Bowl/Post-Season Passing Leaders

Penn State’s All-time Bowl & Post-Season Passing Yards/Touchdown Leaders—

The Career Post-Season Passing Yards Leaders List—

“Post-Season” passing totals for Penn State QBs on these lists include stats from all “official” post-season games including Bowl games, Big Ten Championship games, and CFP non-bowl Playoff games.

  1. Trace McSorley (5 games/4 starts)—1,368 yards on 103 of 161 passing, 14 TDs, 6 INTs

  2. Drew Allar (6 games/5 starts/3 CFP starts)—954 yards on 77 of 149 passing, 8 TDs, 4 INTs

  3. Sean Clifford (4 games/3 starts)—607 yards on 41 of 75 passing, 4 TDs, 3 INTs

  4. Tony Sacca (3 games/3 starts)—550 yards on 33 of 73 passing, 7 TDs, 3 INTs

  5. Todd Blackledge (3 games/3 starts)—520 yards on 32 of 69 passing, 2 TDs, 2 INTs

  6. Christian Hackenberg (2 games/2 starts)—510 yards on 42 of 64 passing, 4 TDs, 1 INT

  7. Kerry Collins (3 games/3 starts)—507 yards on 46 of 84 passing, 2 TDs, 3 INTs

    Note: If the “unofficial post-season game” at Beaver Stadium vs. Illinois in 2020 was counted (instead of being regarded as a regular season contest), Sean Clifford’s stats would have the following added to above numbers: 285 yards on 16 of 22 passing, 2 TDs, 0 INTs—TD passes were 75 & 70 yards to Jahan Dotson WR (this change would also impact some of the data listed below)

The Career Bowl Passing Yards Leaders List—

  • Trace McSorley (4 games/3 starts)—984 yards on 81 of 130 passing, 10 TDs, 6 INTs

  • Sean Clifford (4 games/3 starts)—607 yards on 41 of 75 passing, 4 TDs, 3 INTs

  • Drew Allar (4 games/3 starts/2 CFP starts)—601 yards on 44 of 88 passing, 5 TDs, 2 INTs

  • Tony Sacca (3 games/3 starts)—550 yards on 33 of 73 passing, 7 TDs, 3 INTs

  • Todd Blackledge (3 games/3 starts)—520 yards on 32 of 69 passing, 2 TDs, 2 INTs

  • Christian Hackenberg (2 games/2 starts)—510 yards on 42 of 64 passing, 4 TDs, 1 INT

  • Kerry Collins (3 games/3 starts)—507 yards on 46 of 84 passing, 2 TDs, 3 INTs

The Career CFP Games Passing Yards Leaders List—

  • Drew Allar (3 games/3 starts)—433 yards on 38 of 70 passing, 3 TDs, 1 INT

    Note: Only others with CFP passing stats: Ethan Grunkemeyer 1 of 2 for 9 yds., 1 INT & Tyler Warren 0 for 1

Best Single Post-Season Passing Yards/Scoring—

  • Drew Allar (4 games/4 starts in 2024)—659 yards on 58 of 109 passing, 6 TDs, 3 INTs

  • Trace McSorley (2 games/2 starts in 2016)—638 yards on 40 of 60 passing, 8 TDs, 3 INTs

  • Christian Hackenberg (1 game/1 start in 2014)—371 yards on 34 of 50 passing, 4 TDs, 0 INT

  • Trace McSorley (1 game/1 start in 2017)—342 yards on 32 of 41 passing, 2 TDs, 2 INTs

    Note: Hackenberg & McSorley (2) are only 2 PSU QBs to pass for 300+ yds. in any single post-season/bowl game

Most Post-Season 200-yard Passing Games—

  • Trace McSorley (4/3 Bowls)—384 yards in 2016 Big Ten Championship/342 yards in 2017 Fiesta Bowl/254 yards in 2017 Rose Bowl/246 yards in 2019 Citrus Bowl

  • Drew Allar (2/1 Bowl)—295 yards in 2023 Peach Bowl/226 yards in 2024 Big Ten Championship

  • Daryll Clark (2/2 Bowls)—273 yards in 2009 Rose Bowl/216 yards in 2010 Capital One Bowl

    Note: All 4 Big Ten-era Rose Bowls have featured a 200+-yard passer: Kerry Collins 200 yards in 1995, Daryll Clark 273 yards in 2009, Trace McSorley 254 yards in 2017, & Sean Clifford 279 yards in 2023

