2018 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

2018 Penn State Nittany Lions football
Citrus Bowl, L 24–27 vs. Kentucky
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	East Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 17
AP	No. 17
Record	9–4 (6–3 Big Ten)
Head coach	James Franklin (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	Ricky Rahne (1st as OC; 5th overall season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Brent Pry (3rd as DC; 5th overall season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Tim Banks (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
Captain	Trace McSorley Blake Gillikin Nick Scott
Home stadium	Beaver Stadium
Seasons ←  2017 2019  →

2018 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 3 Ohio State xy$		8	–	1					13	–	1
No. 14 Michigan x		8	–	1					10	–	3
No. 17 Penn State		6	–	3					9	–	4
Michigan State		5	–	4					7	–	6
Maryland		3	–	6					5	–	7
Indiana		2	–	7					5	–	7
Rutgers		0	–	9					1	–	11
West Division
No. 21 Northwestern xy		8	–	1					9	–	5
Wisconsin		5	–	4					8	–	5
No. 25 Iowa		5	–	4					9	–	4
Purdue		5	–	4					6	–	7
Minnesota		3	–	6					7	–	6
Nebraska		3	–	6					4	–	8
Illinois		2	–	7					4	–	8
Championship: Ohio State 45, Northwestern 24
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2018 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by fifth-year head coach James Franklin and played its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. They were a member of the East Division of the Big Ten Conference.

Penn State, coming off an 11–2, Fiesta Bowl-winning season in 2017, began the year at 10th in the preseason AP Poll. They narrowly escaped an upset in their first game of the year by defeating Appalachian State in overtime. The Nittany Lions won their first four games and entered an anticipated home game against No. 4 Ohio State at No. 9, but lost to the Buckeyes by a score of 26–27. The following week the team was upset by Michigan State on homecoming. The team rebounded with a home win against then-No. 18 Iowa, but was blown out the following week by Michigan 42–7. The Nittany Lions finished the regular season in third in the Big Ten East with a conference record of 6–3. They were invited to the Citrus Bowl, where they lost to Kentucky to finish the year at 9–4.

Senior quarterback Trace McSorley led the team in passing, finishing with 2,530 passing yards and 18 passing touchdowns to go along with 12 rushing touchdowns. He was named second team All-Big Ten by both the media and coaches. During the season, McSorley became the all-time school record holder in several categories, including career passing yards, completions, passing touchdowns, and total touchdowns responsible for. ^[1] Junior running back Miles Sanders finished in second in the conference in rushing with 1,274 yards. ^[2] On defense, cornerback Amani Oruwariye and lineman Yetur Gross-Matos were named first-team all-conference by the media. ^[3]

Offseason

Staff changes

On November 29, 2017, it was announced that offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Joe Moorhead was hired to be the head coach for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. ^[4] Shortly after, it was reported that running backs coach and special teams coordinator Charles Huff would be joining Moorhead at Mississippi State as his assistant head coach, run game coordinator, and running backs coach. ^[5] On December 1, 2017, James Franklin announced that tight ends coach Ricky Rahne would replace Moorhead as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. ^[6] It was also announced that former Maryland offensive line coach Tyler Bowen was hired to coach tight ends and consultant Phil Galiano was hired to coordinate special teams and assist with the defensive line. ^[6] On January 12, 2018, former Army wide receivers coach David Corley Jr. was hired to the staff as the running backs coach. ^[7] Corley was hired as the 10th assistant coach because of a new rule change by the NCAA, that expanded staff sizes by one. ^[8] On January 24, 2018, wide receivers coach Josh Gattis announced that he would be leaving to serve as the co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide. ^[9] The next day it was announced that former Florida Gators running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider would be joining Penn State in the same capacity and David Corley Jr. would be coaching the wide receivers. ^[10] It was also announced that defensive line coach Sean Spencer received the title of associate head coach, a title previously held by defensive coordinator Brent Pry. ^[11]

Recruiting

The Nittany Lions signed 23 recruits. ^{[12] [13]}

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Justin Shorter WR	Monmouth Junction, NJ	South Brunswick High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	213 lb (97 kg)	Aug 6, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Pat Freiermuth TE	North Andover, MA	Brooks School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Aug 16, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Zack Kuntz TE	Camp Hill, PA	Camp Hill High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	221 lb (100 kg)	Nov 26, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Isaiah Humphries S	Sachse, TX	Sachse High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	191 lb (87 kg)	Dec 31, 2016
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Charlie Katshir LB	Mechanicsburg, PA	Cumberland Valley High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Feb 2, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Ricky Slade RB	Woodbridge, VA	C. D. Hylton High School	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Feb 3, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Jesse Luketa LB	Erie, PA	Mercyhurst Preparatory School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	238 lb (108 kg)	Feb 3, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Nick Tarburton LB	Perkasie, PA	Pennridge High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	242 lb (110 kg)	Feb 9, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Trent Gordon CB	Manvel, TX	Manvel High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Mar 29, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Nana Asiedu OT	Stafford, VA	North Stafford High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	Apr 22, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Bryce Effner OT	Aurora, IL	Metea Valley High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	May 6, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Jordan Miner CB	Wesley Chapel, FL	Wiregrass Ranch High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	183 lb (83 kg)	Jul 6, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Judge Culpepper DE	Tampa, FL	Plant High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	256 lb (116 kg)	Jul 14, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Will Levis QB	Middletown, CT	Xavier High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	222 lb (101 kg)	Jul 15, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Jake Pinegar K	Ankeny, IA	Centennial High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Jul 16, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Daniel George WR	Oxon Hill, MD	Oxon Hill High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jul 16, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Juice Scruggs C	Erie, PA	Cathedral Preparatory School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	Aug 4, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
P. J. Mustipher DT	Owings Mills, MD	McDonogh School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	300 lb (140 kg)	Aug 7, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Aeneas Hawkins DT	Cincinnati, OH	Moeller High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	Aug 10, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Jahan Dotson WR	Nazareth, PA	Nazareth Area High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Dec 20, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Micah Parsons DE	Harrisburg, PA	Harrisburg High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Dec 20, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Odafe Oweh DE	Blairstown, NJ	Blair Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	236 lb (107 kg)	Jan 4, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Rasheed Walker OT	Waldorf, Maryland	North Point High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	Feb 7, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports:     ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
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 December 21, 2017. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 21, 2017.

