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ceiving yards and 129 of its 147 return yards. He didn't play much early in the game, but Barkley gouged Bu6alo for 101 yards on eight carries beginning late in the third quarter and continuing into the fourth. With the freshman running back leading the way, Penn State's o6ense seemed to 5nally develop a rhythm a7er struggling both at Temple and in the early going against the Bulls. Franklin was quick to point out the impact that Barkley's performance had on the whole o6ense. "It's a piece of the puzzle," he said, "When you have a guy making plays like that, it's amazing, just like a punt re- turner or a kick returner. If you've got somebody back there who can make things happen, guys block better. It has that type of impact on everybody." The impact that Penn State's two most recent recruiting classes are having is not con5ned to the skill positions on of- fense and special teams. Defensively, sophomore linebacker Jason Cabinda, redshirt freshman linebacker Troy Reeder and sophomore free safety Mar- cus Allen all were among the top six tacklers on the team going into the Rut- gers game. Cabinda, who has taken over for Nyeem Wartman-White at middle linebacker, went into the Big Ten opener as the Nittany Lions' third-leading tackler with 13 stops. Reeder stepped into the starting lineup at outside linebacker against Bu6alo, plugging one of the holes that opened up a7er Cabinda was moved, and also a7er Brandon Bell was injured against Tem- ple. He had an outstanding game against the Bulls, 5nishing second on the team with seven tackles including 5ve solo stops. As it turned out, Penn State was fortu- nate that he was healthy for the game against Bu6alo. Reeder was diagnosed with a bacterial infection this past sum- mer and developed a case of strep throat that persisted for more than three weeks. When preseason practice began in early August, he still hadn't com- pletely recovered. "I kind of got sick at the wrong time," Reeder said. "I felt like I had a really good summer workout and was prepar- ing myself for the season. Then by the time the season came, I wasn't myself for the 5rst part of camp. It was tough, but I fought through it. "It's nice that I feel like myself again. I'm playing like I know I can play. I just have to keep rolling." One additional player who deserves to be mentioned here is redshirt freshman place-kicker Joey Julius. In his 5rst two games, Julius converted 3 of 4 5eld goal attempts, with a long kick of 34 yards. That's a lengthy list of exciting young players, and it includes another starter in Mike Gesicki. The sophomore tight end may have had a tough a7ernoon against Bu6alo, dropping a couple of passes in the second half that would have helped Penn State pull away from the stubborn Bulls more quickly than they did, but he's a former four-star prospect who enjoyed a great o6-season and has a bright future ahead of him with the Nittany Lions. And we haven't even touched on the prospects who haven't seen action yet. Although the Class of 2015 features a number of impact freshmen such as Barkley and Polk, players who have made headlines already this season, most of its members are probably des- tined to redshirt this season. When de- fensive tackle Austin Johnson was asked a7er the Bu6alo game about the per- formance of the freshmen, he quickly pivoted from the guys who saw action in Penn State's victory to the ones who had yet to make their debuts. "There are still some guys who haven't stepped on the 5eld who are amazing athletes," Johnson said. "So you guys are going to be wowed by those guys, too. There are the guys you mentioned. Polk is the fastest kid I've ever seen. And Saquon and [Mark] Allen and Nick Scott and DeAndre, but also guys who have barely been out there – Jon Holland, Juwan Johnson, there's Irvin Charles. All of these guys can make plays." This is why the classes of 2014 and '15 are ushering in a very bright future for Penn State. ■

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