TEAM
- Penn State now leads the series 27-2, including a 5-0 mark in games at Rutgers.
- Penn State registered 11 tackles for loss, the most since having 11 TFL against Georgia State last season.
- The Nittany Lions have won 10-straight games against schools located within 250 miles of State College.
- The Nittany Lions held its opponent to 60 or fewer passing yards for the third time (Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Rutgers) this season. This is the first time since 1976 (Ohio State, Iowa, Kentucky) that Penn State has accomplished this feat.
- Penn State held opponents to back-to-back games with 60 or fewer passing yards for the first time since 1976.
- Penn State is one of 15 teams (16 occasions) since 2000 to have three games in which it held its opponent to 60 passing yards or less (Alabama, 2017; Air Force, 2018; Army, 2006 & 2007; Boise State, 2006; Clemson, 2018; Kansas State, 2000; New Mexico State, 2008; Notre Dame, 2016; Ohio State, 2017; San Jose State, 2014; Texas, 2009; TCU, 2010; Tulsa, 2003; UCLA, 2008).
- Penn State held its opponent to less than 100 passing yards for the third time (Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Rutgers) this season. This is the first time since 2014 (Ohio State, Indiana, Boston College) that Penn State has accomplished this feat.
- Garrett Taylor became the third Nittany Lion to corral three interceptions this season, marking the first time since 2000 Penn State has had three players with three or more picks (James Boyd, Shamar Finney, Bhawoh Jue).
- Penn State has 14 interceptions on the season, the most since collecting 16 picks in the 2014 season.
- WR Cam Sullivan-Brown and LB Micah Parsons made their first career start, marking the 17th and 18th different Nittany Lions to make their first start this season.
- Parsons is the first true freshman to start at linebacker since Cam Brown in 2016.
OFFENSE
Trace McSorley
- QB Trace McSorley won his 30th game as Penn State's starting quarterback, breaking the Penn State record for QB wins, which he previously shared with Todd Blackledge (1980-82) and Tony Sacca (1988-91).
- With a 6-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to Pat Freiermuth, McSorley reached the 100 TDR mark, becoming the third player in Big Ten history with 100 TD, joining Purdue's Drew Brees and Ohio State's J.T. Barrett.
- With 183 passing yards, McSorley upped his career passing total to 9,423 yards to move into 10th place on the Big Ten's career list, passing Purdue's Kyle Orton (9,337; 2001-04) for the position.
- With 2,054 passing yards this season, McSorley ranks 19th on Penn State's single-season list.
- McSorley's two touchdown passes against the Scarlet Knights upped his career total to 74 passing scores to move into a tie for fourth in Big Ten history with Iowa's Chuck Long (74; 1981-85). McSorley passed Rutgers' Gary Nova (73; 2011-14) for the fifth position.
- McSorley now has 2,713 yards of total offense this season, which places him ninth on the program's single-season chart.
- McSorley earned his 24th career game with two or more touchdown passes.
Miles Sanders
- RB Miles Sanders now has 1,095 rushing yards on the season, which ranks 17th on the program's season list.
- With 88 rushing yards on the day, Sanders is now 30th all-time at Penn State with 1,470 career rushing yards. He passed Tom Donchez (1971-74) for 30th.
- Sanders set a career high with 27 carries, bettering 23 against Wisconsin.
Jahan Dotson
- WR Jahan Dotson set career highs with four receptions for 58 yards. Dotson had two receptions in three previous games, including two catches for a previous career-best 53 yards against Wisconsin.
- Dotson hauled in a career-long 35-yard grab in the second quarter. He had a 30-yard catch against Wisconsin.
DeAndre Thompkins
- WR DeAndre Thompkins moved into 25th on Penn State's career receiving yards chart with 1,135 yards.
Pat Freiermuth
- TE Pat Freiermuth has a reception in 10 consecutive games.
- Freiermuth grabbed his fifth and sixth career touchdown reception on a 6-yard completion in the second quarter and an 18-yard catch in the fourth quarter.
- Freiermuth's six touchdown catches are the most by a freshman since Deon Butler had nine in 2005.
- The performance was his first career multi-touchdown game.
- The freshman tied a career best with three receptions. He's had three catches in five different games this year with the last coming against Wisconsin.
KJ Hamler
- WR KJ Hamler grabbed career-high-tying five receptions, giving him at least one catch in all 11 games in his career.
- Hamler has six games this season with four or more catches and nine with multiple catches.
- With catches of 20 and 26 yards, Hamler now has 11 on the season of 20 or more yards.
DEFENSE
Koa Farmer
- LB Koa Farmer matched a career high with eight tackles. He recorded eight in three previous games, including the Ohio State game earlier this season.
- Farmer broke up a pass in the second quarter, his fourth career pass breakup with the last coming against Michigan State.
Yetur Gross-Matos
- DE Yetur Gross-Matos recorded his seventh-straight game with at least 1.0 tackles for loss.
Shareef Miller
- DE Shareef Miller set a career high with seven tackles. He recorded five tackles in four previous games with the last coming against Ohio State.
- Miller had 2.5 tackles for loss, marking his fourth game this season with 2.0 or more tackles for loss.
Antonio Shelton
- DT Antonio Shelton registered a full sack. That is his first career full sack after two previous half-sacks with the last coming against Rutgers in 2017.
- Shelton tied a career high with 1.0 tackles for loss. He also had a full tackle for loss against Georgia State in 2017.
Micah Parsons
- LB Micah Parson forced his first career fumble and registered his first career full sack on a strip-sack in the first quarter. He had a half-sack against Ohio State.
John Reid
- CB John Reid collected his fifth career interception and his second of the season in the second quarter.
Garrett Taylor
- S Garrett Taylor had the third interception of his career and the season it the second quarter.
Robert Windsor
- DT Robert Windsor forced his third career fumble and second of the season in the third quarter.
- Windsor matched a career high with six tackles. He also had six in two different games with the last coming against Wisconsin.
- With 2.0 tackles for loss, Windsor collected his third game this season with 2.0 or more tackles for loss.
Daniel Joseph
- DE Daniel Joseph recovered his first career fumble, which was forced by Robert Windsor, in the third quarter.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Blake Gillikin
- P Blake Gillikin had punts of 67 and 70 yards on the day. He has two punts of 70 or more yards this season and four kicks of 65 or more yards for his career.
- Gillikin is the first player in program history to have four career punts of 65 or more yards.
- Gillikin is the fourth player in program history to have two 70-plus-yard punts in his career, joining Coop French, Jeremy Kapinos and Joe Colone.
- His 70-yard boot in the first quarter is the second-longest of his career and ranks tied for ninth in program history with Coop French (at Iowa, 1930), Joe Colone (at Syracuse, 1946), Jeremy Kapinos (vs. Purdue, 2004) and Jeremy Boone (at Illinois, 2007).
- His 67-yard boot in the first quarter is the fourth-longest of his career and ranks tied for 19th in program history with Joe Colone (vs. Navy, 1947), Art Betts (vs. Michigan State, 1951) and Wayne Corbett (at Pittsburgh, 1965).
- Gillikin dropped one punt inside the 10 and three inside the 20, giving him 36 punts inside of the 10 and 68 inside of the 20 in his career.
Jake Pinegar
- K Jake Pinegar made both of his field goal attempts on the day, converting from 22 and 19 yards. He has hit all five attempts this season inside of 29 yards.