Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/775386
A T T H E 2 0 1 7 N I T T A N Y L I O N S forced a reshuffling of personnel, Barkley's performance against South- ern Cal suggested that the Lions' ground game should be in good shape in 2017, especially with injured tackles Brendan Mahon and Andrew Nelson expected back in action. To his teammates, Barkley's best quality is his attitude. "He's going to give everything he has on every single snap," quarterback Trace McSor- ley said. "I think that's the most impressive thing he does, nothing physical. Ob- viously the physical stuff he does is incredible and everybody sees what he does, whether he's having a great game or if he's kind of being a little limited. It's been tremendous to see him handle all that and still re- main the leader that he's been for this offense." Which is not to say that players haven't been as dazzled as everyone else when Barkley breaks a long run or straddles a would-be tackler. Against Maryland in October, after he jumped over Terrapins cornerback Will Likely, McSorley and tight end Mike Gesicki looked at each other in astonishment. "We were both like, 'All right, that was impressive,' " McSorley recalled. "He's a tremendous athlete, a tremendous talent." And now, with the Nittany Lions having gotten a taste of big-time suc- cess, he's more determined than ever. As Barkley watched the Trojans' postgame celebration, a sick feeling came over him. It was a physical sen- sation, but as bad as it felt, he has no intention of putting it behind him. He hopes his teammates don't, either. His advice to them? "Don't forget about it. Don't forget about that feeling when you saw the confetti come out and USC stormed the field. Don't forget about that feeling you had in your stomach, that disgusting taste you had in your mouth. Use it as motivation when you work out. Challenge each other. That's the best way to get everybody better." ■ THE LONG RUN Barkley's 79- yard touchown run against USC was the second- longest in Penn State bowl his- tory, surpassed only by Ki-Jana Carter's 83-yard burst in the 1995 Rose Bowl. Photo by Patrick Mansell