Penn State Football Players of the Game vs Iowa
By Marty Leap
The Penn State football team defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes in thrilling walk off fashion on Saturday night. Here are the players of the game from that win.
And, exhale. The Penn State Nittany Lions are 4-0. On Saturday night the Nittany Lions went into one of the toughest night environments in the Big Ten at Kinnick Stadium and knocked off the Iowa Hawkeyes by a score of 21-19.
Offense – Running Back Saquon Barkley
The best player in college football was at it again on Saturday night. At this point, we are starting to run out of words to describe Saquon Barkley. Penn State’s Heisman Trophy candidate was absolutely incredible on Saturday night.
Barkley rushed for 211 yards and a touchdown in the 21-19 Nittany Lion victory. He also led the team in receiving yards with 94. When you factor in return yardage, Barkley had a school record 358 all-purpose yards on Saturday night.
However, the impact Saquon Barkley had on this game goes much deeper than just the stat sheet. He did things on Saturday night that very few people on this planet can do. His burst, ability to stay in bounds running down the sideline, and use of his hurdle were all incredible. He also had an excellent game in pass protection and this included the key block of a blitzing linebacker on Penn State’s game winning touchdown.
Watching Saquon Barkley play football every Saturday is a true privilege. Enjoy it for the next two months, because the Nittany Lions may never have a back like Barkley again.
Honorable mention: QB Trace McSorley, WR Juwan Johnson
Defense – Defensive End Shareef Miller
Redshirt sophomore defensive end Shareef Miller is quickly developing into a very special player for the Nittany Lions. All night long on Saturday Miller was a terror for the Iowa offensive line and he could not be blocked.
Miller finished the night with five tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, a quarterback hurry, and he blew up countless plays. One of the biggest plays of the game was when Miller blew up a pitch to Akrum Wadley to help the Nittany Lion defense record a safety.
Penn State’s defense was fantastic on Saturday night and the play of Shareef Miller was a big reason why.
Honorable mention: CB Grant Haley, S Marcus Allen
Special teams – Punter Blake Gillikin
On Saturday night special teams were a bit of a disaster for the Nittany Lions and it nearly cost them the game. However, punter Blake Gillikin once again had a great game.
Gillikin punted four times on Saturday night and averaged just 39.8 yards per punt. However, he had three punts downed inside the 20-yard line. This included a punt that was downed at the one
-yard line. These punts are a big reason why he averaged just 39.8 yards per punt.
Iowa had awful field position on offense all night long and Blake Gillikin was a huge reason why.
Honorable mention: WR Irvin Charles, LB Brandon Smith
Next: Penn State Walks Off Iowa
That will do it for this week. Next up for the Nittany Lions is a 3:30 home slate next Saturday against the Indiana Hoosiers. The Nittany Lions will be looking to improve to 5-0 overall on the season and 2-0 in Big Ten play.