2018 NFL draft

See also: 2018 NFL draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	Team
Saquon Barkley	Running back	1	2	New York Giants
Mike Gesicki	Tight end	2	42	Miami Dolphins
Troy Apke	Safety	4	109	Washington Redskins
DaeSean Hamilton	Wide receiver	4	113	Denver Broncos
Marcus Allen	Safety	5	148	Pittsburgh Steelers
Christian Campbell	Cornerback	6	182	Arizona Cardinals
Jason Cabinda	Linebacker	UFA		Oakland Raiders
Saeed Blacknall	Wide receiver	UFA		Oakland Raiders
Grant Haley	Cornerback	UFA		New York Giants
Brendan Mahon	Guard	UFA		Carolina Panthers
Curtis Cothran	Defensive tackle	UFA		Minnesota Vikings
Parker Cothren	Defensive lineman	UFA		Pittsburgh Steelers
Tyler Davis	Kicker	UFA		Buffalo Bills

Offseason departures

Player	Class	Position	Hometown	Reason left
DaeSean Hamilton	Sr	WR	Stafford, Virginia	Graduated
Marcus Allen	Sr	S	Upper Marlboro, Maryland	Graduated
Saeed Blacknall	Sr	WR	Manalapan, New Jersey	Graduated
Christian Campbell	Sr	CB	Phenix City, Alabama	Graduated
Mike Gesicki	Sr	TE	Manahawkin, New Jersey	Graduated
Grant Haley	Sr	CB	Atlanta, Georgia	Graduated
Troy Apke	Sr	S	Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania	Graduated
Jason Cabinda	Sr	LB	Buena Park, California	Graduated
Curtis Cothran	Sr	DT	Newtown, Pennsylvania	Graduated
Parker Cothren	Sr	DT	Huntsville, Alabama	Graduated
Tyler Davis	Sr	K	St. Charles, Illinois	Graduated
Brendan Mahon	Sr	G	Randolph, New Jersey	Graduated
Saquon Barkley	Jr	RB	Whitehall, Pennsylvania	Declared for NFL draft
Crae McCracken	Fr	OL	Williamsport, Pennsylvania	Transferred
Andre Robinson	So	RB	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania	Transferred
Alex Barbir	Fr	K	Cumming, Georgia	Transferred
Corey Bolds	Fr	DT	Paterson, New Jersey	Transferred
Manny Bowen	Jr	LB	Barnegat, New Jersey	Dismissed from program
Irvin Charles	So	WR	Sicklerville, New Jersey	Dismissed from program
Robert Martin	So	OL	Sparta, New Jersey	Retired

Returning starters

Offense Player Class Position Trace McSorley Senior Quarterback Juwan Johnson Junior Wide receiver Ryan Bates Junior Offensive tackle Connor McGovern Junior Center/Guard Steven Gonzalez Junior Guard Will Fries Sophomore Offensive tackle DeAndre Thompkins Senior Wide receiver Chasz Wright Senior Offensive tackle Miles Sanders Junior Running back Reference: [14]

Defense Player Class Position Kevin Givens Junior Defensive tackle Shareef Miller Junior Defensive end Koa Farmer Senior Linebacker Nick Scott Senior Safety Reference: [14]

Special teams Player Class Position Blake Gillikin Junior Punter Kyle Vasey Senior Long snapper DeAndre Thompkins Senior Punt returner Reference: [14]

Position key

Back	B		Center	C		Cornerback	CB		Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE		Defensive lineman	DL		Defensive tackle	DT		End	E
Fullback	FB		Guard	G		Halfback	HB		Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR		Offensive tackle	OT		Offensive lineman	OL		Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS		Punter	P		Punt returner	PR		Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB		Safety	S		Tight end	TE		Wide receiver	WR

Preseason

Award watch lists

Award	Player	Position	Year
Rimington Trophy [15]	Connor McGovern	C	JR
Chuck Bednarik Award [16]	Shareef Miller	DE	JR
Maxwell Award [17]	Trace McSorley	QB	SR
Davey O'Brien Award [18]	Trace McSorley	QB	SR
Doak Walker Award [19]	Miles Sanders	RB	JR
John Mackey Award [20]	Jonathan Holland	TE	JR
Butkus Award [21]	Koa Farmer	LB	SR
Bronko Nagurski Trophy [22]	Amani Oruwariye	CB	SR
Outland Trophy [23]	Ryan Bates	OL	SR
	Connor McGovern	C	JR
Ray Guy Award [24]	Blake Gillikin	P/K	JR
Wuerffel Trophy [25]	Trace McSorley	QB	SR
Walter Camp Award [26]	Trace McSorley	QB	SR
Ted Hendricks Award [27]	Shareef Miller	DE	JR
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award [28]	Trace McSorley	QB	SR
Manning Award [29]	Trace McSorley	QB	SR

Personnel

Roster

Seniors Trace McSorley and Nick Scott, and junior Blake Gillikin were elected by their teammates as captains. ^[30] Running Back C. J. Holmes is a transfer from Notre Dame. ^[31] On August 4, 2018, Linebacker Manny Bowen returned to the program after being dismissed near the end of the 2017 season. ^[32]

