Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/890458
P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >> t's safe to say Saquon Barkley was not feeling optimistic when offensive co- ordinator Joe Moorhead called a half- back option pass late in Penn State's game against Indiana. In fact, not optimistic may have been an understatement. "I was completely nervous," Barkley admitted. "You can ask my teammates, that play didn't go too well in practice." Maybe not, but it went off without a hitch against the Hoosiers. Barkley took a pitch from Trace McSorley, scooted to his right, and as the Indiana defense con- verged on him, he flipped a short pass over the head of safety Khalil Bryant, hitting DaeSean Hamilton for a 16-yard touch- down. The Nittany Lions were ahead by 24 points at the time, so it was a low-risk, high-reward gambit. Even if he had thrown a pick-six, Indiana would still have needed three more touchdowns in the final four minutes to win the game – a big ask for a team whose offense had managed only 14 points in the game's first 56 minutes. But the play did raise a question: What was the reward? The game was all but won, largely because of Barkley. He had returned the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, and that moment may not have even been his most impressive of the afternoon. He had also taken a one- handed stab at an overthrown swing pass and gained control of the ball just in time to juke All-America linebacker Tegray Scales out of his cleats for a 36-yard gain. You were definitely going to see that play on your highlight roundup of choice at the end of the day, and you'll probably be see- ing it again when Mel Kiper Jr. is gushing about Barkley from the podium of some future draft day broadcast. But Barkley had only rushed for 56 yards against the Hoosiers, and the touchdown pass helped reaffirm the narrative that had been coalescing around him as the kind of player who can hurt you in any number of ways, not just as a running back taking handoffs. It may not have changed the outcome – Penn State was going to win no matter what – but narratives are impor- tant if you're going to promote one of your players for the Heisman Trophy. Heading into the toughest stretch of the season – back-to-back games against Michigan and Ohio State – Barkley was definitely looking Heisman-worthy. He was leading the Football Bowl Subdivision FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION I Saquon Barkley made the spectacular look routine in Penn State's first six games. Does he have a chance to bring home the program's second Heisman Trophy?