# 2019 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

The 2019 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach James Franklin and played its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.
Penn State competed as a member of the Big Ten East Division of the Big Ten Conference.

## Offseason
### Staff changes

On January 2, 2019, James Franklin announced that wide receivers coach David Corley was relieved of his duties. This came just one day after Penn State's 27–24 loss to Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl. On January 10, former Duke assistant coach Gerad Parker was announced as the team's new wide receivers coach. On February 15, 2019, it was announced that special teams coordinator and assistant defensive line coach Phil Galiano would be leaving Penn State to become an assistant special teams coach with the New Orleans Saints. On February 21, 2019, Penn State hired Joe Lorig, from Texas Tech, as special teams coordinator and defensive assistant.

### Recruiting

The Nittany Lions signed 19 recruits on early signing day in December 2018. Four recruits signed with Penn State on February 6, 2019, pushing their total commitments to 23.
College recruiting information (2019) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Brandon Smith ILB | Mineral, Virginia | Louisa County | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 228 lb (103 kg) | May 21, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Adisa Isaac DE | Brooklyn, New York | Canarsie | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Dec 17, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Noah Cain RB | Bradenton, Florida | IMG Academy | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 208 lb (94 kg) | Dec 19, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Lance Dixon OLB | West Bloomfield Township, Michigan | West Bloomfield | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 201 lb (91 kg) | Jul 1, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Tyler Rudolph S | Montville, Connecticut | St. Thomas More | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | May 21, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Taquan Roberson QB | Wayne, New Jersey | DePaul Catholic | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Oct 26, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Anthony Whigan OT | Scranton, Pennsylvania | Lackawanna College | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 290 lb (130 kg) | Aug 7, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Keaton Ellis CB | State College, Pennsylvania | State College | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 9, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Brenton Strange TE | Parkersburg, West Virginia | Parkersburg | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Oct 1, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Michael Johnson Jr. QB | Eugene, Oregon | Sheldon | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | Aug 1, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Marquis Wilson CB | Windsor, Connecticut | Windsor | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | May 20, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Devyn Ford RB | Stafford, Virginia | North Stafford | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | May 18, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Caedan Wallace OG | Princeton, New Jersey | Hun School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 288 lb (131 kg) | Apr 21, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| John Dunmore WR | Hollywood, Florida | Chaminade-Madonna Prep | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 172 lb (78 kg) | Jul 4, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| D'Von Ellies DT | Owings Mills, Maryland | McDonogh | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | Jan 20, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Saleem Wormley OG | Smyrna, Delaware | Smyrna | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 318 lb (144 kg) | Jul 23, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Hakeem Beamon DE | Midlothian, Virginia | Manchester | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 259 lb (117 kg) | Jun 1, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Joey Porter Jr. CB | Wexford, Pennsylvania | North Allegheny | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Sep 11, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jaquan Brisker S | Scranton, Pennsylvania | Lackawanna College | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 197 lb (89 kg) | May 17, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Smith Vilbert SDE | Montvale, New Jersey | Saint Joseph Regional | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 250 lb (110 kg) | |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Joseph Appiah Darkwa DT | Düsseldorf, Germany | U 19 A | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 270 lb (120 kg) | Feb 1, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Daequan Hardy CB | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Penn Hills | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Feb 5, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| TJ Jones WR | Lake City, Florida | Columbia | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Feb 6, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 11 247Sports: 13 ESPN: 13 |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Penn State Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 26, 2019. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 26, 2019. "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 26, 2019. |||||||

### 2019 NFL Draft

| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Team |
| Miles Sanders | Running back | 2 | 53 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Connor McGovern | Offensive lineman | 3 | 90 | Dallas Cowboys |
| Shareef Miller | Defensive end | 4 | 138 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Amani Oruwariye | Cornerback | 5 | 146 | Detroit Lions |
| Trace McSorley | Quarterback | 6 | 197 | Baltimore Ravens |
| Nick Scott | Safety | 7 | 243 | Los Angeles Rams |
| Kyle Vasey | Long snapper | UFA | UFA | Atlanta Falcons |
| Kevin Givens | Defensive tackle | UFA | UFA | San Francisco 49ers |
| Ryan Bates | Offensive lineman | UFA | UFA | Philadelphia Eagles |
| DeAndre Thompkins | Wide receiver | UFA | UFA | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Koa Farmer | Outside linebacker | UFA | UFA | Oakland Raiders |
| Johnathan Thomas | Running back | UFA | UFA | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Chasz Wright | Offensive tackle | UFA | UFA | |

### Transfers

The Nittany Lions added 2 players and lost 12 players due to transfer.
| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Transfer from |
| Weston Carr | WR | 6'2 | 200 | Senior | Benicia, CA | Azusa Pacific |
| Jordan Stout | K | 6'2 | 197 | Sophomore | Honaker, VA | Virginia Tech |
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Transfer to |
| Manny Bowen | #43 | OLB | 6'2 | 231 | Senior | Barnegat, NJ | Utah |
| Torrence Brown | #19 | DE | 6'3 | 257 | Senior | Tuscaloosa, AL | Southern Miss |
| Danny Dalton | #80 | TE | 6'4 | 247 | Junior | Marshfield, MA | Boston College |
| Dae'lun Darien | #41 | OLB | 6'4 | 223 | Junior | Baltimore, MD | Delaware |
| Alex Gellerstedt | #51 | OL | 6'6 | 311 | Junior | Dublin, OH | Virginia |
| Isaiah Humphries | #2 | S | 6'0 | 187 | Freshman | Rowlett, TX | California |
| Sterling Jenkins | #76 | OT | 6'8 | 334 | Senior | Pittsburgh, PA | Duquesne |
| Juwan Johnson | #84 | WR | 6'4 | 225 | Senior | Glassboro, NJ | Oregon |
| Zech McPhearson | #14 | CB | 5'11 | 184 | Junior | Columbia, MD | Texas Tech |
| Jarvis Miller | #9 | OLB | 6'2 | 223 | Senior | Suffield, CT | UMass |
| Ayron Monroe | #23 | S | 5'11 | 206 | Senior | Largo, MD | Temple |
| Tommy Stevens | #2 | QB | 6'5 | 230 | Senior | Indianapolis, IN | Mississippi State |

### Preseason Big Ten poll

Although the Big Ten Conference has not held an official preseason poll since 2010, Cleveland.com has polled sports journalists representing all member schools as a de facto preseason media poll since 2011. For the 2019 poll, Penn State was projected to finish in fourth in the East Division.
Media poll (East Division) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Michigan | 222 (20) |
| 2 | Ohio State | 214 (14) |
| 3 | Michigan State | 156 |
| 4 | Penn State | 154 |
| 5 | Indiana | 86.5 |
| 6 | Maryland | 82.5 |
| 7 | Rutgers | 37 |

## Schedule
### Spring game

| Date | Time | Spring Game | Site | Result | Attendance |
| April 13 | 3:00 p.m. | Blue vs. White | Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA | Blue 24–7 | 61,000 |

### Regular season

The team hosted three non-conference games against the Idaho Vandals (first ever meeting) from the Big Sky Conference, Buffalo Bulls from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and the Pittsburgh Panthers from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
During the 2019 Nittany Lions season, Penn State went against Big Ten conference opponents Maryland, Purdue, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio State and Rutgers. The 2019 schedule consisted of 7 home games and 5 away.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 3:30 p.m. | Idaho* | No. 15 | Beaver StadiumState College, PA | BTN | W 79–7 | 104,527 |
| September 7 | 7:30 p.m. | Buffalo* | No. 15 | Beaver StadiumState College, PA | FOX | W 45–13 | 104,136 |
| September 14 | 12:00 p.m. | Pittsburgh* | No. 13 | Beaver StadiumState College, PA (rivalry) | ABC | W 17–10 | 108,661 |
| September 27 | 8:00 p.m. | at Maryland | No. 12 | Maryland StadiumCollege Park, MD (rivalry) | FS1 | W 59–0 | 53,228 |
| October 5 | 12:00 p.m. | Purdue | No. 12 | Beaver StadiumState College, PA | ESPN | W 35–7 | 106,536 |
| October 12 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 17 Iowa | No. 10 | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA | ABC | W 17–12 | 69,034 |
| October 19 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 16 Michigan | No. 7 | Beaver StadiumState College, PA (rivalry, College Gameday) | ABC | W 28–21 | 110,669 |
| October 26 | 3:30 p.m. | at Michigan State | No. 6 | Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI (rivalry) | ABC | W 28–7 | 70,298 |
| November 9 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 17 Minnesota | No. 4 | TCF Bank StadiumMinneapolis, MN (Governor's Victory Bell) | ABC | L 26–31 | 51,883 |
| November 16 | 12:00 p.m. | Indiana | No. 9 | Beaver StadiumState College, PA | ABC | W 34–27 | 106,323 |
| November 23 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 2 Ohio State | No. 8 | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH (rivalry, Big Noon Kickoff, College GameDay) | FOX | L 17–28 | 104,355 |
| November 30 | 3:30 p.m. | Rutgers | No. 10 | Beaver StadiumState College, PA | BTN | W 27–6 | 98,895 |
| December 28 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. No. 17 Memphis* | No. 10 | AT&T StadiumArlington, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic) | ESPN | W 53–39 | 54,828 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings (after November 5) released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### Idaho