2018 Penn State Nittany Lions football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 K. J. Hamler  Fr QB 2 Tommy Stevens  Jr WR 3 DeAndre Thompkins  Sr RB 4 Ricky Slade Fr WR 5 Jahan Dotson Fr WR 6 Justin Shorter Fr QB 7 Jake Zembiec   So RB 8 Mark Allen  Sr QB 9 Trace McSorley  (C)  Sr WR 10 Brandon Polk  Jr WR 12 Mac Hippenhammer  Fr QB 13 Grayson Kline Fr QB 14 Sean Clifford  Fr QB 15 Michael Shuster  So QB 17 Will Levis Fr TE 18 Jonathan Holland  Jr RB 20 Johnathan Thomas  Sr RB 24 Miles Sanders Jr WR 29 Henry Fessler Fr RB 32 Journey Brown  Fr RB 33 C. J. Holmes So RB 40 Nick Eury  So TE 41 Joe Arcangelo  Jr OL 50 Will Knutsson Fr OL 51 Alex Gellerstedt  So OL 52 Ryan Bates  Jr OL 53 Rasheed Walker Fr OL 54 Nana Asiedu  Fr OL 62 Michal Menet  So OL 63 Collin DeBoef Fr OL 64 Zach Simpson  Jr OL 66 Connor McGovern Jr OL 68 Hunter Kelly  So OL 69 C. J. Thorpe  Fr OL 70 Juice Scruggs Fr OL 71 Will Fries  So OL 72 Bryce Effner Fr OL 73 Mike Miranda  Fr OL 74 Steven Gonzalez  Jr OL 75 Des Holmes  Fr OL 76 Sterling Jenkins  Jr OL 77 Chasz Wright  Sr OL 79 Charlie Shuman  Sr WR 80 Justin Weller  Fr TE 80 Danny Dalton  So WR 81 Cam Sullivan-Brown  Fr TE 82 Zack Kuntz Fr WR 82 Tyler Shoop  Jr TE 83 Nick Bowers  Jr WR 83 Alex Hoenstine  Fr WR 84 Juwan Johnson  Jr WR 85 Isaac Lutz  So WR 86 Daniel George Fr TE 87 Pat Freiermuth Fr WR 88 Dan Chisena  Jr WR 89 Brandon Clark Fr WR 89 Colton Maxwell  So	Defense Pos. # Name Class S 2 Isaiah Humphries Fr CB 2 Donovan Johnson  Fr S 4 Nick Scott  (C)  Sr CB 5 Tariq Castro-Fields So LB 6 Cam Brown Jr LB 7 Koa Farmer  Sr CB 8 Jordan Miner  Fr LB 9 Jarvis Miller  Jr LB 11 Micah Parsons Fr LB 13 Ellis Brooks  Fr CB 14 Zech McPhearson  So S 16 John Petrishen  Jr S 17 Garrett Taylor  Jr DE 18 Shaka Toney  So DE 19 Torrence Brown   Sr CB 19 Trent Gordon Fr CB 20 Jabari Butler  Jr CB 21 Amani Oruwariye  Sr S 23 Ayron Monroe  Jr CB 24 D. J. Brown  Fr LB 25 Brelin Faison-Walden  Fr S 26 Jonathan Sutherland  Fr DT 27 Aeneas Hawkins Fr S 27 Cody Romano Fr DE 28 Odafe Oweh Fr CB 29 John Reid  Jr DT 30 Kevin Givens  Jr CB 31 Christopher Welde  Jr LB 33 Jake Cooper Sr DE 34 Shane Simmons  So S 35 Justin Neff  Fr LB 36 Jan Johnson  Jr S 37 Drew Hartlaub  Fr S 38 Lamont Wade So LB 39 Frank Di Leo  Jr LB 40 Jesse Luketa Fr LB 41 Dae'Lun Darien  So DT 42 Ellison Jordan  So LB 43 Manny Bowen Sr DE 45 Joe DuMond  So LB 45 Charlie Katshir Fr DE 46 Nick Tarburton Fr LB 47 Will Blair  So DE 48 Shareef Miller  Jr DE 49 Daniel Joseph  So LB 50 Max Chizmar  Fr LB 51 Jason Vranic  Sr DT 53 Fred Hansard  Fr DT 54 Robert Windsor  Jr DT 55 Antonio Shelton  So DT 58 Evan Presta  Fr DT 88 Judge Culpepper Fr DT 90 Damion Barber  Fr DT 93 P. J. Mustipher Fr DE 95 Donnell Dix Sr DT 96 Immanuel Iyke  Jr DE 97 Ryan Buchholz   Jr DE 99 Yetur Gross-Matos So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 49 Cade Pollard Fr K 90 Rafael Checa Fr LS 91 Chris Stoll  Fr K 92 Jake Pinegar Fr P, K 93 Blake Gillikin  (C) Jr LS 94 Joe Calcagno  Fr K 95 Vlad Hilling Fr LS 96 Matt Aloni Fr LS 96 Kyle Vasey  Sr K, P 97 Carson Landis  Fr LS 98 Kevin Cahill Fr LS 98 Mike Curry  Jr LS 98 Dan Vasey  Fr K 99 Justin Tobin  So	Head coach James Franklin Coordinators/assistant coaches Brent Pry (defensive coordinator/linebackers) Ricky Rahne (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks) Ja'Juan Seider (running backs) Phil Galiano (special teams coordinator/assistant defensive line) Tim Banks (safeties/co-defensive coordinator) David Corley Jr. (wide receivers coach) Matt Limegrover (offensive line/run game coordinator) Tyler Bowen (tight ends/offensive recruiting coordinator) Terry Smith (cornerbacks/defensive recruiting coordinator/assistant head coach) Sean Spencer (defensive line/run game coordinator/associate head coach) Dwight Galt (assistant athletics director for performance enhancement) Sean Cascarano (graduate assistant) Mark Dupuis (graduate assistant) Matt Fleischacker (graduate assistant) Kevin Smith (graduate assistant) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

Depth chart

As of August 28, 2018

Defense FS 4 Nick Scott 23 Ayron Monroe 16 John Petrishen WLB MLB SLB 7 Koa Farmer 36 Jan Johnson 6 Cam Brown 11 Micah Parsons 13 Ellis Brooks 9 Jarvis Miller 33 Jake Cooper 40 Jesse Luketa 41 Dae'Lun Darien SS 17 Garrett Taylor 38 Lamont Wade 26 Jonathan Sutherland CB 21 Amani Oruwariye 2 Donovan Johnson 14 Zech McPhearson DE DT DT DE 99 Yetur Gross-Matos 30 Kevin Givens 54 Robert Windsor 48 Shareef Miller 18 Shaka Toney 53 Fred Hansard 55 Antonio Shelton 49 Daniel Joseph 28 Odafe Oweh 42 Ellison Jordan 93 P. J. Mustipher 46 Nick Tarburton CB 29 John Reid 5 Tariq Castro-Fields 19 Trent Gordon Offense WR 84 Juwan Johnson 81 Cam Sullivan-Brown 86 Daniel George WR 1 K. J. Hamler 12 Mac Hippenhammer 5 Jahan Dotson LT LG C RG RT 52 Ryan Bates 74 Steven Gonzalez 62 Michal Menet 66 Connor McGovern 77 Chasz Wright OR 75 Des Holmes 73 Mike Miranda 64 Zach Simpson 69 C.J. Thorpe 71 Will Fries 53 Rasheed Walker 72 Bryce Effner 70 Juice Scruggs 79 Charlie Shuman 51 Alex Gellerstedt TE 18 Jonathan Holland OR 80 Danny Dalton 83 Nick Bowers 87 Pat Freiermuth WR 3 DeAndre Thompkins 10 Brandon Polk 85 Isaac Lutz QB 9 Trace McSorley 2 Tommy Stevens 14 Sean Clifford Special teams PK 92 Jake Pinegar PK 90 Rafael Checa P 93 Blake Gillikin P 49 Cade Pollard KR 1 K. J. Hamler 32 Journey Brown PR 3 DeAndre Thompkins 1 K. J. Hamler LS 96 Kyle Vasey H 93 Blake Gillikin RB 24 Miles Sanders 8 Mark Allen 4 Ricky Slade

