The Nitt’ pick
Barkley’s excellence may lead Penn State all the way to title
Saquon Barkley might not just be the best college football player in the country. He might also be the best hope to release the Alabama-Clemson vice grip at the top of the sport.
Barkley dazzled again Saturday, adding a trio of highlights for his montage during the Heisman Trophy presentation show in New York at the end of the year. Penn State did not play a clean game, but Barkley and opportunistic play without the ball helped the Nittany Lions cruise past Indiana.
He returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. He produced one of his “don’t try this at home” moments with a one-handed catch and physics-defying juke that lit up the internet, just as his hurdle and midair broken tackle had against Iowa the week before.
Barkley’s all-around skill set doesn’t conjure comparisons to any one particular running back, but rather a compilation of some of the greatest at the position. He’ll flash the legs and sheer power of Earl Campbell on one play, the hips and explosion of Reggie Bush on another.
Near the end of the game Saturday, he channeled Darren McFadden and Boobie Miles with his first career touchdown toss. The chance to quote Uncle L.V. from “Friday Night Lights” was perfect. “And he can pass.” Barkley might be the best receiver out of the backfield in the country. He also might be one of the best pass protectors on the Penn State roster.
That second part could be a problem. Penn State, like every other team outside the top two, has definable flaws. The offensive line does not look College Football Playoff worthy, and kicker Tyler Davis, previously automatic, might have the yips.
No team in the country can match Alabama’s talent, and Clemson’s collection of monsters on the defensive line has already been too much for two top-15 teams to handle.
Ohio State, Southern California and Florida State began the season with rosters that could be talented enough to hang with the Crimson Tide, but all three have already lost and shown warts that would make them tough to back in the playoff.
Barkley, with a little Trace McSorley and Joe Moorhead’s creative play-calling mixed in, might be enough. A stingy defense for the Nittany Lions could also help.
Maybe a singular talent such as Barkley, or Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, will be enough to prevent Alabama-Clemson III.
Nothing to ’see here
Butch Jones ranted at the local media this past week about creating drama and fake news. He may not need to worry about them much longer. Georgia embarrassed Tennessee in Knoxville with a 41-0 drubbing, and the Volunteers are out of the SEC East race.
The perception of what Tennessee should be, and what the Vols have been now that Jones has had time to shape the program the way he wants, look drastically different. Goofy sound bites and trash cans aside, Jones is now 3-15 against Georgia, Florida and the SEC West. The offense is a mess, and Jones might need to beat every team left on the schedule save for Alabama to save his job producing champions of life in 2018. Another embarrassing loss to the Crimson Tide won’t help, either.
Jones is one of several SEC coaches who could be looking for work soon, and Nick Saban could put a few of his closest competitors out of business this month. Alabama’s next four games are Texas A&M, Arkansas, Tennessee and LSU. Not one of those fan bases is happy with its coach right now.
What’s not to Love
While Barkley continues to be a GIF machine and replicates Christian McCaffrey’s all-around brilliance, the guy who replaced McCaffrey in Stanford’s backfield would be the running-back story of September most seasons. Bryce Love set a program record with 301 rushing yards Saturday in a win against Arizona State.
Love has at least 160 rushing yards in every game this season, and has already surpassed 1,000. He’s got a run of 50-plus yards in seven straight games, dating back to last season. But like every other non-USC player on the West Coast, exposure is a problem. Even when Love had a rare afternoon game Saturday, his brilliance was overshadowed by Barkley’s hijinks in the same TV window, and his Heisman campaign is swimming upstream because of two Cardinal losses.