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was slicked to the side and his face S aquon Barkley wanted to hang onto the pretense of indecision for at least one more night. Still sweating from his two-touchdown performance in the Fi- esta Bowl, a game that would turn out to be his finale in a Nittany Lion uni- form, Barkley was asked to describe the loop he made around the field after the game, in which he exchanged high- fives with many of the fans who had made the trip to Phoenix. Barkley said nothing about it being a farewell ges- ture, only that he was following the lead of his teammates. "This 2017 team will never be back to- gether. The seniors will go on and play football or go on and be successful busi- nessmen or whatever they pursue in life," he said. "And [the fans were] right with us the whole ride." Likewise, Barkley was with them and the entire Penn State community. In some respects, Barkley's career with the Nittany Lions is easily quan- tifiable. He carried 671 times for 3,843 yards, with the latter total ranking sec- ond only to the 3,932 yards that Evan Royster amassed during his four-year career. Barkley's 43 rushing touch- downs bested Lydell Mitchell's 46- year-old mark of 38, and the awards and accolades he received during his three-year stint as Penn State's start- ing running back are too numerous to list. But while the numbers, records and awards are what will distinguish Barkley in the pantheon of great Penn State run- ning backs, they aren't really what made his career as a Nittany Lion so special. Rather, in his 30 months with the pro- gram, his true and lasting gift was a vis- ceral one. Barkley's impact, on the field and away from it, was mostly about the way he made people feel. Teammates and coaches repeatedly made that clear. In postgame news conferences during the past three seasons, they were asked countless questions about Barkley's re- markable exploits. But those questions drew an almost Pavlovian response from those closest to him at Penn State, as they tended to focus on the person be- hind the marvelous plays. "He's our engine. He's a tremendous player, needless to say. But I can't reiter- ate how great of a person the kid is," said Tommy Stevens following the Lions' 35- 28 victory over Washington in the Fiesta Bowl. "I know you guys hear it all the time, but it's really not fake. He's just an unbelievable person all-around, and on top of that he's the best athlete I've ever been around. I couldn't be happier to have him on my team as a teammate, but he's an even better person, so I'm glad that I'm going to be able to be friends with him forever." Of course, the overwhelming majority of those who feel personally impacted by Barkley's Penn State performances have never met him and will never be able to call him a friend. But that won't prevent fans from fondly remembering his mo- ments of brilliance, the gasps and cheers and broad smiles his individual plays elicited. Who will forget Barkley's 79-yard touchdown run in the third quarter at the Rose Bowl? His kickoff return for a touchdown to open the Ohio State game this past season? His hurdles, most notably on a key third down late in the game at Iowa? His stop-on-a-dime jaunt in the same game? His 85-yard touchdown reception along the sideline against Georgia State, during which he seemingly shifted into a gear no one else possessed? The wheel route to send the Nittany Lions to a victory over Wis- consin in the Big Ten Championship Game? His bobbling touchdown recep- tion in the Lions' rout of Michigan this season? Those were just a few of the moments from a career that featured 791 opportu- nities to handle the football. True greatness in sports, the kind that demands respect no matter what one's rooting interest, is a rarity. Regardless of how the rest of his career plays out at the next level, in his time at Penn State, Barkley consistently brought it to the field for the Nittany Lions. He bucked the recent trend of NFL entrants by not just playing in the Fiesta Bowl, but by going all-out in his performance. He had a 92-yard run in the second quarter that gave Penn State a 28-7 lead and finished with 137 yards against the nation's top- rated rushing defense. After the game, teammates and coaches were given yet another oppor- tunity to speak about Barkley's impact. They tended to dwell on his character rather than the big plays, and the group that had the best insight was the one that might have at times actually inhib- ited Barkley's production during the past three years: the offensive line. He had been steadfast in his support for the unit, and they appreciated his loy- alty. "The great thing about Saquon, among the many superlatives you hear about him, is that he's an unbelievable teammate and he loves these guys," of- fensive line coach Matt Limegrover said. "Even when things weren't going great for him, he never turned his back on this group. He was always their biggest fan. He was always, 'Hey, we're one play away' all throughout the year. You've just got to love a guy like that who gets it, and understands and is right there with you." Barkley was a once-in-a-generation talent during his time at Penn State, but he walked side-by-side with teammates, coaches and fans. And while he's moving on to face a new set of challenges, you can't help but suspect that they'll al- ways be with him. ■ JUDGMENT CALL Barkley's legacy goes well beyond impact on field

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