STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Midway through the second quarter of the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl, the legend of Trace McSorley, if one can call it that, began in earnest.
Down 10-0 at the time, with starting quarterback Christian Hackenberg out of the game with a shoulder injury, it was the grit and tenacity as well as the skill of McSorley that helped Penn State not only stay in the game but also nearly pull off an upset of Georgia. And since that 142-yard, two-touchdown debut, he has shredded defenses with his arm and legs on his way to further rewriting the school's record books at the position: Entering his redshirt senior season, he's only 1,058 yards from being the all-time leader in passing yards for the Nittany Lions, having already set the mark for touchdown passes with 59 and counting.
It was the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl that put McSorley on the map for Penn State fans, but it was the performances in other big games, the 2016 Big Ten Championship, then the Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl the past two seasons that have put the Ashburn, Va., native on the map across the country.
Enough so that he'll likely be lined up for college football's highest honor?
Well, McSorley currently sits at +1800 odds to win the 2018 edition of the Heisman Memorial Trophy, which means a $1 bet would yield $18 in return, so maybe he'll still have to move some hearts and minds. But if he does, he would join former Penn State running back John Cappelletti as the school's only Heisman winners.
The game has definitely changed since Cappelletti, but McSorley gives the Nittany Lions one of their best opportunities for a Heisman winner in recent history, Saquon Barkley included.
Trent Dilfer gave his impression of McSorley following a workout at Dilfer’s Elite 11 Camp earlier this week in Redondo Beach, Calif., where the former Super Bowl champion and NFL analyst is the head coach.
“Trace McSorley is a rock star,” Dilfer said. “There's not a whole lot of difference between Baker Mayfield and Trace McSorley. In fact, I would argue that Trace throws it every bit as well if not better than Baker. Trace McSorley should be the front-runner for the Heisman.”
It's way too early for a hard casting call on potential nominees, as scheduling, injuries and quality of play will be sure to dictate that come the fall. For now, Stanford running back Bryce Love tops most lists, but there also are quite a few quarterbacks who have popped up on Heisman watch lists, and the prize has gone to a quarterback 16 of the past 19 years, including Oklahoma's Mayfield after last season.
So the more compelling question might be this: How does McSorley stack up against quarterbacks such as West Virginia's Will Grier, who has +2000 odds, or Arizona's Khalil Tate, who currently has +1400 odds?
McSorley's best season statistically came last year when he threw for 3,570 yards and 28 touchdowns, and his completion rate rose season over season from 57.9 percent to 65.3 percent. He also rushed for 491 yards and 11 touchdowns on 144 carries.
Grier finished his first season in Morgantown throwing for 3,490 yards, 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in a pass-heavy West Virginia offense.
Tate's offense has undergone some changes this offseason, as Rich Rodriguez is no longer at the helm for Arizona. Under Rodriguez, Tate passed for a subpar 1,591 yards but did throw 14 touchdowns to nine interceptions. It was on the ground where Tate really made a difference, rushing for 1,411 yards and 12 touchdowns on 153 carries.
Offensive scheme and opponents play an integral role in the successes of the aforementioned quarterbacks. Grier will be entering his second year with West Virginia and Tate will be entering his third with the Wildcats, albeit under a new coach.
Dual-threat quarterbacks such as McSorley have had much success on Heisman ballots in recent history, as 2007 winner Tim Tebow, 2016 winner Lamar Jackson and Mayfield come to mind.
McSorley stacks up well with all of them, too.
He will probably not come close to Jackson's 1,560 rushing yards in 2016, nor Tebow's 895 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns in 2007. Mayfield was never known as much of a runner, he still managed 311 yards and five touchdowns while torching teams through the air for 4,627 yards, and 43 touchdowns with just six interceptions.
McSorley throwing for 4,500-plus yards is feasible given the experience of receivers Juwan Johnson and DeAndre Thompkins lining up with him in 2018. There will be no need to force feed the football to Barkley this year, which bodes well for an opened up passing game for McSorley and the offense.
"I think we got a really good foundation of chemistry and we're able to build from there," McSorley said. "And come fall camp and fall season, I feel really good about it."
What remains to be seen for the Nittany Lions is how they will fare with defenses keying on McSorley rather than Barkley in the backfield.
At 6 feet, 198 pounds, McSorley hardly grabs attention with his size, but he's made up for that all of his life with athleticism, grit and determination ... and winning. He led Briar Woods High School to three Virginia state championships. He has led Penn State to a 22-5 record as a starting quarterback. Among those wins was that 2016 Big Ten Championship in which the Nittany Lions roared back from a 28-7 deficit to defeat Wisconsin, 38-31, as McSorley passed for 384 yards and four touchdowns to earn MVP. Another was the Fiesta Bowl in which he was 12 for 12 for 193 yards on third downs alone and finished 32 for 41 for 342 yards and two touchdowns.
The 2018 season will be without three big-time playmakers McSorley previously had at his disposal: Barkley, tight end Mike Gesicki and receiver DaSean Hamilton, all gone to the NFL. Joe Moorhead, the offensive coordinator is gone, too.
“We have a lot of young guys in our program now, guys with one or two years’ experience,” McSorley said of the youth of the roster. “Guys that I think I can coach up and be more vocal in that way. As a more experienced guy, when things are slacking down, you feel like you got to pick up the tempo or energy.”
It's McSorley's team now, his moment in the spotlight for Penn State. Maybe all the way to Broadway.