 9 |
| ABC | L 26–27 | 110,889 |
| October 13 | 3:30 p.m. | Michigan State | No. 8 |
| BTN | L 17–21 | 106,685 |
| October 20 | 3:30 p.m. | atIndiana | No. 18 | ABC | W 33–28 | 41,553 | |
| October 27 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 18Iowa | No. 17 |
| ESPN | W 30–24 | 105,244 |
| November 3 | 3:45 p.m. | at No. 5Michigan | No. 14 | ESPN | L 7–42 | 111,747 | |
| November 10 | 12:00 p.m. | Wisconsin | No. 20 |
| ABC | W 22–10 | 105,396 |
| November 17 | 12:00 p.m. | atRutgers | No. 14 | BTN | W 20–7 | 44,840 | |
| November 24 | 3:30 p.m. | Maryland | No. 12 |
| ABC | W 38–3 | 98,422 |
| January 1, 2019 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. No. 14Kentucky* | No. 12 | ABC | L 24–27 | 59,167 | |
| |||||||
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appalachian State | 10 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 38 |
| No. 10Penn State | 7 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 45 |
atBeaver Stadium,University Park, Pennsylvania
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 13Penn State | 7 | 7 | 16 | 21 | 51 |
| Pittsburgh | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
atHeinz Field,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent State | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| No. 11Penn State | 21 | 7 | 21 | 14 | 63 |
atBeaver Stadium,University Park, Pennsylvania
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 10Penn State | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 | 63 |
| Illinois | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
atMemorial Stadium,Champaign, Illinois
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4Ohio State | 0 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 27 |
| No. 9 Penn State | 3 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 26 |
atBeaver Stadium,University Park, Pennsylvania
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| No. 8 Penn State | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
atBeaver Stadium,University Park, Pennsylvania
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 18Penn State | 7 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 33 |
| Indiana | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
atMemorial Stadium,Bloomington, Indiana
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 18 Iowa | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| No. 17Penn State | 7 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 30 |
atBeaver Stadium,University Park, Pennsylvania
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 14 Penn State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| No. 5Michigan | 7 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 42 |
atMichigan Stadium,Ann Arbor, Michigan
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| No. 21Penn State | 10 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 22 |
atBeaver Stadium,University Park, Pennsylvania
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 16Penn State | 3 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Rutgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
atHighPoint.com Stadium,Piscataway, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 15Penn State | 14 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 38 |
atBeaver Stadium,University Park, Pennsylvania
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 13 Penn State | 0 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 24 |
| No. 16Kentucky | 10 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 27 |
atCamping World Stadium,Orlando, Florida
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Week | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 10 | 13 | 11 | 10–T | 9 | 11 | 8 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 21 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 17 |
| Coaches | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 20 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 17 |
| CFP | Not released | 14 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | Not released | ||||||||
| Player | Position | Coaches | Media |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amani Oruwariye | DB | 1 | 1 |
| Yetur Gross-Matos | DL | 3 | 1 |
| Trace McSorley | QB | 2 | 2 |
| Miles Sanders | RB | 2 | 2 |
| Connor McGovern | OG | 3 | 3 |
| Ryan Bates | OT | 3 | 3 |
| Shareef Miller | DL | 3 | 3 |
| K. J. Hamler | WR | HM | HM |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | HM | HM |
| Steven Gonzalez | OG | HM | HM |
| Garrett Taylor | DB | HM | HM |
| John Reid | DB | HM | HM |
| Robert Windsor | DL | HM | HM |
| K. J. Hamler | PR/KR | HM | HM |
| Micah Parsons | DL | – | HM |
| Nick Scott | DB | – | HM |
| HM = Honorable mention.Reference:[3] | |||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 53 | Miles Sanders | RB | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 4 | 138 | Shareef Miller | DE | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 5 | 146 | Amani Oruwariye | CB | Detroit Lions |
| 6 | 197 | Trace McSorley | QB | Baltimore Ravens |
| 7 | 243 | Nick Scott | S | Los Angeles Rams |
