# 2016 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

The 2016 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by third-year head coach James Franklin and played its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. They were a member of the Big Ten East Division of the Big Ten Conference. They lost to Pitt and Michigan in early September but then had a winning streak that included signature victories over Ohio State and Wisconsin en route to a Big Ten championship. Despite their Big Ten title, the Nittany Lions just missed a playoff berth. They represented the Big Ten in the 2017 Rose Bowl, losing to USC on a game winning field goal.

## Background
### 2016 NFL Draft

| Round | Pick (Overall) | Player | Team | Position |
| 2 | 43 | Austin Johnson | Tennessee Titans | Nose Tackle |
| 2 | 51 | Christian Hackenberg | New York Jets | Quarterback |
| 3 | 65 | Carl Nassib | Cleveland Browns | Defensive end |
| 6 | 202 | Anthony Zettel | Detroit Lions | Defense Tackle |
| 6 | 204 | Jordan Lucas | Miami Dolphins | Safety |

## Schedule

Penn State announced its 2016 football schedule on July 11, 2013. The 2016 schedule consists of 7 home and 5 away games in the regular season. The Nittany Lions hosted Big Ten foes Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Ohio State, and traveled to Indiana, Michigan, Purdue, and Rutgers.
The team hosted two of the three non-conference games against the Kent State Golden Flashes from the Mid-American Conference (MAC), Pittsburgh Panthers from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and the Temple Owls from the American Athletic Conference (AAC).
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 3:30 p.m. | Kent State* | | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | BTN | W 33–13 | 94,378 |
| September 10 | 12:00 p.m. | at Pittsburgh* | | Heinz FieldPittsburgh, PA (rivalry) | ESPN | L 39–42 | 69,983 |
| September 17 | 12:00 p.m. | Temple* | | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | BTN | W 34–27 | 100,420 |
| September 24 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 4 Michigan | | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (rivalry) | ABC | L 10–49 | 110,319 |
| October 1 | 3:30 p.m. | Minnesota | | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA (Governor's Victory Bell) | BTN | W 29–26 $^{OT}$ | 95,332 |
| October 8 | 12:00 p.m. | Maryland | | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA (rivalry) | BTN | W 38–14 | 100,778 |
| October 22 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 2 Ohio State | | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA (rivalry) | ABC | W 24–21 | 107,280 |
| October 29 | 12:00 p.m. | at Purdue | No. 24 | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN | ABC/ESPN2 | W 62–24 | 33,157 |
| November 5 | 7:30 p.m. | Iowa | No. 12 | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | BTN | W 41–14 | 106,194 |
| November 12 | 12:00 p.m. | at Indiana | No. 10 | Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN | ABC/ESPN2 | W 45–31 | 40,678 |
| November 19 | 8:00 p.m. | at Rutgers | No. 8 | High Point Solutions StadiumPiscataway, NJ | BTN | W 39–0 | 51,366 |
| November 26 | 3:30 p.m. | Michigan State | No. 7 | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA (rivalry) | ESPN | W 45–12 | 97,418 |
| December 3 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. No. 6 Wisconsin | No. 7 | Lucas Oil StadiumIndianapolis, IN (Big Ten Championship Game, College GameDay) | FOX | W 38–31 | 65,018 |
| January 2, 2017 | 5:00 p.m. | vs. No. 9 USC* | No. 5 | Rose BowlPasadena, CA (Rose Bowl, College GameDay) | ESPN | L 49–52 | 95,128 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 1 released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Coaching staff

| Position | Name | Alma mater |
| Head coach | James Franklin | East Stroudsburg (1994) |
| Defensive coordinator/linebackers | Brent Pry | Buffalo (1993) |
| Offensive coordinator/ quarterbacks | Joe Moorhead | Fordham University (1995) |
| Safeties/co-defensive coordinator | Tim Banks | Central Michigan University (1994) |
| Running backs/special teams coordinator | Charles Huff | Hampton (2005) |
| Tight ends/passing game coordinator | Ricky Rahne | Cornell (2002) |
| Wide Receivers/offensive recruiting coordinator | Josh Gattis | Wake Forest (2006) |
| Cornerbacks/defensive recruiting coordinator | Terry Smith | Penn State (1991) |
| Offensive line | Matt Limegrover | University of Chicago (1990) |
| Defensive line/run game coordinator | Sean Spencer | Clarion (1995) |
| Strength and conditioning | Dwight Galt | Maryland (1981) |
| Graduate assistant | Joe Brady IV | College of William & Mary (2013) |
| Graduate assistant | Tommy Galt | Maryland (2009) |
| Graduate assistant | Andrew Jackson | LIU Post (2011) |
| Graduate assistant | Ryan Smith | College of William & Mary (2014) |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | 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 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 24 | 20 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 7 |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | RV | 23 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 7 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | Not released |

