I stated last year, I thought Penn State's Barkley will become one of the Top Freshmen Running Backs and one of the Best Running Backs in the Nation, and this year! What was Rutgers loss is Penn State gain! It is my belief Penn State running Game will improve vastly between the next few games and into the season, due to Barkley.
Sanders should reconsider his Commitment if he wants to be a Top Running Backs and play right away at Pitt next year, in my opinion.
LINK:
For tempo, ball control and quarterback protection purposes — and simply because it's a good thing to have — Penn State requires a strong running game.
A large portion of it might have surfaced Saturday against Buffalo in the form of freshman Saquon Barkley.
Might have? Buffalo did not pose the sternest test. The Bulls of the Mid-American Conference have a young defense and still are adjusting to a new coach. But speed, power and a unique leaping ability — the world is enjoying video of Barkley's hurdle of a would-be tackler — show themselves regardless of the opponent.
Barkley “being able to make people miss tackles is helpful to us,” Penn State coach James Franklin understated after Barkley carried 12 times for 115 yards and a touchdown, all after halftime, to highlight the 27-14 win.
“He doesn't run like a freshman. He's making people miss but he's also breaking tackles. You usually don't get that mix with a freshman.”
Listed at 5-foot-11, 222 pounds, Barkley poses a different problem from Akeel Lynch, the veteran starter (for now) at running back, who runs hard but lacks breakway speed. Lynch pounded out just 46 yards in 19 carries against the Bulls.
As one of the team leaders, Lynch gave no indication of being threatened by the new kid on the block. “If someone is (running) like that you have to give him the ball,” Lynch said. “Saquon took over the game.”Barkley, who graduated from high school in the spring, clearly has much to learn. Franklin is making sure not to go overboard with the accolades. At least not yet.
“He's showed some flashes, allowed his role to continue as he gets more comfortable and confident,” Franklin said. “He needs to improve in pass protection in terms of responsibilities. ... He just has to keep working.”
Franklin also made sure to boost Lynch, who scored Penn State's only touchdown, a 42-yard run, in loss to Temple. “I feel Akeel has a chance to be a special back,” Franklin said.
Now, about Barkley's leap. It wasn't the first. Franklin said Barkley did it all the time in high school. But when he arrived on campus, “he said, I'm not going to do it anymore,” Franklin said. “I said, ‘That doesn't make sense because it's illegal to hurdle people, and it's legal in college.' I'm glad that he brought that back out of his bag of tricks.”
Meanwhile, another freshman has a few tricks of own to assist the running game. But Brandon Polk is a receiver. His specialty is the end-around, or jet sweep. Polk has done it five times in the two games for 95 yards. Not only does the yardage help, opposing defenses are so aware of it now that faking the play can lead to other good things.
Looking for help: The kicking game remains a concern. New kicker Joey Julius missed a 49-yard field-goal attempt, and punter Daniel Pasquariello failed to bury the Bulls deep in their territory, after which they put together their first scoring drive.
“We need to clean up our punting and be much more consistent,” Franklin said. “I think that will be helpful, especially with the type of football we are trying to play.”
Bob Cohn is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at bcohn@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BCohn_Trib.
Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/college/pennstate/9082263-74/barkley-franklin-freshman#ixzz3lgieIgGW
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook
Sanders should reconsider his Commitment if he wants to be a Top Running Backs and play right away at Pitt next year, in my opinion.
LINK:
For tempo, ball control and quarterback protection purposes — and simply because it's a good thing to have — Penn State requires a strong running game.
A large portion of it might have surfaced Saturday against Buffalo in the form of freshman Saquon Barkley.
Might have? Buffalo did not pose the sternest test. The Bulls of the Mid-American Conference have a young defense and still are adjusting to a new coach. But speed, power and a unique leaping ability — the world is enjoying video of Barkley's hurdle of a would-be tackler — show themselves regardless of the opponent.
Barkley “being able to make people miss tackles is helpful to us,” Penn State coach James Franklin understated after Barkley carried 12 times for 115 yards and a touchdown, all after halftime, to highlight the 27-14 win.
“He doesn't run like a freshman. He's making people miss but he's also breaking tackles. You usually don't get that mix with a freshman.”
Listed at 5-foot-11, 222 pounds, Barkley poses a different problem from Akeel Lynch, the veteran starter (for now) at running back, who runs hard but lacks breakway speed. Lynch pounded out just 46 yards in 19 carries against the Bulls.
As one of the team leaders, Lynch gave no indication of being threatened by the new kid on the block. “If someone is (running) like that you have to give him the ball,” Lynch said. “Saquon took over the game.”Barkley, who graduated from high school in the spring, clearly has much to learn. Franklin is making sure not to go overboard with the accolades. At least not yet.
“He's showed some flashes, allowed his role to continue as he gets more comfortable and confident,” Franklin said. “He needs to improve in pass protection in terms of responsibilities. ... He just has to keep working.”
Franklin also made sure to boost Lynch, who scored Penn State's only touchdown, a 42-yard run, in loss to Temple. “I feel Akeel has a chance to be a special back,” Franklin said.
Now, about Barkley's leap. It wasn't the first. Franklin said Barkley did it all the time in high school. But when he arrived on campus, “he said, I'm not going to do it anymore,” Franklin said. “I said, ‘That doesn't make sense because it's illegal to hurdle people, and it's legal in college.' I'm glad that he brought that back out of his bag of tricks.”
Meanwhile, another freshman has a few tricks of own to assist the running game. But Brandon Polk is a receiver. His specialty is the end-around, or jet sweep. Polk has done it five times in the two games for 95 yards. Not only does the yardage help, opposing defenses are so aware of it now that faking the play can lead to other good things.
Looking for help: The kicking game remains a concern. New kicker Joey Julius missed a 49-yard field-goal attempt, and punter Daniel Pasquariello failed to bury the Bulls deep in their territory, after which they put together their first scoring drive.
“We need to clean up our punting and be much more consistent,” Franklin said. “I think that will be helpful, especially with the type of football we are trying to play.”
Bob Cohn is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at bcohn@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BCohn_Trib.
Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/college/pennstate/9082263-74/barkley-franklin-freshman#ixzz3lgieIgGW
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook