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Idaho (FCS) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| No. 15 Penn State | 20 | 24 | 14 | 21 | 79 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: August 31
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C); partly sunny
* Game attendance: 104,527
* Referee: Tom Stapleton
* TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin, James Laurinaitis, Elise Menaker
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Jake Pinegar, 28-yard field goal, 11:30 (PSU 3–0)
PSU – Jordan Stout, 53-yard field goal, 8:35 (PSU 6–0)
PSU – Journey Brown, 23-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 5:03 (PSU 13–0)
PSU – Ricky Slade, 1-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 1:50 (PSU 20–0)
Second quarter
PSU – K. J. Hamler, 36-yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 10:28 (PSU 27–0)
PSU – Devyn Ford, 81-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 4:27 (PSU 34–0)
PSU – Hamler, 21-yard TD pass from Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 1:39 (PSU 41–0)
PSU – Pinegar, 38-yard field goal, 0:00 (PSU 44–0)
Third quarter
PSU – Journey Brown, 2-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 13:11 (PSU 51–0)
PSU – Noah Cain, 3-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 11:28 (PSU 58–0)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Brenton Strange, 4-yard TD pass from Will Levis, Pinegar kick good, 14:51 (PSU 65–0)
UI – Logan Kendall, 1-yard TD pass from Mason Petrino, Cade Coffey kick good, 12:35 (PSU 65–7)
PSU – Cain, 9-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 7:48 (PSU 72–7)
PSU – Nick Eury, 8-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 2:17 (PSU 79–7)
Top passers
UI – Mason Petrino – 11/17, 91 yards, TD, INT
PSU – Sean Clifford – 14/23, 280 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
UI – Aundre Carter – 14 carries, 32 yards
PSU – Devyn Ford – 6 carries, 107 yards, TD
Top receivers
UI – Jeff Cotton – 6 receptions, 83 yards
PSU – K. J. Hamler – 4 receptions, 115 yards, 2 TD
Top defenders
UI – Tre Walker – 8 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss (TFL)
PSU – Lamont Wade – 4 tackles :

### Buffalo

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buffalo | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| No. 15 Penn State | 7 | 0 | 28 | 10 | 45 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: September 7
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C); intermittent clouds
* Game attendance: 104,136
* Referee: Michael Cannon
* TV announcers (FOX): Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman, Coley Harvey
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Jahan Dotson, 28-yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Jake Pinegar kick good, 8:50 (PSU 7–0)
Second quarter
UB – Alex McNulty, 32-yard field goal, 9:42 (PSU 7–3)
UB – Julien Bourassa, 6-yard TD pass from Matt Myers, McNulty kick good, 0:14 (UB 10–7)
Third quarter
PSU – John Reid, 36-yard interception return for TD, Pinegar kick good, 12:58 (PSU 14–10)
PSU – Pat Freiermuth, 23-yard TD pass from Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 11:54 (PSU 21–10)
UB – McNulty, 25-yard field goal, 6:59 (PSU 21–13)
PSU – Noah Cain, 2-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 6:12 (PSU 28–13)
PSU – Freiermuth, 28-yard TD pass from Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 2:56 (PSU 35–13)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Pinegar, 32-yard field goal, 13:58 (PSU 38–13)
PSU – Dotson, 56-yard TD pass from Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 3:03 (PSU 45–13)
Top passers
UB – Matt Myers – 16/31, 245 yards, TD, INT
PSU – Sean Clifford – 16/22, 279 yards, 4 TD
Top rushers
UB – Jaret Patterson – 23 carries, 71 yards
PSU – Sean Clifford – 11 carries, 51 yards
Top receivers
UB – Antonio Nunn – 5 receptions, 113 yards
PSU – Jahan Dotson – 4 receptions, 109 yards, 2 TD
Top defenders
UB – Joey Banks – 11 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL), 1 sack
PSU – Jan Johnson – 12 tackles :