## Game summaries
### Kent State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Kent State | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Penn State | 6 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 33 |
at Beaver Stadium
* Date: September 3
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C); sunny and clear
* Game attendance: 94,378
* Referee: Greg Blum
* TV announcers (BTN): Scott Graham, Chuck Long
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
KSU – Shane Hynes, 26-yard field goal, 5:25 (KSU 3–0)
PSU – DaeSean Hamilton, 4-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, 2-point conversion failed, 1:56 (PSU 6–3)
Second quarter
KSU – Hynes, 43-yard field goal, 11:33 (TIE 6–6)
PSU – Saquon Barkley, 7-yard TD run, Tyler Davis kick good, 8:02 (PSU 13–6)
KSU – Elcee Refuge, 20-yard fumble recovery for TD, Hynes kick good, 6:12 (TIE 13–13)
PSU – Davis, 29-yard field goal, 1:47 (PSU 16–13)
Third quarter
PSU – Amani Oruwariye, 30-yard interception return for TD, Davis kick good, 14:05 (PSU 23–13)
PSU – Davis, 28-yard field goal, 4:22 (PSU 26–13)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Mike Gesicki, 30-yard TD pass from McSorley, Davis kick good, 1:53 (PSU 33–13)
Top passers
KSU – Mylik Mitchell – 6/12, 65 yards
KSU – Justin Agner – 8/15, 64 yards
PSU – Trace McSorley – 16/31, 209 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
KSU – Justin Rankin – 13 carries, 82 yards
PSU – Saquon Barkley – 22 carries, 105 yards, TD
Top receivers
KSU – Nick Holley – 4 receptions, 45 yards
PSU – Chris Godwin – 7 receptions, 67 yards
Top defenders
KSU – Nate Holley – 17 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL)
PSU – Jason Cabinda – 11 tackles :

### Pittsburgh

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Penn State | 7 | 7 | 7 | 18 | 39 |
| Pittsburgh | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
at Heinz Field
* Date: September 10
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 85 °F (29 °C); partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 69,983
* Referee: Jerry McGinn
* TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, Allison Williams
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
UP – George Aston, 1-yard TD run, Chris Blewitt kick good, 8:03 (UP 7–0)
UP – Quadree Henderson, 7-yard TD pass from Nathan Peterman, Blewitt kick good, 7:16 (UP 14–0)
PSU – Saquon Barkley, 3-yard TD run, Tyler Davis kick good, 2:42 (UP 14–7)
Second quarter
UP – Scott Orndoff, 2-yard TD pass from Peterman, Blewitt kick good, 13:38 (UP 21–7)
UP – Aston, 3-yard TD run, Blewitt kick good, 11:54 (UP 28–7)
PSU – Barkley, 1-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 0:42 (UP 28–14)
Third quarter
PSU – Barkley, 40-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Davis kick good, 11:54 (UP 28–21)
UP – James Conner, 1-yard TD run, Blewitt kick good, 7:24 (UP 35–21)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Barkley, 1-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 13:42 (UP 35–28)
PSU – Davis, 38-yard field goal, 12:04 (UP 35–31)
UP – Conner, 12-yard TD pass from Peterman, Blewitt kick good, 10:24 (UP 42–31)
PSU – Barkley, 2-yard TD run, DaeSean Hamilton pass from McSorley for 2-point conversion, 5:00 (UP 42–39)
Top passers
PSU – Trace McSorley – 24/35, 332 yards, TD, INT
UP – Nathan Peterman – 11/15, 91 yards, 3 TD, INT
Top rushers
PSU – Saquon Barkley – 20 carries, 85 yards, 4 TD
UP – James Conner – 22 carries, 117 yards, TD
Top receivers
PSU – DaeSean Hamilton – 8 receptions, 82 yards
UP – Conner – 4 receptions, 29 yards, TD
UP – Scott Orndoff – 4 receptions, 15 yards, TD
Top defenders
PSU – Nyeem Wartman-White – 9 tackles, 3 tackles-for-loss (TFL)
UP – Ryan Lewis – 9 tackles, INT :

