Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/916653
blessed to learn from some of the best offensive minds in the game. That knowledge gives me confidence that our talented and hard-working players, combined with a terrific coaching staff, can continue to build on our recent suc- cess." The Lions struggled on offense prior to Moorhead's arrival, but the difficulties that quarterback Christian Hackenberg endured were due largely to an under- manned, sanction-depleted offensive line that surrendered a combined 83 sacks in the first two years of the Franklin era. Once the Lions began re- stocking their offensive front with Big Ten-caliber linemen and named the mo- bile, RPO-friendly Trace McSorley as Hackenberg's successor, their offense started to improve, raising its scoring average by more than two touchdowns per game from 2015 to 2016. The Nittany Lions continued to score points in bunches this past fall, ranking second in the Big Ten at 41.6 points per game during the regular season. Rahne will be looking to build on that momen- tum as he takes over for Moorhead, be- ginning with the team's upcoming appearance in the Fiesta Bowl. He'll have the services of consensus All- American Saquon Barkley for a little while longer, but it's widely believed that the standout junior running back will announce in January that he plans to leave early to enter the NFL Draft. The Lions will also have to replace their top two pass-catchers in tight end Mike Gesicki and wideout DaeSean Hamilton, Whenever he cashes his first NFL paycheck, the first thing Saquon Barkley is going to need to buy is a bigger trophy case. He's been amassing a lot of hardware lately. Earlier this month, the junior running back received All- America honors from The Associated Press, The Sporting News, the Football Writers Association of America, Sports Il- lustrated, The Athletic, USA Today and Walter Camp. He was named the winner of the Paul Hornung Award, which goes to the nation's most versatile player, claimed the Chicago Trib- une Silver Football Award as the Big Ten's best player and fin- ished fourth in balloting for the Heisman Trophy. Barkley also dominated the Big Ten's major awards, winning recognition as the Graham-George Big Ten Of- fensive Player of the Year, Ameche-Dayne Big Ten Running Back of the Year and Rodgers-Dwight Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year. Barkley, who was also named one of five finalists for the Wal- ter Camp Player of the Year award, became only the second player in conference history to win three major trophies, joining Michigan's Jabrill Peppers (Defensive Player of the Year, Linebacker of the Year, Return Spe- cialist of the Year) in 2016. His Offensive Player of the Year award was his second in a row, making him the first player since Ohio State's Braxton Miller in 2012 and '13 to receive the honor in consecutive seasons. Barkley is only the third player to win multiple Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honors, joining Miller and Purdue quarterback Drew Brees, who claimed the award in 1998 and 2000. A native of Coplay, Pa., Barkley is the first back-to-back Big Ten Running Back of the Year since Wisconsin's Montee Ball (2011 and '12) and the first Penn State player to be named Return Specialist of the Year. Barkley also headlined Penn State's All-Big Ten contingent, collecting first-team honors for the sec- ond year in a row. Joining him on the All-Conference offensive team was senior tight end Mike Gesicki, a first-team selection by the media panel and a second-team choice by the coaches. Other Penn State offensive standouts to be honored were jun- ior quarterback Trace McSorley (second team – coaches and media), senior wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton (second team – coaches, third team – media), sophomore offensive lineman Ryan Bates (third team – coaches and media) and sophomore wide receiver Juwan Johnson (honorable mention – coaches and media). McSorley was also named one of 11 finalists for the Manning Award, which goes to the nation's top QB. On defense, senior safety Marcus Allen was a first- team All-Big Ten choice by the coaches and a second- team selection by the media. Also honored were senior linebacker Jason Cabinda (second team – coaches, honorable mention – media), junior cor- nerback Amani Oruwariye (second team – coaches and media) and sophomore defensive end Shareef Miller (third team – media, honorable mention – coaches). Additionally, five players earned honorable mention nods: senior safety Troy Apke (media), senior cor- nerbacks Christian Campbell (coaches and media) and Grant Haley (coaches and media) and senior defensive tackles Curtis Cothran (coaches) and Parker Cothren (media). On special teams, Penn State had three honorees: Barkley as a kickoff re- turner (first team – coaches and media), punter Blake Gillikin (second team – coaches and media) and punt returner De- Andre Thompkins (second team – coaches, third team – media). Senior linebacker Brandon Smith was Penn State's sportsmanship selection. ■ A W A R D S W A T C H SAQUON BARKLEY Steve Manuel