Oct. 3, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Regrouping after a slow first half, Penn State Football demonstrated that it's not over until it's over, as sophomore Saquon Barkley punctuated a Nittany Lion comeback with the game-winning touchdown in overtime Saturday in Beaver Stadium.
A quick glance at the stat sheet doesn't do Barkley's performance justice though, as he rushed for 63 yards on 20 carries with one touchdown.
"Saquon may have not put up the best numbers throughout regulation, but he just did so much for our offense, with how they were keying in on him so hard," quarterback Trace McSorley said. "They were sending two or three guys to him."
Taking in the words of his quarterback, Barkley kept plugging along, waiting for just the right opportunity. That opportunity did not come until his 20th and final carry of the day, when he shot through an opening in the Minnesota defense and cut sharply to the right before taking it all the way to end the game on the first Nittany Lion play of overtime.
"It's something that I've visualized as a recruit, scoring that touchdown and winning the game for the team," Barkley said. "I was blessed enough to get in the end zone and it was one of the best feelings I've had in my life."
Barkley enters the week ranked first in the Big Ten standings in rushing touchdowns and seventh in the FBS with seven on the year. His 380 rushing yards also ranks sixth in the conference standings.
Check out a few more moments like Barkley's from the overtime victory against Minnesota.
22 Tackles for Allen
For the second time this season, head coach James Franklin mentioned he'd witnessed something he had likely never seen before. This time it was on the positive side of things as safety Marcus Allen led the team with a career-high 22 tackles, combining for eight solo and 14 assisted. Earning Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week and Rose Bowl Game Big Ten Player of the Week, he's currently ranked 20th in the FBS with 10.0 tackles per game, while also leading the Big Ten in the category. Allen made at least one tackle on all but one Golden Gopher drive, registering 12 in the second half and 10 in the opening half.
Another Smith Steps Up
Senior Jordan Smith sliding in at corner for the Nittany Lions came at no better time than against the Golden Gophers, as he stopped Minnesota in the red zone for the first time all season with a crucial interception on third-and-9 in the fourth quarter.
"I have to give thanks to the defensive line because they did a heck of a job with rushing the quarterback to force an interception, which was exactly what we needed," Smith said. "I was trying to focus on doing my job and being in the right place at the right time."
Prior to Saturday, Smith had seen limited action in three games in 2016, registering one tackle and a half a tackle for loss in the opener against Kent State. Smith said after that game that the only time he recalls seeing so many snaps was back in his freshman season on special teams.
Triple Duty for Bowen
With injuries taking their toll on the linebacker unit, Manny Bowen stepped up to play all three linebacker positions for the Nittany Lions against Minnesota. Bowen started for the Nittany Lions at the Sam linebacker position before rotating to Will linebacker. Late in the game, he moved into the Mike linebacker slot, without having made a single call from the middle in practice all week. Without experience at the position, Bowen noted that he made it clear all week in practice that if he was needed at Mike linebacker, he was going to make it happen.
"Even though it was something I wasn't used to, it was just playing off of instincts, playing fast and being right in the center of everything," Bowen said.
Schwan's First Career Sack
Evan Schwan said postgame against Minnesota that the defensive line is aware of the added pressure along the line with the linebacker injuries, but to him, that's just more motivation to step up. Schwan registered his first career sack against the Golden Gophers, bringing Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner back for a loss of four yards on second-and-9 in the overtime period.
"I kept rushing as hard as I could," Schwan said. "One of my high school coaches always told me, 'big players make big plays in big games,' so I just tried to embody that as best as I could."
The Gesicki Catch
The last time Penn State came back from as big of a deficit at home as they did on Saturday was in 2013, when the Nittany Lions rallied from a 10-point margin (34-24) against Michigan. Mike Gesicki was on his official visit to Penn State during the quadruple overtime outing.
"This was one of the reasons why I chose to come to Penn State," Gesicki said. "After seeing that experience firsthand a few years ago and now living it, it was amazing."
Gesicki led the team with five catches for 70 yards, including a 53-yard grab in the third quarter to put the Nittany Lions in prime scoring position, which resulted in McSorley's 6-yard run for the go-ahead touchdown.
A Quick Look at Maryland
The Nittany Lions and the Terrapins are set to meet as members of the Big Ten Conference for the third consecutive season Saturday in Beaver Stadium. Each of the last two outings have been decided by one point with Penn State claiming a 31-30 win against Maryland at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore last year. The Terrapins return quarterback Perry Hills who went 19-for-28 for 225 yards against the Nittany Lions last year.
.