### Temple

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Temple | 7 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
| Penn State | 14 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 34 |
at Beaver Stadium
* Date: September 17
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C); mostly cloudy
* Game attendance: 100,420
* Referee: Mike Roche
* TV announcers (BTN): Eric Collins, Glen Mason, Rick Pizzo
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Chris Godwin, 52-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Tyler Davis kick good, 9:35 (PSU 7–0)
TU – Jahad Thomas, 8-yard TD run, Austin Jones kick good, 8:54 (TIE 7–7)
PSU – Andre Robinson, 3-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 2:50 (PSU 14–7)
Second quarter
PSU – McSorley, 2-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 7:15 (PSU 21–7)
TU – Jones, 45-yard field goal, 0:04 (PSU 21–10)
Third quarter
PSU – Davis, 40-yard field goal, 9:03 (PSU 24–10)
TU – Phillip Walker, 1-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 1:56 (PSU 24–17)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Davis, 30-yard field goal, 12:45 (PSU 27–17)
TU – Thomas, 2-yard TD run, Jones kick good, 8:10 (PSU 27–24)
PSU – Saquon Barkley, 55-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 7:20 (PSU 34–24)
TU – Jones, 34-yard field goal, 2:10 (PSU 34–27)
Top passers
TU – P. J. Walker – 25/34, 286 yards, INT
PSU – Trace McSorley – 18/24, 287 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
TU – Jahad Thomas – 14 carries, 52 yards 2 TD
PSU – Saquon Barkley – 9 carries, 68 yards, TD
Top receivers
TU – Thomas – 6 receptions, 48 yards
PSU – Chris Godwin – 7 receptions, 117 yards, TD
Top defenders
TU – Sean Chandler – 8 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL)
PSU – Malik Golden – 9 tackles :

### #4 Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Penn State | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| #4 Michigan | 14 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 49 |
at Michigan Stadium
* Date: September 24
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C); mostly sunny
* Game attendance: 110,319
* Referee: Daniel Capron
* TV announcers (ABC): Dave Flemming, Brian Griese, Todd McShay
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
UM – Khalid Hill, 1-yard TD run, Kenny Allen kick good, 9:51 (UM 7–0)
UM – De'Veon Smith, 2-yard TD run, Allen kick good, 3:57 (UM 14–0)
Second quarter
UM – Devin Asiasi, 3-yard TD pass from Wilton Speight, Allen kick good, 14:09 (UM 21–0)
UM – Karan Higdon, 2-yard TD run, Allen kick good, 0:46 (UM 28–0)
Third quarter
PSU – Tyler Davis, 21-yard field goal, 11:31 (UM 28–3)
UM – Chris Evans, 3-yard TD run, Allen kick good, 2:42 (UM 35–3)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Chris Godwin, 8-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Davis kick good, 11:22 (UM 35–10)
UM – Higdon, 40-yard TD run, Allen kick good, 6:11 (UM 42–10)
UM – Ty Isaac, 3-yard TD run, Allen kick good, 2:04 (UM 49–10)
Top passers
PSU – Trace McSorley – 16/27, 121 yards, TD, INT
UM – Wilton Speight – 21/34, 189 yards, TD
Top rushers
PSU – Saquon Barkley – 15 carries, 59 yards
UM – De'Veon Smith – 12 carries, 107 yards, TD
Top receivers
PSU – Barkley – 5 receptions, 77 yards
PSU – Mike Gesicki - 5 receptions, 23 yards
UM – Amara Darboh – 7 receptions, 44 yards
Top defenders
PSU – Malik Golden – 11 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL)
UM – Ben Gedeon – 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL) :

### Minnesota

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Minnesota | 3 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 26 |
| Penn State | 0 | 3 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 29 |
at Beaver Stadium
* Date: October 1
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C); cloudy, showers
* Game attendance: 95,332
* Referee: Don Willard
* TV announcers (BTN): Brandon Gaudin, Chuck Long
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
UM – Emmit Carpenter, 37-yard field goal, 0:55 (UM 3–0)
Second quarter
PSU – Tyler Davis, 19-yard field goal, 12:00 (TIE 3–3)
UM – Drew Wolitarsky, 9-yard TD pass from Mitch Leidner, Carpenter kick good, 2:06 (UM 10–3)
UM – Carpenter, 35-yard field goal, 0:01 (UM 13–3)
Third quarter
PSU – Irvin Charles, 80-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Davis kick good, 9:54 (UM 13–10)
PSU – Davis, 27-yard field goal, 7:28 (TIE 13–13)
PSU – McSorley, 6-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 2:27 (PSU 20–13)
Fourth quarter
UM – Shannon Brooks, 37-yard TD run, Carpenter kick good, 13:29 (TIE 20–20)
UM – Carpenter, 37-yard field goal, 0:54 (UM 23–20)
PSU – Davis, 40-yard field goal, 0:02 (TIE 23–23)
Overtime
UM – Carpenter, 46-yard field goal (UM 26–23)
PSU – Saquon Barkley, 25-yard TD run (PSU 29–26)
Top passers
UM – Mitch Leidner – 24/40, 241 yards, TD, INT
PSU – Trace McSorley – 19/41, 335 yards, TD
Top rushers
UM – Rodney Smith – 23 carries, 104 yards
PSU – Saquon Barkley – 20 carries, 63 yards, TD
PSU – McSorley – 8 carries, 73 yards, TD
Top receivers
UM – Brian Smith – 7 receptions, 101 yards
UM – Drew Wolitarsky – 7 receptions, 69 yards, TD
PSU – Mike Gesicki – 5 receptions, 70 yards
Top defenders
UM – Damarius Travis – 9 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL)
PSU – Marcus Allen – 22 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL) :

### Maryland

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Maryland | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Penn State | 7 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
at Beaver Stadium
* Date: October 8
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C); rain, mostly cloudy
* Game attendance: 100,778
* Referee: John O'Neill
* TV announcers (BTN): Kevin Kugler, Matt Millen, Lisa Byington
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Mike Gesicki, 5-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Tyler Davis kick good, 12:33 (PSU 7–0)
UM – Ty Johnson, 66-yard TD pass from Perry Hills, Adam Greene kick good, 7:13 (TIE 7–7)
Second quarter
PSU – Davis, 30-yard field goal, 12:20 (PSU 10–7)
PSU – McSorley, 9-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 6:06 (PSU 17–7)
UM – Tyrell Pigrome, 7-yard TD run, Greene kick good, 0:52 (PSU 17–14)
PSU – Saquon Barkley, 45-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 0:15 (PSU 24–14)
Third quarter
PSU – DeAndre Thompkins, 70-yard TD pass from McSorley, Davis kick good, 0:00 (PSU 31–14)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Miles Sanders, 25-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 5:15 (PSU 38–14)
Top passers
UM – Tyrell Pigrome – 5/9, 28 yards
UM – Perry Hills – 5/7, 72 yards, TD, INT
PSU – Trace McSorley – 10/19, 152 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
UM – Lorenzo Harrison – 6 carries, 76 yards
PSU – Saquon Barkley – 31 carries, 202 yards, TD
Top receivers
UM – D. J. Moore – 4 receptions, 15 yards
PSU – DeAndre Thompkins – 4 receptions, 91 yards, TD
Top defenders
UM – Shane Cockerille – 13 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL)
PSU – Brandon Smith – 14 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL), INT :

### #2 Ohio State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #2 Ohio State | 0 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 21 |
| Penn State | 0 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 24 |
at Beaver Stadium
* Date: October 22
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C); cold, windy, brisk
* Game attendance: 107,280
* Referee: Michael Cannon
* TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Sam Ponder
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring
Second quarter
OSU – Tyler Durbin, 33-yard field goal, 14:55 (OSU 3–0)
OSU – Marcus Baugh, 26-yard TD pass from J. T. Barrett, kick failed, 4:53 (OSU 9–0)
OSU – Durbin, 30-yard field goal, 1:14 (OSU 12–0)
PSU – Chris Godwin, 20-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Tyler Davis kick good, 0:09 (OSU 12–7)
Third quarter
OSU – Curtis Samuel, 74-yard TD run, Durbin kick good, 10:10 (OSU 19–7)
OSU – Team safety (PSU fumble recovered in end zone), 8:31 (OSU 21–7)
Fourth quarter
PSU – McSorley, 2-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 13:32 (OSU 21–14)
PSU – Davis, 34-yard field goal, 9:33 (OSU 21–17)
PSU – Grant Haley, 60-yard TD run from blocked OSU field goal, Davis kick good, 4:27 (PSU 24–21)
Top passers
OSU – J. T. Barrett – 28/43, 245 yards, TD
PSU – Trace McSorley – 8/23, 154 yards, TD
Top rushers
OSU – Mike Weber – 21 carries, 71 yards
PSU – Saquon Barkley – 12 carries, 99 yards
PSU – McSorley – 19 carries, 63 yards, TD
Top receivers
OSU – Curtis Samuel – 8 receptions, 68 yards
OSU – Weber – 8 receptions, 36 yards
PSU – Mike Gesicki – 4 receptions, 46 yards
Top defenders
OSU – Malik Hooker – 7 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss (TFL)
PSU – Brandon Bell – 18 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL), 1 sack :