### Pittsburgh

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Pittsburgh | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| No. 13 Penn State | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: September 14
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C); delayed start due to lightning; cloudy, showers
* Game attendance: 108,661
* Referee: Riley Johnson
* TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Devyn Ford, 1-yard TD run, Jake Pinegar kick good, 4:31 (PSU 7–0)
Second quarter
UP – Alex Kessman, 25-yard field goal, 6:34 (PSU 7–3)
UP – Vincent Davis, 3-yard TD run, Kessman kick good, 2:08 (UP 10–7)
PSU – Jordan Stout, 57-yard field goal, 0:01 (TIE 10–10)
Third quarter
PSU – Noah Cain, 13-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 5:50 (PSU 17–10)
Fourth quarter
No scoring
Top passers
UP – Kenny Pickett – 35/51, 372 yards
PSU – Sean Clifford – 14/30, 222 yards
Top rushers
UP – Shocky Jacques-Louis – 1 carry, 9 yards
PSU – Journey Brown – 10 carries, 109 yards
Top receivers
UP – Taysir Mack – 12 receptions, 125 yards
PSU – K. J. Hamler – 3 receptions, 68 yards
Top defenders
UP – Paris Ford – 11 tackles
PSU – Micah Parsons – 9 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss (TFL) :

### At Maryland

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 12 Penn State | 14 | 24 | 7 | 14 | 59 |
| Maryland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Maryland Stadium, College Park, MD
* Date: September 27
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C); clear
* Game attendance: 53,228
* Referee: Daniel Capron
* TV announcers (FS1): Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman, Coley Harvey
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Sean Clifford, 8-yard TD run, Jake Pinegar kick good, 12:55 (PSU 7–0)
PSU – K. J. Hamler, 58-yard TD pass from Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 9:36 (PSU 14–0)
Second quarter
PSU – Ricky Slade, 3-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 13:23 (PSU 21–0)
PSU – Nick Bowers, 15-yard TD pass from Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 9:40 (PSU 28–0)
PSU – Journey Brown, 37-yard TD pass from Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 3:04 (PSU 35–0)
PSU – Pinegar, 21-yard field goal, 0:00 (PSU 38–0)
Third quarter
PSU – J. Brown, 1-yard TD run, 7:16 (PSU 45–0)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Will Levis, 5-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 6:37 (PSU 52–0)
PSU – Levis, 8-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 0:49 (PSU 59–0)
Top passers
PSU – Sean Clifford – 26/31, 398 yards, 3 TD, INT
UM – Josh Jackson – 10/21, 65 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
PSU – Sean Clifford – 7 carries, 54 yards, TD
UM – Anthony McFarland Jr. – 9 carries, 24 yards
Top receivers
PSU – K. J. Hamler – 6 receptions, 108 yards, TD
UM – Tayon Fleet-Davis – 11 yards
Top defenders
PSU – Ellis Brooks – 6 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL), 2.5 sacks
UM – Antoine Brooks – 6 tackles, 2 tackles-for loss (TFL) :

### Purdue

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Purdue | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 12 Penn State | 21 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 35 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: October 5
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C); mostly sunny
* Game attendance: 106,536
* Referee: Jeff Servinski
* TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Allison Williams
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – K. J. Hamler, 23- yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Jake Pinegar kick good, 10:22 (PSU 7–0)
PSU – Clifford, 3-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 7:04 (PSU 14–0)
PSU – Jahan Dotson, 72-yard TD pass from Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 5:20 (PSU 21–0)
Second quarter
PSU – Pat Freiermuth, 7-yard TD pass from Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 14:17 (PSU 28–0)
PU – Amad Anderson, 15-yard TD pass from Jack Plummer, J. D. Dellinger kick good, 7:18 (PSU 28–7)
Third quarter
No scoring
Fourth quarter
PSU – Noah Cain, 2-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 5:44 (PSU 35–7)
Top passers
PU – Jack Plummer – 13/27, 119 yards, TD
PSU – Sean Clifford – 20/29, 264 yards, 3 TD, INT
Top rushers
PU – King Doerue – 11 carries, 26 yards
PSU – Noah Cain – 12 carries, 105 yards, TD
Top receivers
PU – David Bell – 3 receptions, 59 yards
PSU – Jahan Dotson – 2 receptions, 79 yards, TD
Top defenders
PU – Ben Holt – 11 tackles
PSU – Lamont Wade – 11 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL), 1 sack :

