Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/904141
F O O T B A L L Barkley undeterred by Lions' midseason swoon Throughout his often breathtaking season, Saquon Barkley has focused on the team's performance rather than his individual contributions. That was the case again follow- ing Penn State's 27-24 loss at Michigan State. The Spartans contained Barkley better than any op- ponent the Nittany Lions had faced all season to that point. Penn State's stand- out junior running back rushed for only 63 yards in the team's 27-24 loss, and while there had been other games in which the Lions weren't able to create space for him on the ground, he had usually found other ways of making a big impact. That wasn't the case in East Lansing, as the Spartans held him to 33 receiving yards and didn't allow him to break loose for any big kick- off returns. After the Lions' loss, the college football commen- tariat began to ex- press some skepticism about Barkley's chances of winning the sport's top in- dividual honor. It appeared to some that the Land Grant Trophy was not the only piece of football hardware that the Nit- tany Lions had forfeited with their sec- ond defeat in as many weeks. So, too, had they cost themselves a chance to win the second Heisman Trophy in school history. As of this writing, Okla- homa quarterback Baker Mayfield was at the front of the field, with Notre Dame's Josh Adams and Stanford's Bryce Love moving up fast. But true to form, Barkley was focused on the big picture following the game. "It's football," he said. "I've been hav- ing a lot of success with the ball in my hands in space. It comes with the game of football. A lot of people are going to try to take that away. I run a swing route NEWS & NOTES | LEAP OF FAITH Barkley jumps over Michigan State safety Khari Willis. Photo by Steve Manuel