### Purdue

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #24 Penn State | 7 | 10 | 24 | 21 | 62 |
| Purdue | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Ross–Ade Stadium
* Date: October 29
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C); partly sunny
* Game attendance: 33,157
* Referee: Jeff Servinski
* TV announcers (ABC/ESPN2): Beth Mowins, Anthony Becht, Rocky Boiman
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Saquon Barkley, 3-yard TD run, Tyler Davis kick good, 11:33 (PSU 7–0)
PU – Markell Jones, 1-yard TD run, J. D. Dellinger kick good, 6:26 (TIE 7–7)
Second quarter
PU – Cameron Posey, 1-yard TD pass from David Blough, Dellinger kick good, 14:32 (PU 14–7)
PSU – Chris Godwin, 38-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Davis kick good, 12:33 (TIE 14–14)
PU – Dellinger, 42-yard field goal, 6:57 (PU 17–14)
PSU – Davis, 33-yard field goal, 2:36 (TIE 17–17)
Third quarter
PSU – Godwin, 1-yard TD pass from McSorley, Davis kick good, 12:29 (PSU 24–17)
PSU – Andre Robinson, 4-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 8:17 (PSU 31–17)
PSU – Davis, 29-yard field goal, 4:21 (PSU 34–17)
PU – DeAngelo Yancey, 62-yard TD pass from Blough, Dellinger kick good, 2:32 (PSU 34–24)
PSU – Miles Sanders, 21-yard TD pass from McSorley, Davis kick good, 1:18 (PSU 41–24)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Barkley, 81-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 13:56 (PSU 48–24)
PSU – Mark Allen, 1-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 6:09 (PSU 55–24)
PSU – Robinson, 19-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 2:25 (PSU 62–24)
Top passers
PSU – Trace McSorley – 12/23, 228 yards, 3 TD
PU – David Blough – 34/50, 281 yards, 2 TD INT
Top rushers
PSU – Saquon Barkley – 18 carries, 207 yards, 2 TD
PSU – Tommy Stevens – 5 carries, 31 yards
PU – Markell Jones – 7 carries, 46 yards, TD
Top receivers
PSU – Barkley – 3 receptions, 70 yards
PSU – Chris Godwin – 5 receptions, 58 yards, 2 TD
PU – Cameron Posey – 8 receptions, 50 yards, TD
Top defenders
PSU – Jason Cabinda – 9 tackles
PSU – Malik Golden – 8 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL)
PU – Markus Bailey – 7 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL) :

### Iowa

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Iowa | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| #20 Penn State | 7 | 17 | 3 | 14 | 41 |
at Beaver Stadium
* Date: November 5
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C); clear, pleasant
* Game attendance: 106,194
* Referee: Ron Snodgrass
* TV announcers (BTN): Kevin Kugler, Matt Millen, Lisa Byington
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Saeed Blacknall, 19-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Tyler Davis kick good, 12:43 (PSU 7–0)
Second quarter
PSU – Saquon Barkley, 57-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 10:28 (PSU 14–0)
PSU – McSorley, 1-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 7:58 (PSU 21–0)
UI – Akrum Wadley, 12-yard TD pass from C. J. Beathard, Keith Duncan kick good, 4:18 (PSU 21–7)
PSU – Davis, 30-yard field goal, 0:00 (PSU 24–7)
Third quarter
PSU – Davis, 37-yard field goal, 2:48 (PSU 27–7)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Barkley, 4-yard TD pass from McSorley, Davis kick good, 14:41 (PSU 34–7)
PSU – Tommy Stevens, 13-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 9:28 (PSU 41–7)
UI – Jerminic Smith, 36-yard TD pass from Beathard, Duncan kick good, 6:30 (PSU 41–14)
Top passers
UI – C. J. Beathard – 18/26, 204 yards, 2 TD, INT
PSU – Trace McSorley – 11/18, 240 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
UI – Akrum Wadley – 9 carries, 28 yards
PSU – Saquon Barkley – 20 carries, 167 yards, TD
Top receivers
UI – Jerminic Smith – 5 receptions, 85 yards, TD
UI – Wadley – 5 receptions, 32 yards, TD
PSU – Chris Godwin – 4 receptions, 87 yards
PSU – Mike Gesicki – 4 receptions, 65 yards
Top defenders
UI – Brandon Snyder – 12 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss (TFL)
PSU – Jason Cabinda – 8 tackles, 0.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL) :

