Penn State Football: Revisiting Saquon Barkley’s Rose Bowl outing
Saquon Barkley put in a gem of a game against USC. Although it fell second to Penn State football’s loss, it’s worth a look back.
This may come as a surprise to no one, but Saquon Barkley defines the word playmaker. If fans didn’t get the luxury of watching the talented back work his magic this past season, they missed out. Penn State football saw a multitude of great performances from Barkley, but the USC game stands out.
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College football witnessed arguably the greatest game of the 2016-2017 season January 2nd. A classic matchup between two classic teams headlined the college football world. Although the Nittany Lions ended up falling in the Rose Bowl, it took Saquon Barkley’s 2017 hype to a new level.
First and foremost, Barkley made the greatest run of the entire season. On his 79-yard, lead-changing touchdown run, he broke seven tackles including one player twice. His cuts leave people standing still looking like morons. In the game against the Trojans, his cuts were on display. The zone read play is the Nittany Lions’ bread and butter (Video Courtesy of Nittany Eagles).
However, the Trojans’ defense came to play. They stayed home and played assignment football, but it wasn’t enough. On the majority of the plays, they’d have Barkley corralled and he’d make a defender looked silly.
After pummeling a defender or juking up field, Barkley turned on the afterburners to gash USC. In the end, he compiled 30 touches for 249 (194 rush, 55 receiving) scrimmage yards and three touchdowns.
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As dynamic as his season finished, he’s still got a guaranteed final season in Happy Valley – that’s something the Penn State faithful can look forward to. If he plays at an extremely high level this year, he could be Penn State’s career all-time leading rusher.