Penn State Sports Magazine
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secure a first down and more impor- tant, avoid another quick Ohio State possession. Ball wasn't able to finish the job, though, letting the sure recep- tion drop to the turf. Two plays later, the Nittany Lions had the ball again. BEST SACKThe absence of contenders for this category may have been the Lions' undoing Saturday night in Columbus. Though they were able to bring Barrett down twice in the first half, the pocket proved to be a cozy, comfortable spot for the veteran quar- terback in the third and fourth quarters. BEST HITManny Bowen made an im- mediate impact on the game, pounding Ohio State receiver Parris Campbell on a short completion on the Buckeyes' first possession. The hit jarred the ball out of Campbell's hands and into the arms of linebacker Koa Farmer. BEST EFFORTThe entire Ohio State program must be commended for stick- ing with a game that saw Penn State earn multiple double-digit leads and momentum swings. Even after failing to earn a two-point conversion late in the game, the Buckeyes produced a five play, 58-yard touchdown drive with 1:48 left in the game to seal the 39-38 win. BEST RETURNBarkley's timing was simply impeccable. The Nittany Lions' Heisman contender stunned Ohio Sta- dium and a national television audience with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the game's very first play. Calmly pulling the ball in, Barkley cut through the middle of the field and up the sideline without ever being touched by a Buckeye. WORST DECISIONSeemingly thinking out loud in his postgame press confer- ence, Penn State head coach James Franklin openly questioned his side's decision to try to run the ball when the Buckeyes were having so much success stopping the ground game throughout the course of the game. Held to 91 yards on the ground on 35 carries, the Lions were unable to play keep-away from the Buckeye offense when it mattered most. MOST TELLING MOMENTThe Ohio Stadium crowd flooded onto the turf as time expired Saturday night, a virtual riot in celebration of the Buckeyes' 39- 38 win. O c T O B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 5 R E C R U I T I N G Penn State landed its second Class of 2019 commitment on Oct. 26, as quar- terback Ta'Quan Roberson of Wayne, N.J., announced his intention of sign- ing with the Nittany Lions. A three-star prospect from DePaul Catholic, Roberson has been on Penn State's radar since his sophomore sea- son. The 6-foot-0, 198 pound signal- caller took four visits to University Park in the off-season, be- ginning with a junior day in February. He then returned for the Blue-White Game in April, followed by two camps in the summer. It was a>er the sec- ond camp performance at the Under- classmen Combine in July that head coach James Franklin and offensive co- ordinator Joe Moorhead decided to ex- tend an offer. Once Roberson returned for the White Out game against Michi- gan on Oct. 21, he knew that Penn State was the right school for him. One of the reasons why Roberson was so comfortable with Penn State was that DePaul Catholic associate head coach Bryan Murray has longstanding relationships with several members of the Nittany Lions' football staff. "We've been in constant contact with the coaches up there when it comes to the guys that they're recruiting off our team," Murray said. "I've known Franklin now for probably about a decade, maybe even closer to 15 years. Of course, E.J. Barthel is heading up their recruiting nowadays. We've known E.J. ever since he was a player. Also, Ricky Rahne recruits our school. I've known him a long time now, so we all have a pretty good relationship with their staff. "From my perspective, the one thing I would say about their staff is that they were just honest. They took a very hon- est approach with Ta'Quan, and their approach is very similar to the way our coaching staff operates. So, I think that was a level of comfort for him. We've known these guys a long time, so there's a level of trust between our staff and their staff. I think that played into it. I also know that he really enjoyed Coach Moorhead. Joe is an unbelievable coach, so I think the more time that they got to spend together when [Ta'Quan] went up there, the more clear the picture became." Roberson played in a few games at DePaul as a freshman, but he didn't be- come the starting quarterback until last season. Now, in his second full season as a starter, Murray said that Roberson has become an excellent leader in one of New Jersey's best offenses. "We're really senior-heavy this year, so Ta'Quan's not a captain for us, but as far as leadership goes, he's great. He's a great kid," Murray said. "He has great control of the huddle, and our guys be- lieve in him. He doesn't get rattled at all and always leads by example. "One thing we really love about him is that he really takes to our coaching. He's always trying to improve and is never afraid of competition. He really is everything that you look for in a quar- terback, both mentally and character- wise. His football IQ is pretty high." In his first seven games this season, Roberson completed 98 of 145 attempts (67 percent) for 1,616 yards, with 18 touchdowns and only four intercep- tions. He also racked up 340 yards rushing and four touchdowns. New Jersey quarterback is second to join Nittany Lions' Class of 2019 R Y A N S N Y D E R | S N Y D E R 4 2 0 8 8 @ G M A I L . c O M ROBERSON