Penn State Running Backs Light it up in Prime Time Victory
Under the lights and in-front of 103,000 fans at Penn State’s first ever Stripe Out, running backs Akeel Lynch (junior) and Saquon Barkley (true freshman) helped bury the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Nittany Lions handed the embattled Rutgers program a 28-3 loss, with Lynch and Barkley combining for 315 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
The true freshman Saquon Barkley had a breakout game in last weeks win against Buffalo, making a highlight reel hurdle over a Bulls defender. That performance led to his first Big 10 Freshman of the Week award.
A 15 yard and a 16 yard touchdown run helped give Barkley his second and third career touchdowns. Expect another Big 10 Freshman of the Week award after his 195 yard rushing performance Saturday night versus Rutgers.
Barkley currently sits sixth in the FBC for average yards per run with 9.1 ypa. He’s also fifth in the Big 10 in rushing yards and one of the leaders in YPA.
Junior Akeel Lynch also added to the Nittany Lions scoring, which included a blazing 75-yard touchdown run.
Lynch would finish with 120 rushing yards, the majority coming in the first half with that long touchdown run to close out the second quarter. Head Coach James Franklin called the combination of Lynch and Barkley a nice “one, two punch for us.”
Quarterback Christian Hackenberg was finally able to stay on his feet, as the offensive line held its own and didn’t allow one sack. He finished 10-19 with 141 passing yards. His 48-yard pass to DaeSean Hamilton highlighted a fairly productive night.
The Penn State defense continued to dominate, allowing only 43 rushing yards yards, and holding Rutgers to one (last-minute) field goal. They forced two fumbles, had five sacks and picked off two passes. All in all, another dominating performance for guys like Carl Nassib, Anthony Zettel, and Brandon Bell. “Our defense continues to play at a really high level” added coach Franklin as Penn State goes to a 2-1 record and undefeated in the Big 10.
Penn State will host San Diego State next week at Happy Valley, while Rutgers will travel to Kansas. Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood will continue to serve a three game suspension after team violations. Leading receiver Leontee Carroo is also serving an indefinite suspension after allegedly assaulting a female after a Rutgers loss.