Penn State Football: Who has been the offensive MVP through six games?
Who has been the best player for Penn State on offense through the first six games of the season?
Penn State made it through the first half of the season with an undefeated record and picked up right where it left off last year. The Nittany Lions enter the bye week ranked No. 3 in the nation and our in the driver’s seat for a coveted spot in the College Football Playoff.
Not surprisingly, the Nittany Lions have received some great performances on offense. Returning several starters from last year’s potent offense, expectations were high for Penn State heading into 2017.
Things have by no means been bad on offense so far, but they haven’t met expectations either. Penn State is ranked 38th in total offense with an average of 456 yards a game and 19th with just under 40 points scored a game. Again, not bad numbers, but not as good as hoped for before the season started.
Still, Penn State’s offense has been productive. Several players have already but up some impressive numbers.
Who has been the best player on offense for the Nittany Lions? The VBR staff answers that question below.
Barry Leonard, Site Co-Expert
I wanted to get cute with this pick and go against what will probably be the norm, but I just couldn’t. There’s no other choice for Penn State’s offensive MVP through six games than running back Saquon Barkley.
The junior back entered this season as a Heisman Trophy candidate and is now is a frontrunner for the prestigious award. Barkley’s rushing numbers are down this year, but that can be attributed to the fact that opponents are absolutely stacking the box in order to stop him.
For the season, Barkley has rushed for 649 yards and six touchdowns. More impressively, he leads the team with 395 reception yards and has added two receiving touchdowns. Barkley has flat out done it all and even has a touchdown pass on his resume this year.
Penn State has a talented offense, and there’s none more talented than Barkley.
Marty Leap, Contributor
Penn State’s offensive MVP thus far in 2017 is a no-brainer — Saquon Barkley.
Six games into the season Barkley finds himself as the player to beat for the Heisman Trophy, and for good reason. Penn State’s offense goes as Saquon Barkley goes. Barkley leads the team in rushing yards (649), receiving yards (395), and between rushing, receiving, passing, and the return game he has scored 10 touchdowns. Also, his 217 all-purpose yards per game is second in the FBS. Barkley’s ability to pick up blitzes in pass protection and the problems he causes for opposing defenses when used as a decoy are also huge reasons the Nittany Lions are averaging 39.7 points per game.
As the second half of Penn State’s season begins they find themselves ranked 3rd in the country with a 6-0 record. If the Nittany Lions are going to make the College Football Playoff it will be due to the play of Saquon Barkley. If Barkley continues to shine, not only will the Nittany Lions (most likely) make the College Football Playoff he will also become the second Heisman Trophy winner in Penn State history.
Kyle Zartman, Contributor
The easy choice for the first half offensive MVP would be current Heisman front runner Saquon Barkley. However, my vote is for Trace McSorley. Currently, McSorley has thrown for 1,597 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has also added 178 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Where McSorley has really improved this season is in accuracy. He has a completion percentage of 67% through the first six games of the year.
The reasoning for giving him the nod for first half MVP is due in part to his outstanding play against Iowa. It would be safe to assume that without his clutch performance on the final drive, Penn State may be 5-1 heading into the bye week, not 6-0 and ranked 3rd in the country.
Hopefully he will improve even more as the season progresses as he gives the Nittany Lions a stabilizing force at the quarterback position.
Corey Hunter, Contributor
The most obvious choice for Penn State’s first half offensive MVP is either Heisman Trophy candidate Saquon Barkley or All-Big Ten quarterback Trace McSorley, and I have no issues with either of those players. However I am gonna step away from the obvious and say wideout DaeSean Hamilton has been the team’s first half MVP.
After six games Hamilton has the second-most receiving yards on the team (366 yds), he’s tied for third most receptions (22 receptions), and he’s tied with Mike Gesicki for the team lead with four touchdown receptions. On top of his impressive numbers, Hamilton also set the all-time Penn State receptions record securing his 180th grab, surpassing Deon Butler, in a game earlier this year against Indiana.
Hamilton has been McSorley’s security blanket. He has at least two receptions and 35 yards receiving in every game this season. While his stats may not be eye-popping, his leadership both on and off the field, make DaeSean Hamilton an invaluable member of the Penn State football team and my first half MVP.
Shane Lunnen, Contributor
There is no doubt who the MVP is of the offense is for the first half of the season. Where would Penn State be without Saquon Barkley? He just does everything and makes it look easy while doing it.
Even though last week proved that Penn State can win when Barkley is held down, the Lions certainly would not be undefeated if Barkley was not playing at this high level. This season the coaching staff is giving Barkley the opportunity to return kicks in addition to his duties as a running back. It is paying off in all-purpose yards. He has over 1300 yards and 9 touchdowns. If he has big games against Michigan and Ohio State, he will cement his invite to the Heisman ceremony in December.
Next: Tough Stretch of Games Coming Up
He’s not only the best player at Penn State. He’s the best player in the country and hopefully is rewarded as such.