### Indiana

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #12 Penn State | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 | 45 |
| Indiana | 0 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
at Memorial Stadium
* Date: November 12
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. ET
* Game weather: 45 °F (7 °C); sunny
* Game attendance: 40,678
* Referee: Michael Cannon
* TV announcers (ABC/ESPN2): Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, Allison Williams
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Trace McSorley, 10-yard TD run, Tyler Davis kick good, 11:28 (PSU 7–0)
Second quarter
IU – Ricky Jones, 5-yard TD pass from Richard Lagow, Griffin Oakes kick good, 12:13 (TIE 7–7)
PSU – Chris Godwin, 6-yard TD pass from McSorley, Davis kick good, 4:43 (PSU 14–7)
IU – Devine Redding, 12-yard TD run, Oakes kick good, 1:00 (TIE 14–14)
Third quarter
IU – Oakes, 47-yard field goal, 11:38 (IU 17–14)
IU – Redding, 6-yard TD run, Oakes kick good, 3:13 (IU 24–14)
PSU – Godwin, 21-yard TD pass from McSorley, Davis kick good, 1:09 (IU 24–21)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Saquon Barkley, 4-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 12:23 (PSU 28–24)
IU – Nick Westbrook, 40-yard TD pass from Lagow, Oakes kick good, 11:06 (IU 31–28)
PSU – Barkley, 2-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 3:58 (PSU 35–31)
PSU – Davis, 39-yard field goal, 1:07 (PSU 38–31)
PSU – Torrence Brown, 9-yard fumble return for TD, Davis kick good, 0:29 (PSU 45–31)
Top passers
PSU – Trace McSorley – 16/30, 332 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
IU – Richard Lagow – 23/40, 292 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
PSU – Saquon Barkley – 33 carries, 58 yards, 2 TD
IU – Devine Redding – 23 carries, 108 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
PSU – Mike Gesicki – 5 receptions, 88 yards
PSU – Chris Godwin – 5 receptions, 82 yards, 2 TD
IU – Mitchell Paige – 6 receptions, 43 yards
Top defenders
PSU – Marcus Allen – 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL)
IU – Tegray Scales – 9 tackles, 4 tackles-for-loss (TFL), 1 sack :

### Rutgers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #9 Penn State | 6 | 3 | 16 | 14 | 39 |
| Rutgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at High Point Solutions Stadium
* Date: November 19
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. ET
* Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C); cloudy, rain later, wind
* Game attendance: 51,366
* Referee: Don Willard
* TV announcers (BTN): Kevin Kugler, Matt Millen, Lisa Byington
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
PSU – Tyler Davis, 32-yard field goal, 6:34 (PSU 3–0)
PSU – Davis, 34-yard field goal, 1:42 (PSU 6–0)
Second quarter
PSU – Davis, 40-yard field goal, 5:28 (PSU 9–0)
Third quarter
PSU – Saquon Barkley, 1-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 12:33 (PSU 16–0)
PSU – Davis, 32-yard field goal, 6:46 (PSU 19–0)
PSU – Andre Robinson, 2-yard TD run, 2-point conversion failed, 3:32 (PSU 25–0)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Mark Allen, 27-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Davis kick good, 7:59 (PSU 32–0)
PSU – Tommy Stevens, 12-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 4:07 (PSU 39–0)
Top passers
PSU – Trace McSorley – 17/33, 210 yards, TD
RU – Giovanni Rescigno – 7/16, 48 yards
Top rushers
PSU – Saquon Barkley – 16 carries, 92 yards, TD
RU – Justin Goodwin – 10 carries, 20 yards
Top receivers
PSU – Mike Gesicki – 5 receptions, 47 yards
RU – Andre Patton – 4 receptions, 29 yards
Top defenders
PSU – Brandon Bell – 5 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL), 1 sack
RU – Saquan Hampton – 11 tackles :

