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Saquon Barkley had a rough first half against Northwestern. While he finished the day with 75 rushing yards, all the talk was about his -1 total during the first 30 minutes of play and how the Heisman Trophy was beginning to slip from his grasp.
But then, as The Daily Collegian’s Paddy Cotter writes, Barkley had his Heisman Moment, breaking off a 53-yard touchdown dash, which, coupled with Baker Mayfield and Oklahoma’s loss to Iowa State, should keep Barkley in the forefront of the Heisman race.
In Barkley’s humble fashion, he wasn’t even concerned with a potential drop in his Heisman stock, the Centre Daily Times’ John McGonigal writes. Barkley will gladly keep the undefeated season alive, even if it means his personal numbers take a hit.
Barkley’s subpar day might be a blessing in disguise, Billy Bender of The Sporting News suggests. He notes how Penn State’s defense has been thriving this season, shutting down the opposition and forcing turnovers to give the offense better field position, while Trace McSorley is still doing Trace McSorley things.
Speaking of that defense, the defensive line has become one of the team’s greatest strengths with the emergence of Shaka Toney. Philly.com’s Joe Juliano detailed the impact Toney had against Northwestern, as well as the impact he’s had on the season as a whole.
With a bye week separating Penn State from the most challenging portion of its schedule, let’s look ahead to that three-headed monster of Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State.
The Wolverines and Spartans had another instant classic over the weekend, which the Spartans won 14-10, while the Buckeyes thrashed Maryland to the tune of 62-14. While the undefeated matchup with the Wolverines is no more, Jim Harbaugh’s squad will surely want to play spoiler when they come to town on October 21.
But if (when) the Nittany Lions top the Wolverines, it will set up a showdown of two undefeated teams the very next week in the Horseshoe, with the Big Ten East surely on the line and a spot in the College Football Playoffs potentially up for grabs.