Most often during games, Penn State coach James Franklin is too busy preparing for the next play to focus very long on the last one. But several times Saturday night, after yet another jaw-dropping Saquon Barkley run against Iowa, Penn State’s coach caught himself turning to the players nearest him on the sideline with an expression of, are you kidding me right now?
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“The reactions on their faces are kind of funny,” Franklin told the All-American on Sunday, a day after his star running back’s transcendent performance in the Nittany Lions’ last-second 21-19 road win. “I’m like — do you realize what you’re seeing?
“I want to say to them, I hope you appreciate what’s happening. You’re 18-and-a-half years old. Some people go a lifetime without seeing something like this.”
Barkley, who finished with 358 all-purpose yards, a touchdown and one gravity-defying hurdle, has been breaking defenders’ ankles for two-plus seasons. He broke a 79-yard touchdown run against USC in last year’s Rose Bowl.
But there was something about this performance — in primetime, in a tense game where every last yard mattered — that seemed to elevate his profile almost as high as that hurdle. If nothing else, he shot to the top of most early Heisman lists.
The 5-foot-11, 230-pound junior’s unique combination of strength, speed and shiftiness most commonly evokes comparisons to former Ohio State star Ezekiel Elliott, but Saturday night’s performance had veteran observers searching back even farther into their historical archives. There’s no right answer.
“I’ve been doing this for 23 years, at every level,” Franklin said Sunday. “I’ve never seen anyone like this.”
That’s not the first time we’ve heard something like that over the past few seasons. College football has enjoyed a run of supremely talented tailbacks the past several seasons — Stanford’s record-breaking Christian McCaffrey, LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Florida State’s Dalvin Cook in particular.
In fact, if you turned off the TV after Penn State’s game ended, you missed another spectacular performance by Stanford’s Bryce Love, who gashed UCLA for 263 yards on 30 carries.
Overshadowed by Heisman finalist McCaffrey his first two seasons, the speedster is putting up truly staggering numbers through four games — he is averaging 10.8 yards per carry. Saturday marked the sixth consecutive game he’s broken at least one 50-yard run, the only player in the past 20 years to do so, according to a Stanford spokesperson.
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“He’s so explosive and physical,” Cardinal coach David Shaw said afterward. “There are not many guys like him.”
One of the few players averaging even more yards per carry — 12.70 on 23 attempts — has played just three college games. Clemson true freshman Travis Etienne, who opened the season fourth on the Tigers’ depth chart and did not even see the field Week 2 against Auburn, is making it impossible for coach Dabo Swinney to keep him on the sideline.
Etienne turned nine carries against Boston College into 113 yards and two touchdowns. His 50-yard score early in the fourth quarter broke open what had been a close game. This a week after he helped ice Louisville with an 81-yard dash.
For Clemson fans, the Louisiana native’s explosiveness brings to mind former star C.J. Spiller a decade ago.
“When he gets the ball in his hands, it’s amazing,” Clemson’s starter, Tavien Feaster, told reporters Saturday. “He’s a very special talent.”
But Barkley is a finished product. He could turn pro next week and probably start — and excel — from Day 1. Which is why, as Franklin said, college fans should appreciate him while they still can.
Penn State in general has become one of the sport’s most fun attractions dating to last season thanks not only to Barkley but his accomplice, fearless quarterback Trace McSorley — particularly his role in the Nittany Lions’ umpteen dramatic finishes.
On Saturday, Iowa intentionally played a lot of soft coverages specifically to avoid McSorley’s and Barkley’s home-run touchdowns. Penn State would have to earn its yards, which it did — outgaining the Hawkeyes 579-273 — but still found itself trailing 19-15 prior to the final play of the game.
On a fourth and goal from the Iowa 7 with four seconds remaining, McSorley calmly jogged up to his linemen pre-snap and changed protections, took the snap, dropped five yards back, planted his back foot and fired a dart over leaping Hawkeyes safety Amani Hooker and into the hands of Penn State receiver Juwan Johnson.
WHAT AN ENDING 😲 pic.twitter.com/B4s46Fn1Oi
— The All-American (@TheAthleticCFB) September 24, 2017
It marked the sixth game since Oct. 1 last season that Penn State trailed in the fourth quarter — including last year’s Ohio State game and Big Ten championship. It’s won all but the Rose Bowl.
“The great thing about this team over the last year-and-a-half,” said Franklin, “is we always believe were going to win, based on the grittiness of our team and the experience we’ve had.”
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On that final play, Barkley, who touched the ball 43 times on the night (28 rushes, 12 catches and three kick returns), ducked his head and blocked Iowa’s All-American middle linebacker Josey Jewell.
It’s just not an expression — he does it all.
TCU wins its way into spotlight
On a sweltering 90-degree day in Stillwater (“It helped me with my girlish figure,” joked Gary Patterson), TCU went into Boone Pickens Stadium and poured a gallon of ice on previously torrid Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph.
The Horned Frogs knocked off their then sixth-ranked host 44-31, continuing a long tradition dating back to their days in Conference USA and the Mountain West of sneaking up on people the minute you overlook them. TCU is 6-5 in games against top-six opponents under its 17th-year coach, and the Horned Frogs were the underdog in the majority of them.
“It’s a lot easier on the head coach when no one gives you a chance,” Patterson told The All-American on Sunday. “We’ve been on both sides of it. With Andy Dalton (from 2007-10), we were always picked at the top of the lists. I like it this way.”
Unfortunately for Patterson, the 4-0 Frogs, now No. 9 in the AP poll, won’t likely be underdogs much the rest of the way.
(Rob Ferguson / USA TODAY Sports)
After a 23-3 run with Trevone Boykin and Josh Doctson in 2014-15, including a near-Playoff berth the first year, TCU slipped back into hiding after a disappointing 6-7 finish last season. Texas A&M transfer QB Kenny Hill struggled much of the year, finishing as the nation’s 68th-rated passer.
Hill, now a fifth-year senior, looks like a different quarterback this season. His completion percentage has jumped from 61.1 percent to 72.7 percent. Whereas TCU pressured Rudolph into three turnovers, Hill, plagued by 13 interceptions a year ago, threw just one while completing 22-of-33 throws for 288 yards.
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Patterson credits quarterback guru Sonny Cumbie, who took over as sole offensive coordinator this season, as well as receivers coach Rusty Burns (himself formerly a quarterbacks coach) and offensive consultant Sonny Dykes (the former Cal head coach) for their parts in Hill’s development.
“(Hill) came a long way in the spring, but really in (fall camp) you could tell he was so much better focused,” Patterson said. “The biggest thing is he’s worried only about winning.”
He’s also got more help. Sophomore Darius Anderson has emerged as a breakout running back, going for 106 yards on 15 carries in TCU’s Sept. 9 win at Arkansas and exploding Saturday for 160 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries. Freshman Jalen Reagor has bolstered the receiving corps.
But as with any good Patterson team, defense did its part Saturday. Rudolph connected with James Washington for an 86-yard touchdown early. Outside of that, the Cowboys quarterback averaged just 7.6 yards per attempt.
TCU is off this week before hosting West Virginia on Oct. 7. It’s early, but the Horned Frogs are clearly trending more 2014 than 2016. “You want to get back and play for a conference title,” said Patterson.
Florida’s sneaky strong track record
One day, perhaps a consortium of historians, sociologists and, well, exorcists, can put their minds together and figure out why it is that Kentucky cannot beat Florida in football.
Because really, this is truly getting ridiculous.
The Gators extended their hex over the Wildcats to 31 consecutive wins in a game the Wildcats really, truly looked like they had won. Kentucky led 27-14 midway through the fourth quarter and 27-21 with 49 seconds remaining. That’s when Mark Stoops’ team came out of a timeout with 12 players on the field; two ran off, leaving Kentucky one short and leaving Florida receiver Freddie Swain completely uncovered for what became the winning touchdown catch.
(Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
But enough about poor Kentucky. Let’s talk about Florida for a moment.
With the win, the Gators improved to 15-3 in SEC play under a third-year coach Jim McElwain. How impressive is that number? Urban Meyer, who went on to win two national titles in Gainesvile, lost three SEC games in his first season alone.
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So why, then, does it still feel like Florida is chronically underwhelming?
The Gators won this one despite their usual shortcomings at quarterback. Just a week after his triumphant bomb to beat Tennesse, Feliepe Franks did not make it the whole game against Kentucky. McElwain pulled him for former starter Luke Del Rio, who finished a ho-hum 9-of-14 for 74 yards.
An optimist, however, would note he became the second consecutive Gators quarterback to throw a late winning touchdown.
“I guess people in the concession stands are liking us, because they are selling stuff all the way until the end,” McElwain joked afterward.
It’s a good thing McElwain has such a sarcastic sense of humor. He probably needs it to stomach having to watch that offense every week for three years.
The Gators are in first place at 2-0 in the SEC East. But no one who’s watched either team would put Florida’s odds of winning the division ahead of Georgia’s. The Dawgs pummeled a promising Mississippi State team 31-3 on Saturday. Their true freshman quarterback, Jake Fromm, finished with a stat line — 9-of-12 for 201 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions — that at this point must seem humanly impossible for a Florida quarterback to achieve.