Coaching staff

Position	Name	Alma mater
Head coach	James Franklin [33]	East Stroudsburg (1994)
Defensive coordinator/linebackers	Brent Pry	Buffalo (1993)
Offensive coordinator/ quarterbacks	Ricky Rahne [34]	Cornell (2002)
Tight ends/ Offensive Recruiting Coordinator	Tyler Bowen	Maryland (2010)
Safeties/co-Defensive coordinator	Tim Banks	Central Michigan University (1994)
Defensive line/Run Game Coordinator/Associate Head coach	Sean Spencer [34]	Clarion (1995)
Offensive line	Matt Limegrover	University of Chicago (1990)
Cornerbacks/Defensive Recruiting Coordinator	Terry Smith [34]	Penn State (1991)
Running backs	Ja'Juan Seider	West Virginia University (2000)
Wide receivers	David Corley	College of William & Mary (2002)
Special teams coordinator/assistant defensive line	Phil Galiano	Shippensburg University (1999)
Strength and conditioning	Dwight Galt [34]	Maryland (1981)
Graduate Assistant	Sean Cascarano	University of Virginia (2013)
Graduate Assistant	Mark Dupuis	University of Connecticut (2011)
Graduate Assistant	Matt Fleischacker	Penn State (2016)
Graduate Assistant	Kevin Smith	Urbana University (2014)

Schedule

Spring game

Date	Time	Spring Game	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
April 21	3:00 p.m.	Blue vs. White	Beaver Stadium • University Park, PA	BTN [35]	Blue 21–10	71,000 [36]

Regular season

The team hosted two of the three non-conference games against the Appalachian State Mountaineers (first ever meeting) from the Sun Belt Conference and the Kent State Golden Flashes from the Mid-American Conference (MAC). ^[37] They traveled to the Pittsburgh Panthers from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). ^[38]

During the 2018 Nittany Lions season, Penn State faced Big Ten conference opponents Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan State, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Rutgers and Maryland. Their annual homecoming game was played on October 13. ^[39] The 2018 regular season schedule consisted of 7 home games and 5 away. ^{[40] [41]}

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	3:30 p.m.	Appalachian State *	No. 10	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	BTN	W 45–38 OT	105,232
September 8	8:00 p.m.	at Pittsburgh *	No. 13	Heinz Field Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	ABC	W 51–6	68,400
September 15	12:00 p.m.	Kent State *	No. 11	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	FS1	W 63–10	106,528
September 21	9:00 p.m.	at Illinois	No. 10	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL	FS1	W 63–24	34,704
September 29	7:30 p.m.	No. 4 Ohio State	No. 9	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry, College GameDay )	ABC	L 26–27	110,889
October 13	3:30 p.m.	Michigan State	No. 8	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	BTN	L 17–21	106,685
October 20	3:30 p.m.	at Indiana	No. 18	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN	ABC	W 33–28	41,553
October 27	3:30 p.m.	No. 18 Iowa	No. 17	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ESPN	W 30–24	105,244
November 3	3:45 p.m.	at No. 5 Michigan	No. 14	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	ESPN	L 7–42	111,747
November 10	12:00 p.m.	Wisconsin	No. 20	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	ABC	W 22–10	105,396
November 17	12:00 p.m.	at Rutgers	No. 14	HighPoint.com Stadium Piscataway, NJ	BTN	W 20–7	44,840
November 24	3:30 p.m.	Maryland	No. 12	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA (rivalry)	ABC	W 38–3	98,422
January 1, 2019	1:00 p.m.	vs. No. 14 Kentucky *	No. 12	Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL (Citrus Bowl, SEC Nation )	ABC	L 24–27	59,167
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after October 30 released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

^[42]

Game summaries

Appalachian State

See also: 2018 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team

Appalachian State at Penn State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Appalachian State	10	0	0	28	0	38
No. 10 Penn State	7	3	14	14	7	45

at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania

• Date: September 1
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C); cloudy, humid
• Game attendance: 105,232
• Referee: Mark Kluczynski
• TV announcers (BTN): Kevin Kugler, Matt Millen, Lisa Byington
• ESPN Box Score GoPSUsports.com Box Score

Game information

First quarter PSU – Trace McSorley, 12-yard TD run, Jake Pinegar kick good, 12:02 (PSU 7–0) ASU – Darrynton Evans, 100-yard kickoff return, Chandler Staton kick good, 11:48 (TIE 7–7) ASU – Staton, 38-yard field goal, 4:10 (ASU 10–7) Second quarter PSU – Pinegar, 32-yard field goal, 0:12 (TIE 10–10) Third quarter PSU – McSorley, 10-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 9:41 (PSU 17–10) PSU – Ricky Slade, 27-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 2:41 (PSU 24–10) Fourth quarter ASU – Malik Williams, 17-yard TD pass from Zac Thomas, Staton kick good, 13:39 (PSU 24–17) PSU – Miles Sanders, 2-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 11:17 (PSU 31–17) ASU – Williams, 24-yard TD pass from Thomas, Staton kick good, 7:40 (PSU 31–24) ASU – Thomas, 1-yard TD run, Staton kick good, 6:03 (TIE 31–31) ASU – Jalin Moore, 16-yard TD run, Staton kick good, 1:47 (ASU 38–31) PSU – K. J. Hamler, 15-yard TD pass from McSorley, Pinegar kick good, 0:42 (TIE 38–38) Overtime PSU – Sanders, 4-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, (PSU 45–38) Top passers ASU – Zac Thomas – 25/38, 270 yards, 2 TD, INT PSU – Trace McSorley – 21/36, 230 yards, TD Top rushers ASU – Jalin Moore – 18 carries, 88 yards, TD PSU – Miles Sanders – 19 carries, 91 yards, 2 TD Top receivers ASU – Corey Sutton – 6 receptions, 87 yards PSU – K. J. Hamler – 4 receptions, 68 yards, TD Top defenders ASU – Anthony Flory – 9 tackles PSU – Jan Johnson – 11 tackles

At Pittsburgh

See also: 2018 Pittsburgh Panthers football team and Penn State–Pittsburgh football rivalry

Penn State at Pittsburgh – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 13 Penn State	7	7	16	21	51
Pittsburgh	6	0	0	0	6

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

• Date: September 8
• Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C); rain
• Game attendance: 68,400
• Referee: John O'Neill
• TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe
• ESPN Box Score GoPSUsports.com Box Score

