The Penn State Nittany Lions returned one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten — Trace McSorely — and arguably the best running back in the country — Saquon Barkley — in 2017, but neither was involved in the team's first touchdown of the 2017 season.
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The honor of the first TD of the season belongs to senior wide receiver DeAndre Thompkins, who returned a punt 61 yards for a score in the season opener against Akron.
The Nittany Lions were penalized one play earlier for running into the punter, and Akron elected to re-punt. That turned out to be a mistake:
DeAndre Thompkins opens Penn State’s 2017 scoring with a 61-yard punt return for a touchdown. pic.twitter.com/OjJYYnlsak
— BlueWhiteIllustrated (@BWIonRivals) September 2, 2017
