UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Trace McSorley quarterbacked Penn State to a Big Ten title, a trip to the Rose Bowl and 13 career victories. He marched the offense down the field last season at will and looked almost unstoppable in this year's season opener.
But Saturday afternoon's 33-14 victory against Pitt -- at Beaver Stadium in front of 109,898 people -- was admittedly different for the usually calm and collected McSorley. He missed on some of the throws he usually makes, particularly early on, and it wasn't until the third quarter that this potent Penn State offense started humming. McSorley's reasoning for that was part what Pat Narduzzi and the Panthers cooked up on defense, but mostly it had to do with what happened one year ago at Heinz Field.
"I was a little jittery," McSorley said. "I think the emotions of everything today just kind of got the best of me."
What emotions? Wasn't this supposed to just be the next game on the schedule, this week's Super Bowl, as James Franklin called it multiple times this week?
"Emotions were high," McSorley said. "We got into halftime and thought our emotions were high, and we felt like we almost kind of let it out too early and then kind of fizzled out in the first half."
33>14...No Key Chains needed...on to the next RIVALRY game...GA State! #WeAre
— Charles C. Huff (@CoachHuff) September 10, 2017
"Life is great right now," he said.