Single Post-Season/Bowl Game Passing Yards Records—

  • Most Passing Yards in a Bowl—371 yards in 2014 Pinstripe Bowl vs. Boston College (OT) on 34 of 50 passing by Christian Hackenberg (4 TDs, 0 INT)—Hackenberg was 3 of 5 for 32 yards, 1 TD in OT

  • Most Passing Yards in a CFP Bowl—171 yards in 2024 Fiesta Bowl/CFP Quarterfinal vs. Boise State on 13 of 25 passing by Drew Allar (3 TDs, 0 INT)

  • Most Passing Yards in a CFP Game (non-bowl)—127 yards in 2024 1st Round vs. SMU on 13 of 22 passing by Drew Allar (0 TD, 0 INT)

  • Most Passing Yards in a Big Ten Championship Game—384 yards in 2016 vs. Wisconsin on 22 of 31 passing by Trace McSorley (4 TDs, 0 INT)

  • Most Passing Yards in a Rose Bowl—279 yards in 2023 vs. Utah on 16 of 21 passing by Sean Clifford (2 TDs, 0 INT)

  • Most Passing Yards in a Fiesta Bowl—342 yards in 2017 vs. Washington on 32 of 41 passing by Trace McSorley (2 TDs, 2 INTs)—Most passing yards in a bowl game in regulation

  • Most Passing Yards in a Cotton Bowl—226 yards in 1975 vs. Baylor on 10 of 20 passing by Tom Shuman (1 TD, 0 INT)—1st PSU QB to pass for 200+ yards in a bowl

  • Most Passing Yards in a Sugar Bowl—228 yards in 1983 vs. Georgia on 13 of 23 passing by Todd Blackledge (1 TD, 0 INT)

  • Most Passing Yards in an Orange Bowl—253 yards in 2006 vs. Florida State (3-OT) on 21 of 39 passing by Michael Robinson (1 TD, 1 INT)—Robinson was 3 of 4 for 31 yards in OT

  • Most Passing Yards in a Peach Bowl—295 yards in 2023 vs. Mississippi on 19 of 39 passing by Drew Allar (2 TDs, 1 INT)

  • Most Passing Yards in a Non-Major Bowl—371 yards in 2014 Pinstripe Bowl vs. Boston College (OT) on 34 of 50 passing by Christian Hackenberg (4 TDs, 0 INT)—Hackenberg was 3 of 5 for 32 yards, 1 TD in OT

    Note: 1st Penn Stater to pass for 100+ yards in a Bowl: Elwood Petchel LHB in 1948 Cotton Bowl vs. SMU—165 yards on 7 of 15 passing (2 TDs, 1 INT)

Best Post-Season/Bowl Single Game Passing Yards Performances—

  • 384 yards—Trace McSorley in 2016 Big Ten Championship win vs. Wisconsin (22 of 31 passing, 4 TDs, 0 INT)

  • 371 yards—Christian Hackenberg in 2014 Pinstripe Bowl win in OT vs. Boston College (34 of 50 passing, 4 TDs, 0 INT)—Hackenberg was 3 of 5 for 32 yards, 1 TD in OT

  • 342 yards—Trace McSorley in 2017 Fiesta Bowl win vs. Washington (32 of 41 passing, 2 TDs, 2 INTs)—Most passing yards in a bowl game in regulation (Hackenberg 339 yards in regulation in 2014 Pinstripe)

  • 295 yards—Drew Allar in 2023 Peach Bowl loss vs. Mississippi (19 of 39 passing, 2 TDs, 1 INT)

  • 279 yards—Sean Clifford in 2023 Rose Bowl win vs. Utah (16 of 21 passing, 2 TDs, 0 INT)

  • 273 yards—Daryll Clark in 2009 Rose Bowl loss vs. USC (21 of 36 passing, 2 TDs, 2 INTs)

  • 260 yards—Ethan Grunkemeyer in 2025 Pinstripe Bowl win vs. Clemson (23 of 34 passing, 2 TDs, 0 INT)

  • 254 yards—Trace McSorley in 2017 Rose Bowl loss vs. USC (18 of 29 passing, 4 TDs, 3 INTs)

  • 253 yards—Michael Robinson in 2006 Orange Bowl win in 3-OT vs. Florida State (21 of 39 passing, 1 TD, 1 INT)—Robinson was 3 of 4 for 31 yards in OT

