Saquon Barkley had eight carries for minus-1 yard on the road at halftime against Northwestern on Saturday. No. 4 Penn State had 14 carries for minus-3 yards as a team at that point.
That commenced full-go freakouts about everything ranging from Barkley's Heisman campaign to Penn State's perceived offensive woes, mixed with a few concerns about their Big Ten championship hopes in between.
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Of course, the Nittany Lions were up by 10 points at that time. Penn State made the necessary adjustments in a 31-7 victory that revealed a few points that won't get talked about as much.
This team is more than just Barkley. Penn State's defense forced three first-half turnovers. Trace McSorley completed 14 straight passes at one point and enjoyed another efficient performance in the passing game. And, of course, Barkley finally popped off a 53-yard touchdown run with 2:13 remaining in the third quarter to give Penn State a 24-0 lead. The team finished with 38 carries for 95 yards — an average of 2.5 yards per carry.
Barkley finished with 16 carries for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Penn State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) reached the midpoint undefeated and has a bye week to prepare for No. 7 Michigan and a "Whiteout" at Beaver Stadium on Oct. 21. Tests against No. 10 Ohio State and Michigan State follow. Those teams are sure to follow a model, which appears to involve defensive ends crashing on Barkley.
It's sell out on Barkley — something coach James Franklin has talked at length about all season — and daring McSorley to beat them. Indiana limited Penn State to 37 carries for 39 yards on Sept. 30. The Wildcats followed the model.
The Nittany Lions must be better across the offensive line, too, and that's something to iron out during a bye week with offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead. It's a big concern heading into Michigan, but Barkley showed he can pop off the big run at any time. The bye week is a great time for adjustments. When Penn State's offense is clicking on all cylinders, it's among the best in the FBS. We know all this.
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McSorley can beat you, too.
McSorley continues to click in a creative passing game that spread the ball out to nine different receivers, including backup quarterback Tommy Stevens, who caught a 10-yard touchdown in the second quarter. McSorley led a touchdown drive to start the second half by hitting 8 of 8 passes to four different targets for 69 yards, and that put Penn State ahead 17-0. Good quarterbacks spread the wealth, and McSorley continues to do that within the offense.
That was more than enough for a tone-setting defense that, at this point, is not getting near enough attention. Penn State has outscored opponents 76-0 in the first quarter. Shaka Toney is emerging as a force off the edge, and he helped force one of three turnovers in the first half. Brent Pry has this unit clicking, and they've allowed 9.0 points per game. That's the best in the Big Ten; better than Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State. That unit will have a chance to prove just as much in the second half of the season.
Penn State is right on schedule in 2017, one of the legitimate playoff contenders with a 6-0 record. If the running game bounces back — and we think it will — then they will take those necessary steps to get back to the Big Ten championship and perhaps beyond. The focus will be on Barkley.
But the Nittany Lions need everything else to be just as good.