### At No. 17 Iowa

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 10 Penn State | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
| No. 17 Iowa | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 12 |
at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA
* Date: October 12
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C); mostly cloudy, windy
* Game attendance: 69,034
* Referee: John O'Neill
* TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
UI – Keith Duncan, 47-yard field goal, 2:12 (UI 3–0)
Second quarter
PSU – K. J. Hamler, 22-yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Jake Pinegar kick good, 8:36 (PSU 7–3)
UI – Duncan, 24-yard field goal, 0:20 (PSU 7–6)
Third quarter
PSU – Pinegar, 33-yard field goal, 2:08 (PSU 10–6)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Noah Cain, 5-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 5:17 (PSU 17–6)
UI – Brandon Smith, 33-yard TD pass from Nate Stanley, 2-point conversion pass intercepted, 2:31 (PSU 17–12)
Top passers
PSU – Sean Clifford – 12/24, 117 yards, TD
UI – Nate Stanley – 25/43, 286 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
PSU – Noah Cain – 22 carries, 102 yards, TD
UI – Tyler Goodson – 8 carries, 35 yards
Top receivers
PSU – K. J. Hamler – 7 receptions, 61 yards, TD
UI – Brandon Smith – 7 receptions, 86 yards, TD
Top defenders
PSU – P. J. Mustipher – 7 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL)
UI – Jack Koerner – 13 tackles :

### No. 16 Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 16 Michigan | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| No. 7 Penn State | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: October 19
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C); clear, cool, crisp
* Game attendance: 110,669
* Referee: Ron Snodgrass
* TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Maria Taylor
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Pat Freiermuth, 17-yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Jake Pinegar kick good, 5:59 (PSU 7–0)
Second quarter
PSU – Clifford, 2-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 14:56 (PSU 14–0)
PSU – K. J. Hamler, 25-yard TD pass from Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 7:22 (PSU 21–0)
UM – Zach Charbonnet, 12-yard TD run, Jake Moody kick good, 2:55 (PSU 21–7)
Third quarter
UM – Charbonnet, 12-yard TD run, Moody kick good, 1:05 (PSU 21–14)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Hamler, 53-yard TD pass from Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 13:14 (PSU 28–14)
UM – Shea Patterson, 1-yard TD run, Moody kick good, 8:48 (PSU 28–21)
Top passers
UM – Shea Patterson – 24/41, 276 yards, 1 INT
PSU – Sean Clifford – 14/25, 182 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
UM – Zach Charbonnet – 15 carries, 81 yards, 2 TD
PSU – Ricky Slade – 3 carries, 48 yards
Top receivers
UM – Nico Collins – 6 receptions, 89 yards
PSU – K. J. Hamler – 6 receptions, 108 yards, 2 TD
Top defenders
UM – Kwity Paye – 10 tackles, 0.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL)
PSU – Micah Parsons – 14 tackles :

### At Michigan State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 6 Penn State | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
| Michigan State | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
at Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI
* Date: October 26
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C); steady rain
* Game attendance: 70,298
* Referee: Jerry McGinn
* TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Pat Freiermuth, 16-yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Jake Pinegar kick good, 6:54 (PSU 7–0)
Second quarter
PSU – Freiermuth, 19-yard TD pass from Clifford, Pinegar kick missed, 14:30 (PSU 13–0)
PSU – K. J. Hamler, 27-yard TD pass from Clifford, Clifford run for 2-point conversion, 1:20 (PSU 21–0)
Third quarter
PSU – Freiermuth, 6-yard TD pass from Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 10:10 (PSU 28–0)
MSU – Anthony Williams Jr., 4-yard TD run, Matt Coghlin kick good, 7:34 (PSU 28–7)
Fourth quarter
No scoring
Top passers
PSU – Sean Clifford – 18/32, 189 yards, 4 TD, INT
MSU – Brian Lewerke – 16/34, 165 yards, INT
Top rushers
PSU – Journey Brown – 12 carries, 45 yards
MSU – Elijah Collins – 17 carries, 53 yards
Top receivers
PSU – Pat Freiermuth – 5 receptions, 60 yards, 3 TD
MSU – Cody White – 3 receptions, 66 yards
Top defenders
PSU – Micah Parsons – 12 tackles
MSU – Tyriq Thompson – 11 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL) :

