Former Penn State football running backs had a rough weekend

The third week of the 2019 NFL Season didn’t treat former Penn State football running backs so well.

This year was an exciting upcoming NFL season for Penn State football. Not only did their star quarterback move on to the Baltimore Ravens, but so did their star running back, Miles Sanders. Suddenly, in back to back years, Penn State had two running backs in the NFL, who were selected within the first two rounds of their respective draft.

Ironically enough, they both ended up in the same division too. Although Trace McSorley isn’t expected to get much action at the next level, Miles Sanders surprisingly earned himself a significant role in the Philadelphia Eagles’ backfield.

And Saquon Barkley, well, we know what he means to the New York Giants offense. Before, Nittany Lions’ running backs didn’t really translate all that well to the NFL. But the 2019 NFL season is different. They are both expected to be stars, but their seasons aren’t off to the hottest starts after a rough Week 3 outing.

Miles Sanders keeps up with a bad habit

Penn State knows all too well that Miles Sanders struggles to hold onto the ball while running. Well, those same ball security came up again on Sunday during Sanders’ third game with the Eagles. He ended up fumbling not once, but twice on the same drive!

Fortunately, the Eagles didn’t give up on their second-round rookie. However, Sanders’ transition to the pros doesn’t seem to be going nearly as well as his former mentor, Saquon Barkley. Hopefully, the former Nittany Lion can shake the bad habits and establish a groove.

Saquon stays down

Sanders’ afternoon showing was rough — but Saquon Barkley’s resulted in something negative, which he cannot control. Surprisingly, Barkley stayed relatively healthy for the Giants last season despite taking on an extensive workload and putting the team on his back.

During week three of the 2019 season though, the former Nittany Lion went down with an ankle injury. After getting checked out on the sidelines, Barkley would be told that his game was finished on Sunday. He was later spotted supporting a walking boot while using crutches. Hopefully, his injury is nothing serious, but New York will surely be holding their breath for the next 24 hours.