PSU routs Georgia State
Before being injured, Barkley produced one of his most spectacular plays of the season, pulling in that pass from McSorley and dashing about 80 yards for a 13-0 lead.
The play officially covered 85 yards, making it the third-longest passing play in school history and Penn State’s longest since 1971, when Steve Joachim and Jim Scott teamed up on an 86-yard score.
It also made Barkley the first Penn State player to record a touchdown run of at least 80 yards and a receiving score of that distance.
He finished the game as the first Penn State running back to reach triple figures in receiving yards since Tony Hunt in 2004.
That touchdown pass to Barkley was McSorley’s second of the evening, giving him two or more in six consecutive games.
Penn State finished its non-conference schedule 3-0. It will play its Big Ten Conference opener at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Iowa.
The Nittany Lions scored 30 or more points for the 10th consecutive game, their longest such streak since doing it in 15 in a row in 1993-94.
The game attracted a crowd of 102,746.
While Barkley seemed to come through his injury scare OK, the outlook for defensive end Torrence Brown was less encouraging. He left the game with an apparent right-knee injury late in the opening quarter.
Penn State entered the game as a 38-point favorite, and wasted little time in whittling down that total.
The Nittany Lions took the opening kick and launched an eight-play, 63yard drive that culminated when McSorley hit his backup, Tommy Stevens, with a swing pass for a 10-yard touchdown.
That gave McSorley at least one passing touchdown in 18 consecutive games.
McSorley’s touchdown connection with Barkley gave Penn State 14 firstquarter points for the third consecutive game, and DaeSean Hamilton put the Nittany Lions up by three touchdowns when he pulled in a 27yard scoring pass from McSorley early in the second quarter.
Woodland Hills grad Miles Sanders filled in for Barkley while his injury was being examined, and scored Penn State’s fourth touchdown, bolting to the end zone from 29 yards at 6:05 of the second.
McSorley, who passed for a school-record 258 first-half yards, carried the ball in from 8 yards with about 3½ minutes to go before halftime to pad Penn State’s lead.
Barkley returned to the game shortly thereafter, and underscored his presence by ripping off a 33yard run. He had 13 yards on seven other carries in the first half.
McSorley and Brandon Polk connected on a 15yard scoring pass early in the second half, and Stevens recorded Penn State’s seventh touchdown when he hit Saeed Blacknall for a touchdown later in the third quarter.
Andre Robinson punctuated the victory with a 41yard scoring run midway through the fourth quarter.