Game information

First quarter PSU – K. J. Hamler, 32-yard TD run, Jake Pinegar kick good, 12:14 (PSU 7–0) UP – Qadree Ollison, 13-yard TD run, 2-point conversion failed, 7:09 (PSU 7–6) Second quarter PSU – Hamler, 14-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Pinegar kick good, 0:26 (PSU 14–6) Third quarter PSU – McSorley, 4-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 8:36 (PSU 21–6) PSU – safety, offensive holding penalty by Pittsburgh (Stefano Millin) in its endzone, 7:38 (PSU 23–6) PSU – DeAndre Thompkins, 39-yard punt return for TD, Pinegar kick good, 0:28 (PSU 30–6) Fourth quarter PSU – Mac Hippenhammer, 11-yard pass from McSorley, 11:40 (PSU 37–6) PSU – Mark Allen, 4-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 6:17 (PSU 44–6) PSU – Brandon Polk, 34-yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 4:21 (PSU 51–6) Top passers PSU – Trace McSorley – 14/30, 145 yards, 2 TD UP – Kenny Pickett – 9/18, 55 yards, INT Top rushers PSU – Miles Sanders – 16 carries, 118 yards UP – Qadree Ollison – 21 carries, 119 yards, TD Top receivers PSU – Brandon Polk – 2 receptions, 45 yards, TD UP – Shocky Jacques−Louis – 2 receptions, 21 yards Top defenders PSU – Kevin Givens – 7 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss (TFL) UP – Quintin Wirginis – 9 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL), 1 sack

Kent State

See also: 2018 Kent State Golden Flashes football team

Kent State at Penn State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Kent State	7	3	0	0	10
No. 11 Penn State	21	7	21	14	63

at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania

• Date: September 15
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C); cloudy, humid
• Game attendance: 106,528
• Referee: Ron Hudson
• TV announcers (FS1): Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman, Holly Sonders
• ESPN Box Score GoPSUsports.com Box Score

Game information

First quarter PSU – DeAndre Thompkins, 40-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Jake Pinegar kick good, 12:51 (PSU 7–0) KSU – Mike Carrigan, 47-yard TD pass from Woody Barrett, Matthew Trickett kick good, 9:43 (TIE 7–7) PSU – McSorley, 1-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 5:07 (PSU 14–7) PSU – McSorley, 2-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 1:09 (PSU 21–7) Second quarter KSU – Trickett, 24-yard field goal, 0:35, (PSU 21–10) PSU – McSorley, 13-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 0:04 (PSU 28–10) Third quarter PSU – Mark Allen, 7-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 10:05 (PSU 35–10) PSU – Ricky Slade, 2-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 7:42 (PSU 42–10) PSU – Brandon Polk, 41-yard TD pass from McSorley, Pinegar kick good, 2:37 (PSU 49–10) Fourth quarter PSU – Daniel George, 95-yard TD pass from Sean Clifford, Pinegar kick good, 6:55 (PSU 56–10) PSU – Johnathan Thomas, 15-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 1:09 (PSU 63–10) Top passers KSU – Woody Barrett – 20/38, 176 yards, TD PSU – Trace McSorley – 11/22, 229 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers KSU – Dustin Crum – 3 carries, 23 yards PSU – Miles Sanders – 14 carries, 86 yards Top receivers KSU – Antwan Dixon – 5 receptions, 59 yards PSU – DeAndre Thompkins – 4 receptions, 101 yards, TD Top defenders KSU – Dalton Hicks – 12 tackles, 0.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL) PSU – Cam Brown – 7 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss (TFL)

At Illinois

See also: 2018 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

Penn State at Illinois – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 10 Penn State	7	14	7	35	63
Illinois	7	10	7	0	24

at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

• Date: September 21
• Game time: 9:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C); partly cloudy
• Game attendance: 34,704
• Referee: Ron Snodgrass
• TV announcers (FS1): Justin Kutcher, Petros Papadakis, DeMarco Murray
• ESPN Box Score GoPSUsports.com Box Score

Game information

First quarter PSU – Miles Sanders, 14-yard TD run, Jake Pinegar kick good, 9:17 (PSU 7–0) UI – Reggie Corbin, 2-yard TD run, Chase McLaughlin kick good, 2:16 (TIE 7–7) Second quarter PSU – Sanders, 2-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 12:52 (PSU 14–7) PSU – Pat Freiermuth, 5-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Pinegar kick good, 8:11 (PSU 21–7) UI – Ricky Smalling, 6-yard TD pass from M. J. Rivers II, McLaughlin kick good, 6:47 (PSU 21–14) UI – McLaughlin, 42-yard field goal, 0:00 (PSU 21–17) Third quarter UI – Smalling, 17-yard TD pass from Trenard Davis, McLaughlin kick good, 10:36 (UI 24–21) PSU – Sanders, 48-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 8:36 (PSU 28–24) Fourth quarter PSU – Juwan Johnson, 16-yard TD pass from McSorley, Pinegar kick good, 14:53 (PSU 35–24) PSU – K. J. Hamler, 21-yard TD pass from McSorley, Pinegar kick good, 14:09 (PSU 42–24) PSU – Ricky Slade, 61-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 9:58 (PSU 49–24) PSU – Slade, 1-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 4:24 (PSU 56–24) PSU – Journey Brown, 6-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 1:56 (PSU 63–24) Top passers PSU – Trace McSorley – 12/19, 160 yards, 3 TD, INT UI – M. J. Rivers – 17/28, 149 yards, TD, INT Top rushers PSU – Miles Sanders – 22 carries, 200 yards, 3 TD UI – Reggie Corbin – 11 carries, 87 yards, TD Top receivers PSU – Jonathan Holland – 3 receptions, 53 yards UI – Carmoni Green – 4 receptions, 49 yards Top defenders PSU – Jonathan Sutherland – 8 tackles, 1 tackles-for-loss (TFL) UI – Bobby Roundtree – 12 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss (TFL), 1 sack

No. 4 Ohio State

See also: 2018 Ohio State Buckeyes football team and Ohio State–Penn State football rivalry

Ohio State at Penn State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 4 Ohio State	0	7	7	13	27
No. 9 Penn State	3	10	0	13	26

at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania

• Date: September 29
• Game time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C) clear, cool
• Game attendance: 110,889
• Referee: Daniel Capron
• TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Maria Taylor, Tom Rinaldi
• ESPN Box Score GoPSUsports.com Box Score

Game information

First quarter PSU – Jake Pinegar, 34-yard field goal, 4:58 (PSU 3–0) Second quarter PSU – Pinegar, 39-yard field goal, 11:18 (PSU 6–0) PSU – K. J. Hamler 93-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Pinegar kick good, 5:59 (PSU 13–0) OSU – J. K. Dobbins, 26-yard TD pass from Dwayne Haskins, Sean Nuernberger kick good, 1:50 (PSU 13–7) Third quarter OSU – Dobbins, 4-yard TD run, Nuernberger kick good, 10:22 (OSU 14–13) Fourth quarter PSU – Pat Freiermuth, 2-yard TD pass from McSorley, Pinegar kick good, 12:22 (PSU 20–14) PSU – Miles Sanders, 1-yard TD run, 2-point conversion run failed, 8:00 (PSU 26–14) OSU – Binjimen Victor, 47-yard TD pass from Haskins, Nuernberger kick good, 6:42 (PSU 26–21) OSU – K. J. Hill, 24-yard TD pass from Haskins, 2-point conversion pass failed, 2:03 (OSU 27–26) Top passers OSU – Dwayne Haskins – 22/39, 270 yards, 3 TD, INT PSU – Trace McSorley – 16/32, 286 yards, 2 TD Top rushers OSU – J. K. Dobbins – 17 carries, 57 yards, TD PSU – Trace McSorley – 25 carries, 175 yards Top receivers OSU – J. K. Dobbins – 2 receptions, 61 yards, TD PSU – K. J. Hamler – 4 receptions, 138 yards, TD Top defenders OSU – Chase Young – 6 tackles, 3 tackles-for-loss (TFL), 2 sacks OSU – Tuf Borland – 6 tackles, sack PSU – Koa Farmer – 8 tackles, 0.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL) PSU – Garrett Taylor – 4 tackles, INT

Michigan State

See also: 2018 Michigan State Spartans football team and Michigan State–Penn State football rivalry

Michigan State at Penn State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Michigan State	0	7	7	7	21
No. 8 Penn State	7	7	0	3	17

at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania

• Date: October 13
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C); cool, cloudy
• Game attendance: 106,685
• Referee: Michael Cannon
• TV announcers (BTN): Kevin Kugler, James Laurinaitis, Lisa Byington
• ESPN Box Score GoPSUsports.com Box Score

Game information

First quarter PSU – K. J. Hamler, 5-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Jake Pinegar kick good, 5:03 (PSU 7–0) Second quarter MSU – La'Darius Jefferson, 1-yard TD run, Matt Coghlin kick good, 13:25 (TIE 7–7) PSU – Miles Sanders, 48-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 4:33 (PSU 14–7) Third quarter MSU – Felton Davis III, 20-yard TD pass from Brian Lewerke, Coghlin kick good, 6:10 (TIE 14–14) Fourth quarter PSU – Pinegar, 20-yard field goal, 9:21 (PSU 17–14) MSU – Davis, 25-yard TD pass from Lewerke, Coghlin kick good, 0:19 (MSU 21–17) Top passers MSU – Brian Lewerke – 24/52, 259 yards, 2 TD, INT PSU – Trace McSorley – 19/32, 192 yards, TD Top rushers MSU – La'Darius Jefferson – 15 carries, 60 yards, TD PSU – Miles Sanders – 17 carries, 162 yards, TD Top receivers MSU – Felton Davis III – 8 receptions, 100 yards, 2 TD PSU – K. J. Hamler – 5 receptions, 66 yards, TD Top defenders MSU – Khari Willis – 9 tackles PSU – Koa Farmer – 6 tackles PSU – Garrett Taylor – 6 tackles, INT

At Indiana

See also: 2018 Indiana Hoosiers football team

Penn State at Indiana – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 18 Penn State	7	10	9	7	33
Indiana	14	0	7	7	28

at Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana

• Date: October 20
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C); sunny
• Game attendance: 41,553
• Referee: John O'Neill
• TV announcers (ABC): Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Todd McShay
• ESPN Box Score GoPSUsports.com Box Score

Game information

First quarter PSU – Miles Sanders, 1-yard TD run, Jake Pinegar kick good, 13:00 (PSU 7–0) IU – Stevie Scott III, 5-yard TD run, Logan Justus kick good, 10:18 (TIE 7–7) IU – Ronnie Walker Jr., 30-yard TD run, Justus kick good, 1:06 (IU 14–7) Second quarter PSU – Pat Freiermuth, 23-yard TD pass from Tommy Stevens, Pinegar kick good, 10:08 (TIE 14–14) PSU – Pinegar, 27-yard field goal, 6:27 (PSU 17–14) Third quarter PSU – Pinegar, 32-yard field goal, 7:16 (PSU 20–14) IU – Scott, 3-yard TD run, Justus kick good, 4:01 (IU 21–20) PSU – Trace McSorley, 5-yard TD run, Pinegar kick blocked, 3:41 (PSU 26–21) Fourth quarter PSU – McSorley, 4-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 10:25 (PSU 33–21) IU – J-Shun Harris II, 21-yard TD pass from Peyton Ramsey, Justus kick good, 0:49 (PSU 33–28) Top passers PSU – Trace McSorley – 19/36, 220 yards, INT IU – Peyton Ramsey – 26/36, 236 yards, TD, INT Top rushers PSU – Trace McSorley – 19 carries, 107 yards, 2 TD IU – Stevie Scott III – 26 carries, 138 yards, 2 TD Top receivers PSU – Juwan Johnson – 2 receptions, 72 yards IU – Luke Timian – 6 receptions, 58 yards Top defenders PSU – Yetur Gross-Matos – 10 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss (TFL), 2 sacks IU – Marcelino Ball – 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL), 0.5 sacks

No. 18 Iowa

See also: 2018 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

Iowa at Penn State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 18 Iowa	12	5	0	7	24
No. 17 Penn State	7	10	10	3	30

at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania

• Date: October 27
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 41 °F (5 °C); cloudy, rain
• Game attendance: 105,244
• Referee: Larry Smith
• TV announcers (ESPN): Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Todd McShay
• ESPN Box Score GoPSUsports.com Box Score

