Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1488968
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 6 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M I n a recent interview with ESPN, for- mer Penn State running back Miles Sanders recalled his first couple of years in Happy Valley when he was sharing a backfield with Saquon Bar- kley. The two teammates were mutually supportive, Sanders said, but there were only so many carries to go around, and that reality played into their relation- ship. "We would just challenge each other," Sanders said. "He would tell me, 'I'm not coming out of the game, because I know if I give you a chance, I might lose my spot.' "I was like, 'Bro, you don't have to think like that.'" As it turned out, Barkley didn't have to think like that. He ended up doing just fine, going with the No. 2 overall pick to the New York Giants in the 2018 NFL Draft. Sanders ended up doing pretty well, too. He went to Philadelphia in the sec- ond round of the 2019 draft after skip- ping his senior year and is now in his fourth season with the Eagles. Philadelphia went into its Week 16 visit to Dallas sporting the league's best record at 13-1, and Sanders was one of the reasons for its success. Through 14 games, he had rushed for 1,110 yards to rank fifth in the league, just 60 yards behind fourth-place Barkley. It's Sand- ers' first 1,000-yard season as a pro, and on Dec. 21 he was named to his first Pro Bowl, joining Barkley in the NFC backfield. In an NFC East battle against Bark- ley's Giants on Dec. 11, Sanders rushed for a career-high 144 yards and 2 touch- downs to help the Eagles cruise to a 48- 22 win. One of the reasons why he thrived in that game, and all season long, is that Philadelphia's offense is loaded with playmakers. Quarterback Jalen Hurts had the league's fourth-best passer rat- ing (104.6) through 14 weeks and was also 18th in rushing with 747 yards and 13 touchdowns. A.J. Brown was fifth in the league with 1,201 receiving yards on 74 catches, and fellow wideout DeVonta Smith wasn't all that far behind, rank- ing 17th with 71 catches for 901 yards. Sanders, who had scored 11 touch- downs through 14 games, said the Ea- gles' versatility has been the key to their recent upswing. "We really don't know which way we're going to go in each game," he said. "I just know with the type of players and the talent that we have on this offense, the game plan could go either way. We can take the top off, or we can grind the ball out throughout the game. That just shows we're ready for anything." In a 40-33 win over Green Bay on Nov. 27, Hurts carried 17 times for 157 yards, while Sanders rushed 21 times for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns. Sanders' yardage total was, at the time, a career high, although he didn't realize it when he met with reporters after the game. Informed that it he had just enjoyed his most statistically pro- ductive day as a pro, Sanders couldn't help but smile. "It's a blessing," he said. "I'm just go- ing to keep going and showing what I can do." ■ Sanders went into Philadelphia's visit to Dallas in Week 16 with 1,110 rushing yards. He was ranked fifth in the NFL in rushing, just 60 yards behind former PSU teammate Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants. PHOTO COURTESY PHILADELPHIA EAGLES Miles Sanders Shines In Eagles' High-Flying Offense M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M PSU IN THE PROS