Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1495456
A P R I L 2 0 2 3 19 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M FIVE YEARS AGO, 2018 Running back Saquon Barkley became the first Penn Stater in eight years to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft when he was chosen second over- all by the New York Giants on April 26, 2018. The Giants had been seeking to re- vitalize their backfield after plunging to 26th in the league in rushing offense the year before and 31st in scoring with a dismal average of just 15.4 points per game. In Barkley, the Nittany Lions' top rusher the previous three seasons, the Giants saw a versatile playmaker who could put a charge in both their running and passing attacks. "It's easy to see on tape," said first- year Giants head coach Pat Shurmur. "Once we met him, we knew he was the total package. He can run it, catch it. He's great in pass protection. It's easy to keep him on the field." Barkley was the Nittany Lions' earli- est draft selection since 2000 when de- fensive end Courtney Brown and line- backer LaVar Arrington were the first two players chosen. Brown went to the Cleveland Browns with the No. 1 overall pick, while Arrington was chosen sec- ond by Washington. Since Barkley's selection, three PSU players have been chosen in the first round — linebacker Micah Parsons (12th overall) and defensive end Odafe Oweh (31st) in 2021 and receiver Jahan Dot- son (16th) last year. Another player is expected to join that list in a few weeks, with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. pro- jected to go somewhere in the middle of the first round. 10 YEARS AGO, 2013 For its second Blue-White Game un- der the leadership of head coach Bill O'Brien, Penn State used an offense- versus-defense format in which points were awarded for turnovers, three-and- outs and various other defensive ac- complishments. The defense won 67- 47, but the biggest storyline coming out of the game concerned the offense. The Nittany Lions did the one thing you're not supposed to do in an exhibi- tion game: They got one of their key players hurt. Running back Zach Zwi- nak, Penn State's leading rusher with 1,000 yards in 2012, suffered a wrist injury in the first quarter of the game, a setback that was expected to limit his participation in offseason drills well into August. O'Brien had previously expressed misgivings about playing a spring game at all. It was an important event for the university and the local business com- munity, serving as a de facto alumni weekend, but Penn State was dealing with NCAA-mandated scholarship re- ductions at the time and could scarcely afford to lose anybody. Zwinak's injury only confirmed O'Brien's worst fears. "You can't get your best guys hurt in the spring game," he fumed in his postgame news conference. "I think the people who come back [for Blue-White Weekend] have to understand the situ- ation we're in. We cannot get our best players hurt in the Blue-White Game. That's when you get labeled a dumb coach." 25 YEARS AGO, 1998 Curtis Enis may have ended his col- lege career on an anticlimactic note when he was suspended by Joe Paterno for accepting gifts from an agent ahead of the team's Citrus Bowl matchup against Florida. But that didn't dissuade the Chicago Bears from selecting the first-team All-America running back with the fifth overall pick. The Bears were hoping that Enis' punishing style of play would add some punch to their backfield, but that didn't happen. After missing most of Chica- go's training camp in a contract hold- out, he made just one start as a rookie before suffering a torn knee ligament. Enis ended up rushing for 1,497 yards in three seasons with the Bears and was finished in the NFL by 2001. Of the three Nittany Lions who were drafted that year — Enis, wide receiver Joe Jurevicius and offensive lineman Phil Ostrowski — the most productive pro by far was Jurevicius. He had been selected 50 picks be- hind Enis by the New York Giants late in the second round and went on to play 11 seasons with four teams, catch- ing 323 passes for 4,119 yards and 29 touchdowns, and winning a Super Bowl championship with Tampa Bay in 2003. — Matt Herb This Month in Penn State Athletics History Zach Zwinak had enjoyed a breakthrough in 2012 when he rushed for 1,000 yards, but he experienced a setback in the Blue-White Game the following spring when his wrist was injured on a first-quarter carry. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL