Penn State Football: Who is the Offensive MVP so Far in 2015?
The Penn State Nittany Lions have played 10 games so far in 2015. They enter the bye week with two regular season games remaining, followed by a trip to a postseason bowl game. With the Nittany Lions on break this week, it’s time to take a look at who has stood out so far.
Read below to see who the VBR staff members chose for Penn State’s offensive MVP thus far.
Lead Editor Barry Leonard Jr.
Okay, so I could go easy here and say running back Saquon Barkley, but I’m sure that every post below me has him listed as the offensive MVP so far the year. And while there’s no argument against Barkley, I’m going to make the case for wide receiver Chris Godwin.
Godwin is having a breakout season and has quickly turned into Penn State’s top receiving threat, passing DaeSean Hamilton, who had that role last year. Godwin has made great catches in big spots and is a huge reason for some of the success that Penn State has had on offense this season.
Through 10 games he leads the team in receptions (49) and yards (808). Though he’s scored just three touchdowns, second behind Hamilton’s five, Godwin is a reliable receiver who provides quarterback Christian Hackenberg with a great target in the passing game.
Sure, the run game, led by Barkley, has been important, but when teams stack the box in order to stop the rushing attack, it has been Godwin who’s stepped up and made plays.
Staff Writer Marty Leap
My Penn State offensive MVP so far is true freshman running back Saquon Barkley. This season, Barkley has rushed for a team-leading 836 yards with 130 yards receiving and eight total touchdowns. Maybe the most impressive thing is that Barkley has done it in essentially just 7 games.
Barkley missed the games against Army and Indiana with an ankle injury, and had just one carry for one yard against Temple, so I lump that game into the did not play category.
On the season, Penn State is averaging 27.6 points per game when Barkley plays, and, once again including the Temple game in the did not play category, just 19.7 points per game when Barkley does not play. So, the Nittany Lions are averaging an additional touchdown and then some per game with Barkley in the lineup.
There is a reason that Penn State is averaging just 289 yards of total offense per game when Barkley does not play, but that jumps to 377 yards of total offense per game when Barkley does play. That reason is because Barkley makes the entire offense better. His presence in the rushing game forces defense to either load the box, allowing Christian Hackenberg and the passing game to get going, or else Barkley will gash defenses if they try to play pass first to stop Hackenberg. His presence makes a defensive coordinator’s job much more difficult.
For Penn State’s offense to be successful, they need to be able to run and throw the ball. In order to get Christian Hackenberg and the passing game going, they need the running game to be successful. And that running game is much, much more successful when Barkley plays.
Staff Writer Shane Lunnen
He will probably be a popular choice here, but it has to be Saquon Barkley. He has been a one-man show on offense at times and fans have questioned where the offense would be without him. That defines MVP. He has four games where he has gone over 100 yards and two of those games were close to 200 yards. One of those was against Ohio State, and watching him run all over the field against them was a bright spot in the loss.
Barkley’s seven rushing touchdowns ties D.J. Dozier’s record of most touchdowns in a season by a freshman. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the freshman sensation.
Staff Writer Ryan Lance
I think this is relatively an easy one, as Saquon Barkley has helped the Penn State offense find an identity.
The true freshman has put together quite the season, as he has rushed 133 times for 836 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s put these stats up over seven games as he had one carry in the season opener versus Temple and then missed two games due to an ankle injury in early October.
When Barkley broke the starting lineup the offense completely changed as they found a play maker who could make defenders miss. He’s been electrifying to watch at times and has showed great promise for the future. Although he faces two tough defense to close out the regular season, Barkley has a great opportunity at finishing his freshman campaign with over 1,000 yards rushing.
Staff Writer Nick Lemon
Offensive MVP is without a doubt dynamic true freshman running back Saquon Barkley.
Acceleration, power, quickness, vision; through the first ten games Barkley has displayed physical traits that have drawn comparisons to former Penn State legends. Despite garnering only one carry against Temple and being injured for several games, Barkley’s 836 yards on the ground is second in the FBS among freshmen. Even more impressive is his 6.3 yards per carry average considering the offensive line’s shortcomings this season.