### At No. 13$^{AP}$/17$^{CFP}$ Minnesota

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 5$^{AP}$/4$^{CFP}$ Penn State | 10 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 26 |
| No. 13$^{AP}$/17$^{CFP}$ Minnesota | 14 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
* Date: November 9
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. ET
* Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C); mostly cloudy
* Game attendance: 51,883
* Referee: Mark Kluczynski
* TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
UM – Rashod Bateman, 66-yard TD pass from Tanner Morgan, Brock Walker kick good, 12:06 (UM 7–0)
PSU – Journey Brown, 45-yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Jake Pinegar kick good, 10:51 (TIE 7–7)
UM – Chris Autman-Bell, 21-yard TD pass from Morgan, Walker kick good, 4:29 (UM 14–7)
PSU – Pinegar, 33-yard field goal, 2:12 (UM 14–10)
Second quarter
UM – Tyler Johnson, 38-yard TD pass from Morgan, Walker kick good, 7:18 (UM 21–10)
UM – Walker, 26-yard field goal, 3:36 (UM 24–10)
PSU – Pinegar, 21-yard field goal, 0:00 (UM 24–13)
Third quarter
PSU – Nick Bowers, 10-yard TD pass from Clifford, 2-point conversion run failed, 4:05 (UM 24–19)
Fourth quarter
UM – Seth Green, 1-yard TD run, Walker kick good, 14:11 (UM 31–19)
PSU – J. Brown, 6-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 3:49 (UM 31–26)
Top passers
PSU – Sean Clifford – 18/43, 340 yards, TD, 3 INT
UM – Tanner Morgan – 18/20, 339 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
PSU – Journey Brown – 14 carries, 124 yards, 2 TD
UM – Rodney Smith – 18 carries, 51 yards
Top receivers
PSU – K. J. Hamler – 7 receptions, 119 yards
UM – Rashod Bateman – 7 receptions, 203 yards, TD
Top defenders
PSU – Micah Parsons – 11 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss (TFL), 1 sack
UM – Antoine Winfield Jr. – 11 tackles, 2 INT :

### No. 24$^{AP}$ Indiana

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 24$^{AP}$ Indiana | 14 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 27 |
| No. 9$^{AP/CFP}$ Penn State | 17 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: November 16
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. ET
* Game weather: 35 °F (2 °C); sunny, chilly
* Game attendance: 106,323
* Referee: Jeff Servinski
* TV announcers (ABC): Jason Benetti, Rod Gilmore, Quint Kessenich
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Nick Bowers, 12-yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Jake Pinegar kick good, 12:04 (PSU 7–0)
IU – Ty Fryfogle, 38-yard TD pass from Peyton Ramsey, Logan Justus kick good, 9:31 (TIE 7–7)
PSU – Pinegar, 47-yard field goal, 6:22 (PSU 10–7)
IU – Ramsey, 1-yard TD run, Justus kick good, 3:27 (IU 14–10)
PSU – Clifford, 38-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 1:03 (PSU 17–14)
Second quarter
PSU – Pinegar, 27-yard field goal, 3:03 (PSU 20–14)
Third quarter
PSU – Journey Brown, 35-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 10:24 (PSU 27–14)
IU – Justus, 25-yard field goal, 3:04 (PSU 27–17)
Fourth quarter
IU – Ramsey, 1-yard TD run, Justus kick good, 10:45 (PSU 27–24)
PSU – Clifford, 1-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 1:44 (PSU 34–24)
IU – Justus, 27-yard field goal, 0:13 (PSU 34–27)
Top passers
IU – Peyton Ramsey – 31/41, 371 yards, TD
PSU – Sean Clifford – 11/23, 179 yards, TD
Top rushers
IU – Stevie Scott III – 17 carries, 54 yards
PSU – Journey Brown – 21 carries, 100 yards, TD
Top receivers
IU – Ty Fryfogle – 5 receptions, 131 yards, TD
PSU – K. J. Hamler – 2 receptions, 52 yards
Top defenders
IU – Khalil Bryant – 10 tackles
PSU – Tariq Castro-Fields – 8 tackles :

