July 24, 2017
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; July 10, 2017 - Junior running back Saquon Barkey (Coplay, Pa.) and junior quarterback Trace McSorley (Ashburn, Va.) are among the 10 players named to the Big Ten preseason honors list, as selected by the conference's media members.
Barkley is a preseason first-team All-American for Sporting News, Lindy's, Street & Smith and Athlon Sports. Additionally, he was named the #5 player in FBS by SI.com and earned the #1 spot on Sports Illustrated's "Feldman's Freaks" list heading into the 2017 campaign. Barkley was stellar in 2016, claiming Graham-George Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Ameche-Dayne Big Ten Running Back of the Year and the Chicago Tribune Silver Football for the Big Ten's best player last season. Barkley was named to the All-Big Ten first team by the coaches and media, which made him a unanimous first team choice.
Barkley led the Big Ten and was fifth in the FBS in total touchdowns (22) and was tops in the conference and 21st nationally in all-purpose yards (140.86 ypg). The junior back was second in the conference and 24th nationally with 106.9 rushing yards per game. His 1,496 yards in 2016 broke the Penn State sophomore season record and rank fifth on the single-season charts. Barkley heads into his junior season 12th on Penn State's career rushing yardage list (2,572) and 10th in career rushing touchdowns (25). 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).
McSorley was also a second-team All-Big Ten choice by the conference's coaches and media, while also being named the Big Ten's Breakout Player of the Year by Athlon Sports and the Maxwell Football Club's Bryan Westbrook Tri-State Player of the Year. He earned the Grange-Griffin Most Valuable Player award as MVP of the Big Ten Championship game after throwing for a Big Ten Championship game-record 384 yards and four touchdowns.
McSorley turned in one of the top quarterback campaigns in program history, breaking the Penn State season record for passing yards (3,614), passing touchdowns (29) and total offense records (3,979). McSorley threw TD passes to 10 different receivers, marking the first time since 1971 a Penn State quarterback found 10-plus pass catchers for scores. He has thrown a touchdown in a school-record 15 consecutive games.
BIG TEN PRESEASON HONOREES
EAST DIVISION
Tegray Scales, Sr., LB, IND
J.T. Barrett, Sr., QB, OSU
Tyquan Lewis, Sr., DE, OSU
Saquon Barkley, Jr., RB, PSU
Trace McSorley, Sr., QB, PSU
WEST DIVISION
Josey Jewell, Sr., LB, IOWA
Goodwin Igwebuike, Sr., S, NU
Justin Jackson, Sr., RB, NU
Jack Cichy, Sr., LB, WIS
Troy Fumagalli, Sr., TE, WIS
The Nittany Lions' home schedule features a trio of non-conference games, including Pitt's first visit to Beaver Stadium since 1999. The Nittany Lions open the season against Akron (Sept. 2; noon) and face Pitt (Sept. 9; 3:30 p.m.) and Georgia State (Sept. 16) in a three-game homestand to start the year. In Big Ten play, Penn State welcomes Indiana (Sept. 30), Michigan (Oct. 21), Rutgers (Nov. 11; noon - Homecoming) and Nebraska (Nov. 18) to Happy Valley.
More than 8,900 new season tickets have been sold for the 2017 Penn State football season presented by PSECU. The public single-game ticket sale opens Tuesday, July 11. 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 9 a.m-4:30 p.m.