Sept. 14, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Penn State's depth in the running back room has been talked about since training camp began in early August.
Veteran Akeel Lynch headlines the group, and the corps of young talent behind Lynch brings an added dimension of athleticism to the field. True Freshman Saquon Barkley carried the ball once in his debut at Temple. On Saturday, Barkley exploded for 115 rushing yards on 12 carries, including his first career touchdown.
"It was great. I was really excited to be out there for my first game in Beaver Stadium," Barkley said. "I've been dreaming about this ever since I committed here. It was awesome. It was everything I expected.
The Coplay, Pa., native tallied 101 yards in the fourth quarter alone on just eight carries (12.6 ypc). Barkley is the first player to rush for 100 yards in a quarter since Tony Hunt did it in 2004 against Akron. He visited the end zone on a 9-yard scoring run, which put the Lions up 27-7 in the fourth quarter.
"My first college touchdown ââ'¬" I'm never going to forget it," Barkley said. "I didn't know what to do, so I just gave the ball to the ref and the rest is history."
A big piece to Penn State's 27-13 victory over Buffalo was effectiveness on the ground. The offensive line paved the way for a 200-yard rushing day for the Blue and White.
"Everyone sees what the running backs are able to do, but you can't make any plays without the guys up front," Barkley said. "Without them, we wouldn't be anywhere close to 200 yards."
The Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week is only the seventh Penn State true freshman to rush for 100 yards in a game. Silas Redd is the most recent Nittany Lion back to accomplish the feat (2010).
Nittany Lions Under the Lights & First Stripe Out
The Nittany Lions will play their first of two primetime games on Saturday against Rutgers. Kick is slated for 8 p.m. with television coverage on BTN. Also, Saturday will be the first Penn State Stripe Out in Beaver Stadium. Fans are now able to find out if they should don their blue or white as the colors for each section has been unveiled. Visit PennStateStripeOut.com to confirm whether they should wear blue or white for the game.
"We are super excited about the first Stripe Out here in Beaver Stadium," quarterback Christian Hackenberg said. "We expect the fans to be loud and proud, as usual. Thanks to everyone for all of the support every week."
This marks the 16th consecutive season that Penn State has played at least one regular season night game. The Lions have a 40-28 record in night games. Additionally, this marks the seventh time since 2000 that Penn State will play multiple night games in the same season. The Nittany Lions will play under the lights at Ohio State on Oct. 17.
Lions from New Jersey
The Nittany Lions and Scarlet Knights have several connections between the two rosters. Penn State has 18 players from New Jersey, several of which played high school football with or as opponents to numerous players on the Rutgers roster. With 18 players from New Jersey, it is the second most from a single state outside of Pennsylvania on the Penn State roster. There are 51 players on the roster from Pennsylvania.
Early Look at Rutgers
Rutgers dropped to 1-1 on the season following a dramatic loss to Washington State on Saturday. The Cougars scored a touchdown with 13 seconds to play en route to a 37-34 victory over the Scarlet Knights. In the setback, junior Janarion Grant tallied 337 all-purpose yards, including two touchdowns on special teams. Grant was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and a punt 55 yards for a score. Redshirt sophomore Chris Laviano made his first career start against Washington State. Laviano finished 23-of-29 for 204 yards and a touchdown. Running back Josh Hicks comes into the game as the top rusher (209 yards), while Grant is the top available receiver this week (6 rec. for 71 yards). Rutgers topped Norfolk State, 63-13, in week one.