Dec. 2, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Sophomore running back Saquon Barkley (Coplay, Pa.) is among the four finalists for the Chicago Tribune Silver Football, which is given annually to the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player. The other finalists include Ohio State's J.T. Barrett, Ohio State's Curtis Samuel and Michigan's Jabrill Peppers.
The winner will be announced next week. The last Nittany Lion to win the award was Daryll Clark in 2009 when he shared with Michigan's Brandon Graham.
Earlier this week, Barkley was recognized as the Graham-George Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and the Ameche-Dayne Big Ten Running Back of the Year Wednesday. Barkley was named to the All-Big Ten first team by the coaches and media, which made him a unanimous first team choice.
Barkley leads the Big Ten and ranks 30th in FBS in all-purpose yards (130.25) and paces the Big Ten and ranks 13th in FBS in total touchdowns with 17. The sophomore back is third in the conference and 33rd nationally with 101.6 rushing yards per game. Barkley is closing in on the Penn State sophomore rushing yards record and is 12th on the single-season chart with 1,219 markers and ranks No. 9 on Penn State's single season all-purpose yards list with 1,563 yards, the highest total since Tony Hunt's 1,654 yards in 2006. He owns the sophomore scoring record with 102 points, passing Kevin Kelly's previous mark of 96 points (2006).
Just the eighth player in program history to have multiple 1,000-yard seasons, Barkley had a streak of 14 consecutive games with at least one rush of 20 yards snapped at Rutgers (11/19), a streak that was the second-longest in college football in the last 20 years (19 - LaMichael James, Oregon (2008-10). He has 36 rushes of 10 or more yards in 2016 and 70 in his career.
Barkley sits 14th on Penn State's career rushing yards list (2,295) and 15th in career rushing scores (22). Earlier this season, he became the first Penn State player since Larry Johnson in 2002 (289 yards vs. Michigan State and 327 yards at Indiana) to post back-to-back game with 200-plus all-purpose yards, gaining 211 vs. Iowa (11/5) and 277 at Purdue (10/29).
Penn State finished the regular season 10-2 overall and 8-1 in Big Ten play after the victory over the Spartans. The Big Ten Championship Game is slated for Saturday with an 8:17 p.m. kick on FOX. The game will also air on the Penn State Sports Network and GoPSUsports.com (6:30 p.m. airtime).
The Nittany Lions' bowl destination will be announced Sunday. Fans can visit GoPSUsports.com/bowlcentral to submit a request tickets for the bowl. The ability to request tickets does not guarantee a Nittany Lion Club member will receive tickets from Penn State's allotment.
Penn State season ticket renewals and Nittany Lion Club membership renewals also are underway for the 2017 campaign. The ticket invoice and Nittany Lion Club renewal deadline is Feb. 1, 2017. There will not be any increase in the price of Penn State football season tickets or Nittany Lion Club donation levels for next season. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2017 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 10 a.m-6 p.m.