### At No. 2$^{AP/CFP}$ Ohio State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 9$^{AP}$/8$^{CFP}$ Penn State | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| No. 2$^{AP/CFP}$ Ohio State | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH
* Date: November 23
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. ET
* Game weather: 42 °F (6 °C); mostly cloudy
* Game attendance: 104,355
* Referee: Michael Cannon
* TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Jenny Taft
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
OSU – J. K. Dobbins, 4-yard TD run, Blake Haubeil kick good, 7:08 (OSU 7–0)
Second quarter
OSU – Dobbins, 1-yard TD run, Haubeil kick good, 2:00 (OSU 14–0)
Third quarter
OSU – K. J. Hill, 24-yard TD pass from Justin Fields, Haubeil kick good, 11:31 (OSU 21–0)
PSU – Journey Brown, 18-yard TD run, Jake Pinegar kick good, 8:19 (OSU 21–7)
PSU – Will Levis, 1-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 7:54 (OSU 21–14)
PSU – Pinegar, 42-yard field goal, 4:22 (OSU 21–17)
Fourth quarter
OSU – Chris Olave, 28-yard TD pass from Fields, Haubeil kick good, 13:18 (OSU 28–17)
Top passers
PSU – Sean Clifford – 10/17, 71 yards
OSU – Justin Fields – 16/22, 188 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
PSU – Journey Brown – 11 carries, 64 yards, TD
OSU – J. K. Dobbins – 36 carries, 157 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
PSU – K. J. Hamler – 3 receptions, 45 yards
OSU – K. J. Hill – 4 receptions, 46 yards, TD
Top defenders
PSU – Garrett Taylor – 13 tackles, 0.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL)
OSU – Pete Werner – 10 tackles :

### Rutgers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rutgers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| No. 12$^{AP}$/10$^{CFP}$ Penn State | 7 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 27 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: November 30
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. ET
* Game weather: 37 °F (3 °C); partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 98,895
* Referee: Jerry McGinn
* TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin, James Laurinaitis, Elise Menaker
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
RU – Justin Davidovicz, 29-yard field goal, 3:32 (RU 3–0)
PSU – Journey Brown, 2-yard TD run, Jake Pinegar kick good, 0:06 (PSU 7–3)
Second quarter
No scoring
Third quarter
PSU – J. Brown, 18-yard TD run, Pinegar kick blocked, 12:05 (PSU 13–3)
Fourth quarter
RU – Davidovicz, 38-yard field goal, 14:55 (PSU 13–6)
PSU – Jahan Dotson, 44-yard TD pass from Will Levis, Pinegar kick good, 12:16 (PSU 20–6)
PSU – J. Brown, 1-yard TD run, Pinegar kick blocked, 5:13 (PSU 27–6)
Top passers
RU – Johnny Langan – 12/24, 164 yards
PSU – Will Levis – 8/14, 81 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
RU – Isiah Pacheco – 18 carries, 102 yards
PSU – Will Levis – 17 carries, 108 yards
Top receivers
RU – Isaiah Washington – 4 receptions, 63 yards
PSU – Jahan Dotson – 1 reception, 44 yards, TD
Top defenders
RU – Christian Izien – 8 tackles
PSU – Micah Parsons – 10 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL), 1 sack :