### Michigan State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Michigan State | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| #8 Penn State | 0 | 10 | 21 | 14 | 45 |
at Beaver Stadium
* Date: November 26
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. ET
* Game weather: 41 °F (5 °C); cold, cloudy
* Game attendance: 97,418
* Referee: John O'Neill
* TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, Allison Williams
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
MSU – Michael Geiger, 28-yard field goal, 8:13 (MSU 3–0)
MSU – Geiger, 36-yard field goal, 2:44 (MSU 6–0)
Second quarter
PSU – Tyler Davis, 35-yard field goal, 13:11 (MSU 6–3)
MSU – Geiger, 33-yard field goal, 7:17 (MSU 9–3)
PSU – Saquon Barkley, 1-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 2:14 (PSU 10–9)
MSU – Geiger, 21-yard field goal, 0:14 (MSU 12–10)
Third quarter
PSU – Chris Godwin, 34-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Davis kick good, 11:02 (PSU 17–12)
PSU – Mike Gesicki, 45-yard TD pass from McSorley, Davis kick good, 7:03 (PSU 24–12)
PSU – Godwin, 59-yard TD pass from McSorley, Davis kick good, 2:05 (PSU 31–12)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Andre Robinson, 14-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 6:33 (PSU 38–12)
PSU – Robinson, 40-yard TD pass from McSorley, Davis kick good, 3:40 (PSU 45–12)
Top passers
MSU – Tyler O'Connor – 17/33, 118 yards
PSU – Trace McSorley – 17/23, 376 yards, 4 TD
Top rushers
MSU – L. J. Scott – 16 carries, 59 yards
PSU – Andre Robinson – 3 carries, 32 yards, TD
PSU – Saquon Barkley – 12 carries, 14 yards, TD
Top receivers
MSU – Josiah Price – 6 receptions, 63 yards
PSU – Chris Godwin – 5 receptions, 135 yards, 2 TD
Top defenders
MSU – Montae Nicholson – 8 tackles
PSU – Brandon Bell – 18 tackles, 0.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL) :

### #6 Wisconsin (Big Ten Championship Game)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #6 Wisconsin | 14 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 31 |
| #8 Penn State | 7 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 38 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium
* Date: December 3
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. ET
* Game weather: indoors, roof closed
* Game attendance: 65,018
* Referee: Michael Cannon
* TV announcers (Fox): Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, Shannon Spake
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
UW – Austin Ramesh, 1-yard TD run, Andrew Endicott kick good, 5:27 (UW 7–0)
UW – Corey Clement, 67-yard TD run, Endicott kick good, 3:06 (UW 14–0)
PSU – Mike Gesicki, 33-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Tyler Davis kick good, 1:10 (UW 14–7)
Second quarter
UW – Ryan Connelly, 12-yard TD run (fumble recovery from high snap), Endicott kick good, 9:42 (UW 21–7)
UW – Dare Ogunbowale, 7-yard TD run, Endicott kick good, 5:15 (UW 28–7)
PSU – Saeed Blacknall, 40-yard TD pass from McSorley, Davis kick good, 0:58 (UW 28–14)
Third quarter
PSU – Blacknall, 70-yard TD pass from McSorley, Davis kick good, 10:58 (UW 28–21)
PSU – Saquon Barkley, 1-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 4:22 (TIE 28–28)
UW – Endicott, 23-yard field goal, 0:16 (UW 31–28)
Fourth quarter
PSU – Barkley, 18-yard TD pass from McSorley, Davis kick good, 13:41 (PSU 35–31)
PSU – Davis, 24-yard field goal, 5:14 (PSU 38–31)
Top passers
UW – Bart Houston – 16/21, 174 yards
PSU – Trace McSorley – 22/31, 384 yards, 4 TD
Top rushers
UW – Corey Clement – 21 carries, 164 yards, TD
PSU – Saquon Barkley – 19 carries, 83 yards, TD
Top receivers
UW – Jazz Peavy – 4 receptions, 53 yards
UW – Dare Ogunbowale – 4 receptions, 28 yards
PSU – DaeSean Hamilton – 8 receptions, 118 yards
PSU – Saeed Blacknall – 6 receptions, 155 yards, 2 TD
Top defenders
UW – Vince Biegel – 8 tackles
PSU – Brandon Bell – 13 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL), 1 sack :

