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of his previous four games, but he made numerous important grabs to boost Penn State's offense on Saturday. Johnson hauled in five passes for 78 yards, including a long reception of 25 yards, to lead both teams in receiving on the day. WORST DROPThe Nittany Lions were relatively sure-handed when it came to the passing game on Saturday but missed an opportunity for a big play when wide receiver Saeed Blacknall lost his footing on the outside. Black- nall was isolated in single coverage, and McSorley tossed a long post his way that could very well have been caught had been able to stay on his feet. BEST SACKThe Scarlet Knights had perhaps their best offensive drive late in the fourth quarter, and had the ball inside Penn State's 10-yard line. On third down, Antonio Shelton and Ayron Monroe combine to crunch the Rutgers quarterback for the Nittany Lions' first sack of the day, forcing a fourth down attempt. BEST HITWith good field position late in the second quarter, Rutgers had the opportunity to steal some quick points before the end of the half. Marcus Allen ended any of those hopes, though, as the hard-hitting free safety swooped in to lay the wood on Rutgers wide re- ceiver Dacoven Bailey when he caught a bubble screen with space. BEST EFFORTThe Scarlet Knights were putting together a methodical drive, and quarterback Giovanni Rescigno appeared to have the angle and speed he needed to convert on third and two with a scramble. With a burst of quickness, Penn State's Bran- don Smith closed down on the Rut- gers signal-caller, diving to force him out of bounds a yard before the chains. MOST TELLING MOMENTThe Scarlet Knights are the latest team to have lit- tle difficulty containing Barkley in the running game. The running back was met in the backfield for a loss of 6 yards on his first carry of the game, be- ginning a theme that persisted throughout the game, as Barkley was held to 35 yards on 14 carries. N O V E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 5 DaeSean Hamilton almost had to double-check to ensure that the correct play had been signaled in. The call from the sideline was for a hook-and-ladder, a play that the team had installed in late September and one that Hamilton never expected to use in a game. "I just thought it was a play we were going to keep in our back pocket for the end-of-the-world situation," he said. "So yeah, it was pretty cool to see. Saquon, he basically did all of the work. He made a good play out of it." The Nittany Lions were facing third- and-9 at the Rutgers 15-yard line. At the time, midway through the third quarter, they were leading by only eight points, and players and coaches alike knew they needed to strike while in the red zone. A field goal would be helpful but hardly insurmountable. A touch- down would create some separation against a Rutgers team whose offense was not built for big comebacks. So a?er back-to-back rushes that to- taled just 1 yard, offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead dialed in the trick play on third down. At the snap, quarterback Trace Mc- Sorley zipped the ball out to his right, where Hamilton was lined up in the slot. The senior receiver cleanly hauled in the pass, then looked to running back Saquon Barkley, who at first faked a pass block then circled out of the back- field to accept a pitch. The play worked – almost to perfec- tion. Barkley hit the line of scrimmage at nearly full speed before hurdling a Scarlet Knight defender at the 6-yard line. It was another one of those high- light-reel plays for Barkley, during which he was airborne for almost 5 yards. But on this one, he was dropped just short of the goal line. "It was clear that they were bringing a blitz and it was going to work in that look," Barkley said. "They were in man, and Hammy did exactly what he was supped to: sell the man and be able to pitch. One thing you really focus on [as the running back] is getting the depth and getting width so you can catch the ball and find a way into the end zone – get one-on-one with a guy, square him up. I went over top and got tackled at the 1-yard line." On the official stat sheet, Hamilton earned a 0-yard reception. It was not considered a catch for Barkley, but he was credited with 11 receiving yards. "I'll take the reception," Hamilton said. "I like catching. He can have all the different accolades like he always gets. That's fine with me." A stat Barkley didn't get on that one, however, was a touchdown. That came two plays later. He was stuffed for no gain on first down before punching it in for a score on the next play. It was one of two TDs for Barkley on the day The score gave the Lions a 21-6 lead, and they went on to add two more touchdowns en route to a 35-6 victory. The hook-and-ladder was one of the more influential plays of the game, pro- viding Penn State with a surge of mo- mentum. It's one that will likely be replayed on highlight reels for the rest of the season, too, if not longer. And since it happened in front of photogra- pher's row, there is plenty of documen- tation of Barkley's hang time. It was one of those moments that had it all, but for the junior running back, who finished with only 48 yards of total offense, it was incomplete. "When those plays happen, you've just got to make your play when it comes," he said. "Obviously, those are designed plays that we see are going to work against that specific look and that specific defense. You've got to make that play. We were able to score on that drive, but you've got to find a way to get into the end zone." Lions execute hook-and-ladder to near-perfection in victory 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

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