But McElwain is 2-0 against the Dawgs to this point, holds an .833 SEC winning percentage and has mastered the art of inexplicable victories. Bet against him at your own peril. We know Kentucky fans won’t be doing so anytime soon.
This week’s bowl forecast
Each week, I’ll update my predicted lineup for the New Year’s Six bowls based on the latest week’s games.
Cotton: Oklahoma (Big 12 champ) vs. USC (at-large)
Fiesta: TCU (at-large) vs. San Diego State (Group of 5)
Orange: Virginia Tech (ACC) vs. Wisconsin (Big Ten)
Peach: Georgia (at-large) vs. Ohio State (at-large)
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Rose (semifinal): Clemson (CFP No. 2) vs. Washington (CFP No. 3)
Sugar (semifinal): Alabama (CFP No. 1) vs. Penn State (CFP No. 4)
Some people jumped off the Penn State bandwagon for its close call at Iowa. I went the other direction. I’m more convinced the Nittany Lions can repeat as Big Ten champs, and with one of my predicted playoff teams, Oklahoma State, going belly up this week, what better time to elevate Penn State to the top four?
Besides, with TCU’s emergence, doesn’t it seem more likely than not the Big 12’s big three will find a way to knock each other — and their conference — out of the field? For now I’ve got Oklahoma as Big 12 champ, which would more than likely mean Cotton (though there’s no requirement), and either TCU or Oklahoma State as an at-large in the desert.
I flipped from Memphis to San Diego State as my Group of 5 team this week. It;s clear that San Diego State’s non-conference résumé (wins against Arizona State and Stanford) is going to trump any other contender’s, and the Aztecs just survived what may be their toughest conference game all season, winning at Air Force.
This week’s Coach of the Year
Virginia’s Bronco Mendenhall. Long-suffering Cavaliers fans got a taste of gridiron glory last Friday with a stunning 42-23 rout at Boise State, 3-1 Virginia’s first non-conference road victory since it last winning season in 2011. QB Kurt Benkert was spectacular.
This week’s coach on the hot seat
Missouri’s Barry Odom. The second-year coach gets a rare back-to-back nod here. Not only did the 1-3 Tigers allow 51 points to Auburn’s previously woeful offense, but Odom delivered a postgame “State of the Program” speech that amounted to a desperate plea to keep his job.
Watch: Barry Odom gave a passionate speech on the state of the program after Saturday night's loss to Auburn.
Full📺https://t.co/v3mRelbi6n pic.twitter.com/Rl7zTAWEF6
— Andrew Kauffman (@A_Kauff) September 24, 2017
On to next weekend
Three games we’re most excited for:
- No. 2 Clemson at No. 12 Virginia Tech (Saturday, 8 ET, ABC): It’s the third time in five weeks Clemson has played a primetime game against a Top 15 foe. Will we see more of explosive freshman Etienne for the Tigers?
- No. 5 USC at No. 16 Washington State (Friday, 10:30 ET, ESPN): A Top 5 USC team playing on the Palouse on a short week? What could go wrong? A Mike Leach team actually ranks in the Top 20 in total defense right now. Watch out, Sam Darnold.
- No. 7 Georgia at Tennessee (Saturday, 3:30 ET, CBS): Georgia has played like a national title contender so far. Tennessee, on the other hand, barely survived 0-5 UMass last week. Which means this game will go to triple overtime.
Four games you shouldn’t miss:
- No. 24 Mississippi State at No. 13 Auburn (Saturday, 6 ET, ESPN): The winner here becomes the favorite to finish second in the SEC West. Auburn has very quietly fielded the nation’s No. 4 defense (3.63 yards per play allowed).
- No. 14 Miami at Duke (Friday 7 ET, ESPN): Here’s another one with upset potential. QB Daniel Jones and the Blue Devils are 4-0, with every win so far by double digits. Will they make Miami atone for their controversial lateral-fest win there two years ago?
- No. 15 Oklahoma State at Texas Tech (Saturday, 8 ET, FOX): Don’t look now but the Red Raiders are 3-0, with wins agaisnt Arizona State and Houston, and they appear to have a functional defense for the first time in years. Oklahoma State will have to bounce back in a hurry.
- Cal at Oregon (Saturday, 10 ET, FS1): Do I really have to explain it? This will be peak #Pac12AfterDark.
One under-the-radar gem:
- Memphis at UCF (Saturday, 7 ET, ESPN2): This one’s huge for the AAC division races. UCF went from 0-12 in 2015 to 6-7 in Scott Frost’s first season to 2-0 and averaging 507.5 yards of offense so far this year.
(Top photo: Matthew Holst / Getty Images)