  • 246 yards—Trace McSorley in 2019 Citrus Bowl loss vs. Kentucky (17 of 33 passing, 2 TDs, 1 INT)

    Other Post-Season/Bowl Records—

    Most Pass Attempts—Christian Hackenberg 50 (5 in OT) in 2014 Pinstripe Bowl/Matt McGloin 41 in 2011 Outback Bowl/Trace McSorley 41 in 2017 Fiesta Bowl

    Most Pass Completions—Christian Hackenberg 34 (3 in OT) in 2014 Pinstripe Bowl/Trace McSorley 32 in 2017 Fiesta Bowl

    Most Interceptions—Matt McGloin 5 in 2011 Outback Bowl loss vs. Florida (1 INT resulted in 80 yd. TD return)/Chuck Fusina 4 in 1979 Sugar Bowl loss vs. Alabama

LINK HERE TO PASSING TOUCHDOWN LEADERS

LINK HERE TO PASSING YARDS LEADERS

Career Post-Season Passing TD Leaders—

All stats are “Modified/Complete” including all Bowls/Post-Season games—

  1. Trace McSorley (5 games/4 starts)—14 career TDs (10 TDs in Bowls)—8 TD passes in 2016 post-season (2 games)—McSorley threw at least 2 TD passes in each of his 5 post-season games (also rushed for 2 TDs in bowls)

  2. Drew Allar (6 games/5 starts/3 CFP starts)—8 career TDs (5 TDs in Bowls/3 TDs in CFP)—6 TD passes in 2024 post-season (4 games)

  3. Tony Sacca (3 games/3 starts)—7 career TDs (4 TDs came in 1 game)

  4. Wally Richardson (3 games/2 starts)—5 career TDs/1 two-point conversion pass (4 TDs came in 1 game)

  5. Sean Clifford (4 games/3 starts)—4 career TDs/1 two-point conversion pass

  6. Christian Hackenberg (2 games/2 starts)—4 career TDs (all in single bowl game)

  7. Galen Hall (3 games/2 starts)—4 career TDs (1 TD pass as holder on fake FG vs. Alabama in 1959 Liberty Bowl)

Single Game Quarterback Post-Season TD/Scoring Leaders—

  • Trace McSorley—4 TD passes in 2016 Big Ten Championship Game win vs. Wisconsin (Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN)

  • Trace McSorley—4 TD passes in 2017 Rose Bowl loss vs. USC (Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA)—also 1 TD rushing

  • Christian Hackenberg—4 TD passes (1 in OT) in 2014 Pinstripe Bowl win vs. Boston College (Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY)

  • Tony Sacca—4 TD passes in 1992 Fiesta Bowl win vs. Tennessee (Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ)

  • Wally Richardson—4 TD passes in 1996 Outback Bowl win vs. Auburn (Tampa Stadium, FL)

  • Drew Allar—3 TD passes in 2024 Big Ten Championship Game loss vs. Oregon (Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN)—also 1 TD rushing

  • Drew Allar—3 TD passes in 2024 Fiesta Bowl/CFP Quarterfinal win vs. Boise State (State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ)—CFP Record

  • Galen Hall—3 TD passes in 1961 Gator Bowl win vs. Georgia Tech (Gator Bowl Stadium, Jacksonville, FL)

Longest Post-Season TD Passes—

  • 88 yards—Sean Clifford to KeAndre Lambert-Smith in 2023 Rose Bowl win vs. Utah (Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA)

  • 73 yards—Ethan Grunkemeyer to Trebor Pena in 2025 Pinstripe Bowl win vs. Clemson (Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY)

  • 72 yards—Tom Shuman to Chuck Herd in 1974 Orange Bowl win vs. LSU (Miami Orange Bowl, FL)

  • 72 yards—Christian Hackenberg to Chris Godwin in 2014 Pinstripe Bowl OT win vs. Boston College (Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY)

  • 72 yards—Trace McSorley to Chris Godwin in 2017 Rose Bowl loss vs. USC (Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA)

  • 70 yards—Trace McSorley to Saeed Blacknall in 2016 Big Ten Championship Game win vs. Wisconsin (Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN)

  • 69 yards—Rob Bolden to Justin Brown in 2012 TicketCity Bowl loss vs. Houston (Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas, TX)

  • 65 yards—John Hufnagel to Scott Skarzynski in 1972 Cotton Bowl win vs. Texas (Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas, TX)

    Note: Longest non-scoring pass in post-season: Drew Allar to Tyler Warren 75 yards in 2023 Peach Bowl loss vs. Mississippi (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA)

