Seniors take a victory lap
The victory lap was Koa Farmer’s idea. The linebacker came to Penn State in 2014, unsure of what to expect with a new coach and lingering football sanctions and that first punch of snow for a kid who grew up five minutes from the Rose Bowl in California.
So Farmer and Trace McSorley and Amani Oruwariye and Nick Scott joined their fellow fifth-year seniors for one last trip around Beaver Stadium following Saturday’s 38-3 win over Maryland. They recalled their first training camp, their first practice in the stadium, their Big Ten championship and all the nights in between they spent in their dorms and apartments discussing “where we wanted to take this program.”
As the players walked, some fans thanked them for “saving the program.” It took them aback. That’s not what they had in mind in 2014, when they committed to James Franklin and his vision for Penn State.
They weren’t “saving” a football team. That already had been done. These guys hoped to re-launch it.
“I would argue that the guys who saved the program are the guys who stayed in 2012, when everything went down,” said Nick Scott, a fifth-year senior who went from Saquon Barkley’s backup running back in 2015 to starting safety this year. “I would say we were the guys that came in and worked hard to make sure it went up to the top.
“Obviously, we as a class wish we could have done more. We wanted national championships and things like that. But we have all the resources, we have a lot of talented guys, and I think we’re leaving this program in the right hands with guys who can continue to grow the program.”
The final home game for Franklin’s first Penn State recruiting class could not have gone much more smoothly (save for the weather and resulting light crowd). McSorley, who has broken nine school records, rushed for two touchdowns,
threw for another and stormed downfield to block for Miles Sanders on the game's second play.
Penn State's defense, exceptional during this three-game win streak, rattled Maryland's backs 15 times for losses, including five sacks. Most of them have enormously bright futures in Penn State uniforms.
The game went so well that Penn State was able to play a sizable group of walk-ons who toil on scout teams, not expecting to see the field. Joe Arcangelo caught a pass. Jason Vranic, Frank DiLeo (nicknamed “Pipes”), and Tyler Shoop (whose father Bob was the defensive coordinator) got into the game.
When it was over, Franklin stood with his daughters, watching as the seniors circled the field. Franklin has called this group of players among the most important in Penn State's Big Ten era, considering the situation it entered and the games it won.
“It's kind of surreal in a lot of ways,” Franklin said. “It feels like just the other day that Trace was
in my office saying he's coming to Penn State with his mom and his dad. … I can go on and on about all those guys.”
The farewell tour began in earnest Friday night, when a group of linebackers sat in Koa Farmer's hotel room to hear his big-game stories. Farmer reflected on the Big Ten championship game, the Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, saying he wasn't sure he'd have that chance when he committed to Penn State.
Farmer then issued a challenge.
“I want to see what games you guys play in, because I played in some Farmer said. “It's just a blessing, coming way out here from California to be a part of this.”
McSorley, Farmer's best friend on the team (“probably the best man at my wedding,” he said), had the finest moment of all. With 9:12 left in the game, and Penn State leading 31-3, Franklin gave the quarterback his curtain call.
McSorley left the game, ceding to Tommy Stevens, to an ovation that roared over the one he received during pre-game introductions. He cried seeing
“I was just trying to look at everything, take in everything I possibly could. The main thing was being appreciative.”
games,” — Trace McSorley
mother Andrea on the field. McSorley got chills at his walkoff moment. His final pass at Beaver Stadium went for a touchdown.
After the game, McSorley knelt in prayer, and dropped to kiss the Beaver Stadium turf. He was the last player to ring the Victory Bell. He did so three times.
“I was just trying to look at everything, take in everything I possibly could,” McSorley said. “The main thing was being appreciative. Trying to be humble about everything and take it with a sense of gratitude.”
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