Blue White Illustrated

S E P T E m B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O m 11 T i m   o w E N | O W E N . T I m . B W I @ g m A I L . c O m With rain pouring from the central Pennsylvania skies and a commanding 28-3 fourth-quarter lead in favor of Penn State, backup quarterback Trace McSor- ley entered the game. He was on the field for only one series. Nonetheless, it was the redshirt freshman's first live action in a Penn State uniform. For that, he owes thanks to his class- mates and fellow freshmen. In the Big Ten opener Saturday night, Penn State jumped out to a 21-0 first- half lead against Rutgers and didn't take its foot off the gas pedal late in the game as it scored a fourth-quarter touchdown and only surrendered a field goal. It was enough of a point differential that head coach James Franklin felt comfortable inputting his second-string QB to close it out. In order to get to that point, it was Penn State's first- and second-year play- ers who were leading the charge. "It's exciting when you think about all the young players playing for us, being led by the older guys that we have," Franklin said. "I'm just excited that we're getting better. That's what it's all about. It's about getting better every single day and every single week, and I think we're seeing that." Leading the group of playmaking un- derclassmen was true freshman Saquon Barkley. The running back eclipsed 100 yards rushing for the second week in a row, and capped his game with a 54-yard run in the fourth quarter and ensuing 16- yard touchdown to punctuate the scor- ing. Barkley ended with 195 total yards and two touchdowns. Additionally, redshirt freshman DeAn- dre Thompkins punched in the game's first score on a jet sweep leB, meaning a true or redshirt freshmen scored three of Penn State's four total touchdowns. The underclassmen's impact didn't stop on offense, either. Sophomore safety Marcus Allen led the Nittany Lions with 11 total tackles, while redshirt freshmen Troy Reeder tallied eight in his second game as PSU's start- ing Will linebacker. Too, redshirt fresh- men Antoine White and Torrence Brown teamed up for a sack late in the game. Then maybe most significant on the defensive side of the ball, true freshman John Reid nabbed an interception and fumble recovery, both the first of his ca- reer. Sophomore Grant Haley add an in- terception, too, and a key pass breakup. "You're talking about guys who are still 19 years old, so it's exciting," Franklin added. In addition to the immediate impact of PSU's freshmen and sophomores, it's also setting up nicely for a lasting effect. With three or four years of eligibility re- maining for some of Penn State's top players Saturday night, Franklin wanted to remind onlookers that his team, now 2-1 on the year, is still only growing. "I hope our fan base and people realize how many young guys are playing and the excitement of the future," he said. "When I talk about the future, I'm talk- ing about the near future, the rest of this season and moving forward." Sophomore Jason Cabinda, the starting Mike LB in just his second year with the program who had six tackles and a pass breakup vs. Rutgers, agrees with his head coach. With more first- and second-year players stepping up like alongside him, Cabinda finds optimism not only for fu- ture seasons, but also for the develop- ment of team depth for the remaining nine or 10 games this year. "There are so many great things" to look forward to, Cabinda said. "I think we're really going in the right direction in terms of our depth and our youth making plays. True freshmen out there, like John Reid – he was all over the place. He had a fumble recovery and an interception. Just an awesome job." YOUTH MOVEMENT Underclassmen help lead Penn State to victory over Rutgers THE FINAL PUSH With 195 total rushing yards, freshman Saquon Barkley eclipsed 100 yards for the sec- ond game in a row. Photo by Steve Manuel

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