Game information

First quarter UI – Safety, Blake Gillikin punt blocked out of end zone by Dominique Dafney, 14:08 (UI 2–0) UI – Miguel Recinos, 27-yard field goal, 10:09 (UI 5–0) UI – Sam Brincks, 10-yard TD pass from Colten Rastetter, Recinos kick good, 5:22 (UI 12–0) PSU – Pat Freiermuth, 18-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Jake Pinegar kick good, 0:27 (UI 12–7) Second quarter UI – Safety, snap out of end zone, 13:39 (UI 14–7) PSU – Tommy Stevens, 3-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 6:45 (TIE 14–14) UI – Recinos, 49-yard field goal, 4:32 (UI 17–14) PSU – Pinegar, 45-yard field goal, 0:03 (TIE 17–17) Third quarter PSU – McSorley, 51-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 12:10 (PSU 24–17) PSU – Pinegar, 49-yard field goal, 4:10 (PSU 27–17) Fourth quarter UI – Geno Stone, 24-yard interception return, Recinos kick good, 10:00 (PSU 27–24) PSU – Pinegar, 44-yard field goal, 8:24 (PSU 30–24) Top passers UI – Nate Stanley – 18/49, 205 yards, 2 INT PSU – Trace McSorley – 11/25, 167 yards, TD, INT Top rushers UI – Mekhi Sargent – 16 carries, 91 yards PSU – Trace McSorley – 12 carries, 63 yards, TD Top receivers UI – T. J. Hockenson – 3 receptions, 63 yards PSU – K. J. Hamler – 5 receptions, 96 yards Top defenders UI – Amani Hooker – 6 tackles UI – Matt Nelson – 6 tackles, 0.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL) PSU – Yetur Gross-Matos – 9 tackles, 4 tackles-for-loss (TFL), 2 sacks

At No. 5 Michigan

See also: 2018 Michigan Wolverines football team

Penn State at Michigan – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 14 Penn State	0	0	0	7	7
No. 5 Michigan	7	7	14	14	42

at Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan

• Date: November 3
• Game time: 3:45 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C); partly cloudy
• Game attendance: 111,747
• Referee: Jeff Servinski
• TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Maria Taylor
• ESPN Box Score GoPSUsports.com Box Score

Game information

First quarter UM – Shea Patterson, 1-yard TD run, Quinn Nordin kick good, 8:12 (UM 7–0) Second quarter UM – Donovan Peoples-Jones, 23-yard TD pass from Patterson, Nordin kick good, 6:52 (UM 14–0) Third quarter UM – Zach Gentry, 7-yard TD pass from Patterson, Nordin kick good, 0:56 (UM 21–0) UM – Brandon Watson, 62-yard interception return for TD, Nordin kick good, 0:09 (UM 28–0) Fourth quarter UM – Karan Higdon, 4-yard TD run, Nordin kick good, 9:49 (UM 35–0) UM – Chris Evans, 1-yard TD run, Nordin kick good, 7:44 (UM 42–0) PSU – Tommy Stevens, 8-yard TD run, Jake Pinegar kick good, 1:59 (UM 42–7) Top passers PSU – Trace McSorley – 5/13, 83 yards, INT UM – Shea Patterson – 11/17, 144 yards, 2 TD Top rushers PSU – Tommy Stevens – 10 carries, 52 yards, TD UM – Karan Higdon – 20 carries, 132 yards, TD Top receivers PSU – Pat Freiermuth – 3 receptions, 51 yards UM – Donovan Peoples-Jones – 3 receptions, 38 yards, TD Top defenders PSU – Jan Johnson – 10 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL) UM – Devin Bush Jr. – 7 tackles

Wisconsin

See also: 2018 Wisconsin Badgers football team

Wisconsin at Penn State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Wisconsin	7	0	3	0	10
No. 21 Penn State	10	6	3	3	22

at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania

• Date: November 10
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. ET
• Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C); partly cloudy, windy
• Game attendance: 105,396
• Referee: Jerry McGinn
• TV announcers (ABC): Mark Jones, Dusty Dvoracek, Molly McGrath
• ESPN Box Score GoPSUsports.com Box Score

Game information

First quarter UW – Jonathan Taylor, 71-yard TD run, Rafael Gaglianone kick good, 11:04 (UW 7–0) PSU – DeAndre Thompkins, 14-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Jake Pinegar kick good, 7:41 (TIE 7–7) PSU – Pinegar, 49-yard field goal, 1:53 (PSU 10–7) Second quarter PSU – Miles Sanders, 1-yard TD run, Pinegar kick missed, 8:09 (PSU 16–7) Third quarter UW – Rafael Gaglianone, 28-yard field goal, 9:45 (PSU 16–10) PSU – Pinegar, 42-yard field goal, 4:07 (PSU 19–10) Fourth quarter PSU – Pinegar, 23-yard field goal, 7:23 (PSU 22–10) Top passers UW – Jack Coan – 9/20, 60 yards, 2 INT PSU – Trace McSorley – 19/25, 160 yards, TD Top rushers UW – Jonathan Taylor – 20 carries, 185 yards, TD PSU – Miles Sanders – 23 carries, 159 yards, TD Top receivers UW – Danny Davis III – 2 receptions, 24 yards PSU – Jahan Dotson – 2 receptions, 39 yards Top defenders UW – T. J. Edwards – 14 tackles PSU – Micah Parsons – 7 tackles

At Rutgers

See also: 2018 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

Penn State at Rutgers – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 16 Penn State	3	10	0	7	20
Rutgers	0	0	0	7	7

at HighPoint.com Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey

• Date: November 17
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. ET
• Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C); mostly cloudy
• Game attendance: 44,840
• Referee: Michael Cannon
• TV announcers (BTN): Chris Vosters, Shaun O'Hara
• ESPN Box Score GoPSUsports.com Box Score

Game information

First quarter PSU – Jake Pinegar, 22-yard field goal, 2:27 (PSU 3–0) Second quarter PSU – Pat Freiermuth, 6-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Pinegar kick good, 2:04 (PSU 10–0) PSU – Pinegar, 19-yard field goal, 0:00 (PSU 13–0) Third quarter No scoring Fourth quarter PSU – Freiermuth, 18-yard TD pass from McSorley, Pinegar kick good, 13:06 (PSU 20–0) RU – Raheem Blackshear, 2-yard TD run, Justin Davidovicz kick good, 9:23 (PSU 20–7) Top passers PSU – Trace McSorley – 17/37, 183 yards, 2 TD, INT RU – Giovanni Rescigno – 2/8, 28 yards Top rushers PSU – Miles Sanders – 27 carries, 88 yards RU – Raheem Blackshear – 22 carries, 102 yards, TD Top receivers PSU – K. J. Hamler – 5 receptions, 71 yards RU – Bo Melton – 3 receptions, 29 yards Top defenders PSU – Koa Farmer – 8 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss (TFL) RU – Deonte Roberts – 10 tackles, 0.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL)

Maryland

See also: 2018 Maryland Terrapins football team and Maryland–Penn State football rivalry

Maryland at Penn State – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Maryland	3	0	0	0	3
No. 15 Penn State	14	3	7	14	38

at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania

• Date: November 24
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. ET
• Game weather: 33 °F (1 °C); rain, freezing drizzle
• Game attendance: 98,422
• Referee: Daniel Capron
• TV announcers (ABC): Mark Jones, Dusty Dvoracek, Molly McGrath
• ESPN Box Score GoPSUsports.com Box Score