    Longest TD pass in a CFP Game: Drew Allar to Omari Evans WR 38 yards in 2024 Fiesta Bowl/CFP Quarterfinal win vs. Boise State (State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ)

    First TD pass thrown in a Post-Season game: Phil Moonves RHB to Robert Snyder QB (yardage unconfirmed) in 1931 Unemployment Relief Fund Charity Game win vs. Lehigh (Franklin Field, Philadelphia, PA)—Moonves is the only lefthander to throw a post-season TD pass in Penn State history

    First TD pass thrown in a Bowl game: Elwood Petchel LHB to Larry Cooney RHB 38 yards in 1948 Cotton Bowl tie vs. SMU (Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas, TX)—Petchel also threw 6-yard TD pass to Wally Triplett in this game

    2-point Conversion Scoring Passes in Post-Season/Bowls (non-OT)—

  • 1997 Fiesta Bowl vs. Texas—Wally Richardson to Curtis Enis RB

  • 2019 Cotton Bowl vs. Memphis—Sean Clifford to Pat Freiermuth TE

  • 2023 Peach Bowl vs. Mississippi—Beau Pribula to Nick Singleton RB

    Note: 2 additional 2-point pass attempts failed

Nittany Notes:

Penn State’s Forgotten Post-Season Game & The Forgotten 1st Post-Season TD Pass—

Despite being labeled a post-season game in the Penn State Media Guide, in the La Vie yearbook, and by the news media of the era, the 1931 charity game vs. Lehigh for the Unemployment Relief Fund is largely lost to history even though it actually made a little Penn State history… The two schools added the game to be played at Franklin Field in Philadelphia to their schedules around October 20th of that year to serve as a fundraiser for the unemployed of the Great Depression (per Lehigh documents, the University of Pennsylvania donated use of the stadium)… Frankly, neither team deserved a post-season game… Penn State, in its second season with Bob Higgins at the helm, was working on the longest losing streak in its history (7 games-which remains the Nittany Lions worst)… The game was slated for Nov. 28th which was the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend… Even with many tickets priced at $1, attendance was brutal (Lehigh reported fewer than 2,500 fans in a stadium that could easily accommodate 65K) likely due to the depression itself, the poor records of the teams (State came in at 1-8), and the frigid weather which featured intermittent rain and snow…

A couple of Lehigh’s top players were out with injuries and Penn State’s defense kept the Brown & White off the scoreboard… Meantime, Phil Moonves RHB & George “Judy” Lasich FB each scored a pair of touchdowns on the soggy field… Lasich delivered the defensive highlight, a 45-yard interception return for the first of his TDs in the 4th period… And Moonves delivered the rushing highlight of the game with a 47-yard (sometimes reported as 48-yard) run over right guard untouched to the endzone to open the second half… Moonves’ first TD run in the 2nd quarter was also the first post-season rushing TD ever for State…

The first touchdown of the game itself was actually the first ever post-season TD pass for the Nittany Lions (and the first ever post-season TD period/State had only managed a field goal in the 1923 Rose Bowl)… After a Lehigh turnover on a fumble at the State 40-yard line, Phil Moonves, a lefthander, would complete a “diagonal pass” to Robert Snyder QB for the score and a 7-0 lead in the first quarter… No lefty has thrown a post-season TD pass for the Nittany Lions since this play… Penn State would roll to its first post-season victory, 31-0 over Lehigh in the first meeting of the schools since 1921… Penn State’s next post-season victory would not come until the 1959 Liberty Bowl (7-0 over Alabama)…

Penn State would not play another “post-season” game until the 1948 Cotton Bowl vs. SMU in Dallas… A November 1942 end-of-season charity game vs. Pitt at Pitt Stadium for the WWII Army Relief Fund was scheduled, and promoted in several game programs, but was never played… Only the Nov. 21, 1942 regular season meeting between Pitt & Penn State in State College ever took place (PS won 14-6)… The Nov. 28 charity game date became available in September when two military teams cancelled their games with State and Pitt…

Sidebar: Phil Moonves would briefly be an assistant coach under Bob Higgins at Penn State in the late 1930’s… By the late 40’s, he was an assistant football and baseball coach at Yale… In both 1947 & 1948, Yale was the runner-up in the first two College World Series ever played… Yale’s first baseman those two seasons was another lefty, future President of the United States, George H.W. Bush…

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