Penn State vs. Northwestern Position Grades

Nov 7, 2015; Evanston, IL, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs into the end zone for a touch down during the second quarter against the Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

Running Backs:

Fans really need to question where would this team be without Saquon Barkley.  He put the team on his back Saturday and the Lions almost got out with a signature win.

Barkley was unreal, rushing the ball 25 times for 120 yards and two touchdowns.  Both touchdown runs came out of the “Wildcat” formation and Northwestern could not stop him.  He also caught the ball six times for 50 yards.  He’s a monster when running the ball and I can’t say that enough.

The one drawback here is that he couldn’t break a tackle late in the game to pick up a first down, nor could he get one yard on the subsequent play.  Either would have effectively sealed the win.  However, you can’t really fault him too much there because he does everything else needed to win.

Grade: A-

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