Trace McSorley visits Penn State football ahead of White Out weekend

Penn State football is gearing up for its penultimate home game of the season this weekend when Washington comes to town for the annual White Out matchup. On Wednesday, the Nittany Lions welcomed back one of their own to the Lasch Building, iconic quarterback Trace McSorley, who was on hand to watch the program prepare for the Huskies.

McSorley watched on as Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki led Nittany Lions quarterbacks Drew Allar, Beau Pribula, Jaxon Smolik, and Ethan Grunkemeyer (wearing Washington quarterback Will Rogers’ No. 7 instead of his No. 17) through drills during Wednesday evening’s media viewing session.

TRACE McSORLEY at Penn State’s practice Wednesday night with OC Andy Koteknicki and QBs Allar and Pribula. WATCH: pic.twitter.com/pgNOOKDn3D

— Mike Poorman (@PSUPoorman) November 6, 2024

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Penn State football is currently a 13.5-point favorite over the Huskies.

The Nittany Lions hope to use Saturday’s matchup as an opportunity for a bounce-back offensive performance after a lackadaisical showing against Ohio State last week. The unit put six total points and 270 yards.

Allar will defend Penn State receivers “’til the day I die”

Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images

After signs of improvement early in the season, the Nittany Lions wide receivers have been almost nonexistent of late. No receiver has caught a touchdown pass in Big Ten play. The 50-yard threshold has only been exceeded three times in that span. Only Harrison Wallace and Julian Fleming recorded catches (three combined) against the Buckeyes, gaining a combined 49 yards.

Despite the concerning trends, Drew Allar is not ready to back away from his teammates.

“Our receivers get a lot of harsh criticism about their performance, but I don’t really find it necessary at all,” he said earlier on Wednesday. “They’ve had a great year this year, and they’re going to continue to build on it.

“We have a lot of talent in that room, a lot of leadership in that room and they’ve done a lot of great things that, even if they don’t show up in the passing column with catches and yards. They’re doing a lot in our run game, with [things like] crack blocks.

“You don’t see many of receiver rooms in the country doing that – straining to block and finish on the perimeter. They’re doing a great job, even though they do get a lot of criticism. I’ll defend them ’til the day I die.”

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