Youth shines bright against Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Set to face the nation’s No. 121-ranked rushing defense Saturday afternoon at Ross-Ade Stadium, Penn State running back Saquon Barkley and his cohorts were committed to an idea.

Referencing the 2002 movie Paid in Full, the motto was simple:

“Everybody eats, B. Everybody eats.”

Even before Barkley finished his afternoon with a career-high 207 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries against the Boilermakers, the opportunity was ripe for the Nittany Lions’ running backs to do exactly that. In a performance that would see the Nittany Lions produce touchdowns for Barkley, Miles Sanders, Andre Robinson and Mark Allen, everyone ate.

“We really wanted to focus on that,” Barkley told reporters after the game. “I’m so proud of those guys. Those guys sticking with it, sticking through it. We had a great week of preparation and the opportunity came and they took full advantage of the opportunity.

“Every single one of those guys got in the end zone. Andre got in there twice. Mark got in once, Miles got in once. That's something that we really stressed this whole week. We felt like we were able to do that this week.”

In total, Penn State’s running backs racked up 224 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, plus another 91 yards of receiving.

The performances of the Lions’ complementary backs weren’t the only ones Penn State head coach James Franklin cherished following the game, however. In a contest that was locked at 17-17 heading into the half, a 24-7 third quarter explosion - extended by Barkley’s brilliant 81-yard touchdown carry to open the fourth - allowed for depth-building.

In his most extensive action of his career, backup quarterback Tommy Stevens entered the game at the 9:16 mark in the fourth quarter, guiding the Nittany Lions to consecutive touchdown drives. Through the air, the Indiana native finished completing 1 of 2 passes for 26 yards while contributing 31 yards on five carries on the ground.

Understanding the importance of valuable in-game experience, starting quarterback Trace McSorley acknowledged what it can mean not only for Stevens himself, but also for the team as a whole.

“I think it’s huge. Being in his position the last couple of years, I think it’s big for us as far as building confidence in himself so if there ever is an opportunity where he needs to come in, he’s hitting on all cylinders just like he was today,” said McSorley. “And it also shows the kind of depth we have all over the field. For our second offense to go in and get a couple touchdowns and be able to put some points on the board, I think it’s huge. It gives you confidence all through our offense.”

And Franklin himself, invigorated by what amounted to a 62-24 thrashing of the host Boilermakers, added the same.

Though the top of Penn State’s defensive stat sheet was loaded by contributions from the usual suspects, valuable playing time was also given to younger, less-experienced players like Christian Campbell, Amani Oruwariye, Ayron Monroe, Colin Castagna, Shareef Miller and others.

In a point he’s repeatedly made through his first two seasons at Penn State, Franklin contrasted the afternoon to the ones that defined the 2014 and 2015 campaigns.

“We haven’t really had the opportunity to do that a whole lot since we’ve been here. To have that type of game where you’re able to get some of those guys experience, especially when we were at 65 scholarships or 75 scholarships, it’s a lot of wear and tear on those guys,” said Franklin. “To have a game like this where you’re able to get some guys in – it’s hard. Because you see the clock has 14 minutes in left in the game. You’re sitting there saying a lot of things can happen in 14 minutes, so when is the right time to put these guys in? It’s always after the fact you never put them in fast enough or you get in situations where you put them in too early.

“So it was great to get guys like Tommy, all the running backs, the receivers, I think Monk got in there and got some work. a bunch of linebackers, (Jake) Cooper at middle linebacker. Even Ayron Monroe and Jarvis (Miller) got work at safety so that’s really valuable.”