Game information

First quarter PSU – Trace McSorley, 3-yard TD run, Jake Pinegar kick good, 13:24 (PSU 7–0) UM – Joseph Petrino, 26-yard field goal, 4:53 (PSU 7–3) PSU – McSorley, 20-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 1:58 (PSU 14–3) Second quarter PSU – Pinegar, 25-yard field goal, 2:06 (PSU 17–3) Third quarter PSU – Ricky Slade, 8-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 9:10 (PSU 24–3) Fourth quarter PSU – Pat Freiermuth, 5-yard TD pass from McSorley, Pinegar kick good, 12:24 (PSU 31–3) PSU – Slade, 1-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 6:13 (PSU 38–3) Top passers UM – Tyrrell Pigrome – 14/23, 185 yards PSU – Trace McSorley – 12/22, 230 yards, TD Top rushers UM – Javon Leake – 11 carries, 34 yards PSU – Miles Sanders – 14 carries, 128 yards Top receivers UM – Brian Cobbs – 2 receptions, 58 yards PSU – K. J. Hamler – 3 receptions, 90 yards Top defenders UM – Isaiah Davis – 9 tackles PSU – Cam Brown – 5 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL), 1 sack

Vs. No. 16 Kentucky (Citrus Bowl)

See also: 2018 Kentucky Wildcats football team and 2019 Citrus Bowl

Penn State vs. Kentucky – Game summary

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 13 Penn State	0	7	0	17	24
No. 16 Kentucky	10	0	17	0	27

at Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida

• Date: January 1, 2019
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. ET
• Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C); bright sunshine, warm, humid
• Game attendance: 59,167
• Referee: Riley Johnson
• TV announcers (ABC): Dave Flemming, Brock Huard, Laura Rutledge
• ESPN Box Score GoPSUsports.com Box Score

Game information

First quarter UK – Miles Butler, 28-yard field goal, 12:23 (UK 3–0) UK – Lynn Bowden, 58-yard TD punt return, Butler kick good, 0:45 (UK 10–0) Second quarter PSU – Nick Bowers, 1-yard TD pass from Trace McSorley, Jake Pinegar kick good, 13:56 (UK 10–7) Third quarter UK – Benny Snell, 2-yard TD run, Butler kick good, 12:38 (UK 17–7) UK – Butler, 28-yard field goal, 3:48 (UK 20–7) UK – Snell, 12-yard TD run, Butler kick good, 1:35 (UK 27–7) Fourth quarter PSU – McSorley, 1-yard TD run, Pinegar kick good, 13:37 (UK 27–14) PSU – Pat Freiermuth, 18-yard TD pass from McSorley, Pinegar kick good, 9:00 (UK 27–21) PSU – Pinegar, 32-yard field goal, 4:12 (UK 27–24) Top passers PSU – Trace McSorley – 17/33, 246 yards, 2 TD, INT UK – Terry Wilson – 9/15, 121 yards Top rushers PSU – Trace McSorley – 19 carries, 75 yards, TD UK – Benny Snell – 26 carries, 144 yards, 2 TD Top receivers PSU – DeAndre Thompkins – 4 receptions, 74 yards UK – Lynn Bowden – 5 receptions, 84 yards Top defenders PSU – Micah Parsons – 13 tackles UK – Darius West – 10 tackles

Rankings

Further information: 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	10	13	11	10–T	9	11	8	18	17	14	21	16	15	14	13	17
Coaches	9	10	10	9	9	11	8	16	16	13	20	15	14	12	12	17
CFP	Not released									14	20	14	12	12	12	Not released

Awards and honors

All-Big Ten

Player	Position	Coaches	Media
Amani Oruwariye	DB	1	1
Yetur Gross-Matos	DL	3	1
Trace McSorley	QB	2	2
Miles Sanders	RB	2	2
Connor McGovern	OG	3	3
Ryan Bates	OT	3	3
Shareef Miller	DL	3	3
K. J. Hamler	WR	HM	HM
Pat Freiermuth	TE	HM	HM
Steven Gonzalez	OG	HM	HM
Garrett Taylor	DB	HM	HM
John Reid	DB	HM	HM
Robert Windsor	DL	HM	HM
K. J. Hamler	PR/KR	HM	HM
Micah Parsons	DL	–	HM
Nick Scott	DB	–	HM
HM = Honorable mention. Reference: [3]

Players drafted into the NFL

See also: 2019 NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL club
2	53	Miles Sanders	RB	Philadelphia Eagles
4	138	Shareef Miller	DE	Philadelphia Eagles
5	146	Amani Oruwariye	CB	Detroit Lions
6	197	Trace McSorley	QB	Baltimore Ravens
7	243	Nick Scott	S	Los Angeles Rams

References

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2. "2018 Big Ten Conference Year Summary". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
3. "2018 All-Big Ten Football Teams and Individual Award Recipients" (PDF). BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. November 28, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
4. Sammon, Will."Mississippi State hires Joe Moorhead as its next football coach", The Clarion-Ledger , November 29, 2017, retrieved March 22, 2018.
5. Sammon, Will."How Joe Moorhead assembled his first staff at Mississippi State", The Clarion-Ledger , January 17, 2018, retrieved March 22, 2018.
6. Juliano, Joe."Penn State hires two football assistants, promotes a third", The Philadelphia Inquirer , December 1, 2017, retrieved March 22, 2018.
7. Rubin, Andrew."James Franklin hires Army's David Corley to be Penn State football's running backs coach", The Daily Collegian , January 12, 2018, retrieved March 22, 2018.
8. Silverstein, Adam."College football teams can hire 10th on-field assistant coach starting in 2018", CBSSports.com, April 14, 2017, retrieved March 22, 2018.
9. Juliano, Joe."Penn State assistant Josh Gattis announces he is leaving for Alabama", The Philadelphia Inquirer , January 24, 2018, retrieved March 22, 2018.
10. DiPaola, Jerry."Penn State hires Ja'Juan Seider as RBs coach", Pittsburgh Tribune-Review , January 25, 2018, retrieved March 23, 2018.
11. Levarse, Derek."Penn State hires Ja’Juan Seider as running backs coach in staffing shift", Times Leader , January 25, 2018, retrieved March 23, 2018.
12. Koerbler, Patrick. "National Signing Day 2018". SB Nation.
13. Rollins, Khadrice. "Penn State Recruiting: Updated List of Commits as of National Signing Day 2018". Sports Illustrated.
14. Penn State Game Notes, GoPSUSports.com, August 27, 2018, retrieved September 24, 2018
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