Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/797655
402 yards (14.4 yards per catch) and 8ve TDs. A:er watching Barkley amass 306 yards of total o9ense against USC in the Rose Bowl, Kirk Herbstreit predicted that the Penn State running back and USC freshman quarterback Sam Darnold would be two of the 8ve leading candi- dates for the Heisman Trophy in 2017. Immediately a:er Barkley's 79-yard touchdown run against the Trojans on Penn State's 8rst o9ensive play of the third quarter, Herbstreit said, "You've just seen the faces of college football for the upcoming 2017 season." To date, Barkley has rushed for 2,572 yards, the most ever by a Penn State running back in his 8rst two seasons. I believe he is the most complete running back in college football, and there is no reason to think that he won't continue to improve. "I don't want to be just a one-dimensional running back," Barkley said while in Los Angeles for the Rose Bowl. "I feel like I have the talent to be able to catch the ball in the back8eld, run downhill, run outside zones or use my speed. I want to be an all-around back. Actually, I'm not satis8ed with where I'm at. I want to continue to grow to be better. I'm only 19 years old, so I have a lot of room for improvement. … You want to be able to do it all." Even though Barkley is likely to forgo his 8nal season to enter the NFL Dra:, it is not unrealistic to think that he could become the Nittany Lions' career rush- ing leader. Evan Royster holds that title a:er gaining 3,932 yards from 2007-10. Barkley needs 1,361 yards to surpass that mark, a feat that seems entirely plausible given that Penn State's o9ensive line returns four starters along with six other players who have starting experience. No matter when Barkley's career comes to an end, it is all but certain that he will 8nish as one of the top three running backs in modern Penn State football history along with Carter and Curt Warner. The second reason that I believe Penn State's 2017 o9ense will be the team's best in more than two decades is that the Lions also return quarterback Trace Mc- Sorley. Despite having no previous starting experience, McSorley set a Penn State single-season passing mark with 3,614 yards last year, throwing for 29 touchdowns and only eight intercep- tions. He was also the Nittany Lions' second-leading rusher with 365 yards and seven touchdowns, giving him a season record of 3,979 yards of total of- fense. Penn State's emphasis on the vertical passing game had an impact on McSor- ley's completion rate, which was only 57.9 percent. But a lot of those down8eld gambles paid o9. McSorley led the Foot- ball Bowl Subdivision with an average of 16.13 yards per completion, and he topped the Big Ten with a 156.6 pass ef- 8ciency rating. It's not surprising that McSorley and Ohio State's Barrett are READY TO RUN After surpassing 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, Barkley is within reach of Penn State's career rushing record. Photo by Steve Manuel