### vs. No. 15$^{AP}$/17$^{CFP}$ Memphis (Cotton Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 15$^{AP}$/17$^{CFP}$ Memphis | 13 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 39 |
| No. 13$^{AP}$/10$^{CFP}$ Penn State | 7 | 28 | 10 | 8 | 53 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
* Date: December 28
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. ET
* Game weather: indoors, roof closed
* Game attendance: 54,828
* Referee: Jeff Flanagan
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mark Jones, Dusty Dvoracek, Olivia Dekker
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
UM – Riley Patterson, 48-yard field goal, 10:52 (UM 3–0)
PSU – Journey Brown, 32-yard TD run, Jake Pinegar kick good, 9:56 (PSU 7–3)
UM – Patrick Taylor Jr, 3-yard TD run, Patterson kick good, 7:44 (UM 10–7)
UM – Patterson, 37-yard field goal, 2:55 (UM 13–7)
Second quarter
PSU – Noah Cain, 1-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 11:14 (PSU 14–13)
PSU – Devyn Ford, 2-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 7:47 (PSU 21–13)
PSU – J. Brown, 56-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 5:51 (PSU 28–13)
UM – Kenneth Gainwell, 2-yard TD run, Patterson kick good, 3:15 (PSU 28–20)
PSU – Jahan Dotson, 4-yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 0:51 (PSU 35–20)
UM – Patterson, 44-yard field goal, 0:00 (PSU 35–23)
Third quarter
UM – Brady White, 1-yard TD run, Patterson kick good, 12:16 (PSU 35–30)
UM – Patterson, 51-yard field goal, 10:24 (PSU 35–33)
PSU – Pinegar, 45-yard field goal, 7:13 (PSU 38–33)
UM – Patterson, 41-yard field goal, 3:32 (PSU 38–36)
PSU – Garrett Taylor, 15-yard interception return for TD, Pinegar kick good, 0:38 (PSU 45–36)
Fourth quarter
UM – Patterson, 42-yard field goal, 12:01 (PSU 45–39)
PSU – Noah Cain, 1-yard TD run, 2-point conversion pass to Pat Freiermuth from Clifford, 6:31 (PSU 53–39)
Top passers
UM – Brady White – 32/51, 454 yards, 2 INT
PSU – Sean Clifford – 11/20, 133 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
UM – Patrick Taylor – 8 carries, 50 yards, TD
PSU – Journey Brown – 16 carries, 202 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
UM – Damonte Coxie – 8 receptions, 132 yards
PSU – K. J. Hamler – 2 receptions, 46 yards
Top defenders
UM – Sanchez Blake – 13 tackles
PSU – Micah Parsons – 14 tackles, 3 TFL (tackles-for-loss), 2 sacks :

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| AP | 15 | 15 | 13 | 13-T | 12 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 9 |
| Coaches | 14 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 9 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 4 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | Not released |

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

Penn State football current coaching staff :
| Name | Position | Alma Mater | Years at Penn State |
| James Franklin | Head Coach | East Stroudsburg University (1995) | 6th |
| Brent Pry | Defensive coordinator/linebackers | University at Buffalo (1993) | 6th |
| Ricky Rahne | Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach | Cornell University (2002) | 6th |
| Tim Banks | Co-defensive coordinator/safeties | Central Michigan University (1995) | 4th |
| Tyler Bowen | Off. Recruiting coordinator/tight ends | University of Maryland (2010) | 2nd |
| Matt Limegrover | Run Game Coordinator/offensive line | University of Chicago (1991) | 4th |
| Sean Spencer | Associate head coach/Run Game Coord./defensive line | Clarion University (1995) | 6th |
| Gerad Parker | Wide receivers | University of Kentucky (2003) | 1st |
| Ja'Juan Seider | Running backs | West Virginia University (2000) | 2nd |
| Terry Smith | Assistant head coach/defensive recruiting coordinator/cornerbacks | Penn State University (1991) | 6th |
| Joe Lorig | Special teams coordinator/defensive Assistant | Western Oregon University (1995) | 1st |
| Dwight Galt III | Assistant AD, Performance Enhancement | University of Maryland (1981) | 6th |
| V'Angelo Bentley | Graduate Assistant | University of Illinois (2015) | 1st |
| Kevin Smith | Graduate Assistant | Urbana University (2014) | 3rd |
| Kevin Reihner | Graduate Assistant | Stanford University (2015) | 1st |
| Mark Dupuis | Graduate Assistant | University of Connecticut (2011) | 3rd |

### Roster

Source:

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL club |
| 2 | 38 | Yetur Gross-Matos | DE | Carolina Panthers |
| 2 | 46 | K. J. Hamler | WR | Denver Broncos |
| 4 | 141 | John Reid | CB | Houston Texans |
| 6 | 183 | Cam Brown | OLB | New York Giants |
| 6 | 193 | Robert Windsor | DT | Indianapolis Colts |