Trace McSorley, Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback, shakes off injury

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Trace McSorley was down, but not out, Saturday after limping off the field in the second quarter against Iowa. McSorley was injured when hit by two Iowa Hawkeyes while scrambling.

• Nick Scott intercepted a pass to thwart Iowa at the Penn State 2 with 3:18 left and the No. 17 Nittany Lions held on to a third straight victory at the 30-24 victory Saturday over the No. 18 Hawkeyes.

"It's kind of cramped," McSorley said.

After being checked on the sideline, McSorley shared an emotional embrace with his father, who leaned over the railing from the stands to talk with his son.

"He was just telling me that he loved me, just keep pushing." "He knew I had it in me and it was just that," said an emotional McSorley. "(He was) just showing his trust and … he's my rock and I love everything that he does for me.

McSorley returned in the quarter after missing two offensive series, then sparked a 30-24 victory with a second-half performance that had head coach James Franklin Singing McSorley's praises.

"He's the toughest football player in college football." Franklin said. "I can not describe the type of player he is, he's the best player in college football."

Franklin said he planned to start backup Tommy Stevens to open the second half, but let McSorley convince him otherwise.

"Trace has earned the right to tell us if he thinks he can go," said Franklin. "I said: 'Look, I need to have the whole package. I can not just have a pro-style quarterback. I got to have more than that. "

Wearing a knee brace, McSorley scampered 51 yards on Penn State's first possession of the third quarter to give the Lions a 24-17 lead.

"I was not really going to know until I got out there," said McSorley, who finished with 167 yards passing and 63 rushing.

McSorley led the Lions to a pair of field goals, but also threw an interception that Iowa's Geno Stone returned for a 24-yard touchdown that cut Penn State's lead to 27-24.

After having lost two consecutive home games, McSorley said it was important to be on the field with his teammates when the game was on the line.

"McSorley said. "We are going to be so much in the future, so everything I wanted, in my body,"

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.