Penn State vs Akron: Trace McSorley throws interception on opening drive

Penn State looked football good on its first series… until Trace McSorley threw an interception into the endzone to prematurely end the Nittany Lions drive.

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On its first offensive drive of the season, Penn State drove downfield with relative ease against the Akron Zips. Trace McSorley ran the ball well, racking up 32 yards on three carries. But Saquon Barkley did not touch the ball on the opening drive, and Penn State walked away without any points after McSorley threw an interception into the endzone to kill their series.

Here’s what it looked like live:

The Penn State offense looked disjointed to start the game, as McSorley threw behind his receivers several times. Rain could be affecting some of the throws, but timing is as much of an issue. And this interception was entirely on McSorley, who tried to force the ball into his receiver between several Zips defenders. A bad read led to a premature end to Penn State’s opening drive.

McSorley has a history of big interceptions in big games. He threw picks in all three Nittany Lions losses last season, and Penn State won just twice when he threw at least one interception. Even so, Akron remains a 30-point underdog on the road. They were unable to capitalize on the ensuing drive, nearly fumbling away the ball back to Penn State.

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Penn State’s season doesn’t hang in the balance with one bad throw on an early game, but McSorely is going to have to tighten things up and take care of business this afternoon. The Nittany Lions don’t want to find themselves on upset alert.