### #9 USC (Rose Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #9 USC | 13 | 14 | 8 | 17 | 52 |
| #5 Penn State | 0 | 21 | 28 | 0 | 49 |
at Rose Bowl
* Date: January 2, 2017
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. ET
* Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C); cloudy
* Game attendance: 95,128
* Referee: Duane Heydt
* TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Samantha Ponder
* ESPN Box Score, GoPSUsports.com
Game information :
First quarter
USC – Deontay Burnett, 26-yard TD pass from Sam Darnold, Matt Boermeester kick good, 10:31 (USC 7–0)
USC – Boermeester, 22-yard field goal, 4:42 (USC 10–0)
USC – Boermeester, 44-yard field goal, 0:21 (USC 13–0)
Second quarter
PSU – Saquon Barkley, 24-yard TD run, Tyler Davis kick good, 11:44 (USC 13–7)
USC – Burnett, 3-yard TD pass from Darnold, Boermeester kick good, 10:15 (USC 20–7)
PSU – Chris Godwin, 30-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Davis kick good, 8:39 (USC 20–14)
USC – Darreus Rogers, 3-yard TD pass from Darnold, Boermeester kick good, 6:16 (USC 27–14)
PSU – Mike Gesicki, 11-yard TD pass from McSorley, Davis kick good, 0:54 (USC 27–21)
Third quarter
PSU – Barkley, 79-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 13:05 (PSU 28–27)
PSU – Godwin, 72-yard TD run, Davis kick good, 11:27 (PSU 35–27)
PSU – McSorley, 3-yard TD TD run, Davis kick good, 10:26 (PSU 42–27)
USC – JuJu Smith-Schuster, 13-yard TD pass from Darnold, Taylor McNamara pass from Darnold for 2-point conversion, 6:47 (PSU 42–35)
PSU – Barkley, 7-yard TD pass from McSorley, Davis kick good, 1:55 (PSU 49–35)
Fourth quarter
USC – Ronald Jones II, 3-yard TD TD run, Boermeester kick good, 8:15 (PSU 49–42)
USC – Burnett, 27-yard TD pass from Darnold, Boermeester kick good, 1:20 (TIE 49–49)
USC – Boermeester, 46-yard field goal, 0:00 (USC 52–49)
Top passers
USC – Sam Darnold – 33/53, 453 yards, 5 TD, INT
PSU – Trace McSorley – 18/29, 254 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
USC – Ronald Jones II – 20 carries, 55 yards, TD
PSU – Saquon Barkley – 25 carries, 194 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
USC – Deontay Burnett – 13 receptions, 164 yards, 3 TD
PSU – Chris Godwin – 9 receptions, 2 TD
Top defenders
USC – Stevie Tu'ikolovatu – 8 tackles
PSU – Jason Cabinda – 11 tackles :

## Awards and honors
### Players

Awards :
| Player | Award | Date Awarded |
| Marcus Allen | Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week | October 3, 2016 |
| Saquon Barkley | Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week | October 10, 2016 |
| Brandon Smith | Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week | October 10, 2016 |
| Brandon Bell | Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week | October 24, 2016 |
| Marcus Allen | Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week | October 24, 2016 |
| Grant Haley | Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week | October 24, 2016 |
| Saquon Barkley | Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week | October 31, 2016 |
| Connor McGovern | Big Ten Freshman of the Week | November 7, 2016 |
| Tyler Davis | Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week | November 21, 2016 |
| Trace McSorley | Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week | November 29, 2016 |
| Saquon Barkley | Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year | November 30, 2016 |
| Saquon Barkley | Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year | November 29, 2016 |
| Saquon Barkley | Chicago Tribune Silver Football | December 7, 2016 |
All-Big Ten :
| Player | Selection |
| Grant Haley | First Team (Coaches & Media) |
| Tyler Davis | First Team (Coaches) Second Team (Media) |
| Saquon Barkley | Second Team (Coaches & Media) |
| Trace McSorley | Second Team (Coaches & Media) |
| Garrett Sickels | Second Team (Coaches) Third Team (Media) |
| Evan Schwan | Third Team (Coaches & Media) |
| Jason Cabinda | Third Team (Coaches) Honorable Mention (Media) |
| Marcus Allen | Third Team (Coaches) Honorable Mention (Media) |
| Chris Godwin | Third Team (Media) Honorable Mention (Coaches) |
| Mike Gesicki | Second Team (Media) Honorable Mention (Coaches) |
| Brandon Bell | Honorable Mention (Coaches & Media) |
| Brian Gaia | Honorable Mention (Coaches & Media) |
| Blake Gillikin | Honorable Mention (Coaches & Media) |
| Parker Cothren | Honorable Mention (Coaches) |
| John Reid | Honorable Mention (Coaches & Media) |

### Coaches

Awards :
| Coach | Award | Date Awarded | Ref. |
| James Franklin | Dave McClain Coach of the Year (media vote) | November 22, 2016 | |
| James Franklin | Sporting News College Football Coach of the Year | December 7, 2016 | |