Barkley's improved pass-catching yet another weapon for offense

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- All of the Heisman hype and what will likely be a season-long debate about whether or not Saquon Barkley is the best player in college football doesn't matter much to No. 26.

Sure, he's under the microscope in Happy Valley and throughout the nation as pundits try and figure out whether or not he's better than Ezekiel Elliott was at this stage and just how good Barkley can become. Through three games in which he's returned kicks, rushed for 307 yards, hauled in 11 catches for 241 yards and scored five touchdowns, Barkley's piling up the impressive stats and jaw-dropping plays like he's done in the two season's prior.

"I wouldn’t say it’s pressure at all," Barkley said Wednesday afternoon of the hype. "The reason I say it’s not pressure is I don’t care for it. I don’t care for the attention or the Heisman hype or whenever the hype comes around. The only thing I care for is to come out and go to practice and try to be a leader and grow as a player. That’s the moral of the story. If you’re not winning games they’re not going to talk about you anyway."



While James Franklin still wants to see more from the Lions' ground game -- including reestablishing that mean streak that Brendan Mahon brings to the table -- Barkley's pass-catching skills this season have allowed him to showcase another part of his game. It was no secret he'd be called on to help put a dent in the number of receptions wide receiver Chris Godwin had last season. After Barkley hit an extra gear in his 85-yard touchdown reception against Georgia State, he's turned Franklin's offseason pass-catching challenge into another valuable skill in his seemingly endless repertoire.

"The value of a running back that can catch a lot of passes in a game is huge," Barkley said. "It’s a different aspect of the game to not only be able to run the ball, but also to be a wide receiver to run routes and know that you can catch balls out of the backfield. We really have so many threats on our team, and if I can continue to come out and impact that part of the game it’s huge for us.”

The more versatile Barkley is, the more it also helps Penn State's other weapons. While defenders zero in on him it allows tight end Mike Gesikci, quarterback Trace McSorley and the rest of the Lions' playmakers to get their opportunity to exploit matchups. Attracting extra coverage works both ways as Barkley's big-time teammates present their own mismatches that then can free him up to slip out of the backfield and be one-on-one.

"It makes it a lot tougher on a defense to cover all five guys who are home-run hitters from the receiving game," McSorley said Wednesday afternoon. "To be able to have him develop as he has in the receiving game has been huge for our offense. It allows us to have a little more flexibility to be able to get him out in certain situations and insert him into the pass concepts a little bit more."

Barkley said he worked on his pass-catching skills as a high schooler when he'd travel with teammates on the 7v7 circuit, with his high school coach bringing him along so he could focus on improving his route running. Franklin challenged him after his freshman season to improve in that area and reiterated the message after last year, a season where Barkley caught 28 balls for 402 yards and four touchdowns.

So off to the JUGs machine Barkley went after practice, working with fellow running back Andre Robinson. He'd get together with senior wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton too, picking his brain about routes while safety Marcus Allen was there to try and defend him.

With Big Ten play opening Saturday night when the No. 4 Lions play Iowa under the lights at Kinnick Stadium, Barkley looks to continue showcasing his pass-catching skills. He'll have a stiff challenge going against an Iowa defense that's highlighted by inside linebacker Josey Jewell. As one of the conference's best defensive players, last year's Butkus award finalist will likely end up in a back and forth showdown with Barkley at various points.

Whether or not Barkley's now almost signature wheel route is part of that test will be determined under the lights.

"He’s probably one of the best players," Barkley said of Jewell. "I remember playing him last year and he does it all. He’s going to be blitzing, if it’s the run game, pass coverage, you can tell he’s the heart and soul of that defense. He’s a leader there. He’s a guy that’s going to come out and it makes you want to step up to the challenge because you know he’s a great linebacker."

QUICK HITS

• Linebacker Manny Bowen was on a conference call Wednesday morning and said the Lions are swarming to the ball, but the need to improve their tackling still remains. There's no secret Iowa will come out and try and pound the ball. Bowen said the Lions recognize that and have to be more physical.

• What does Bowen see in Iowa running back Akrum Wadley?

"He’s a quick guy," Bowen said. "He has speed, he’s big, he has nice vision. They’re going to be looking for him to find that hole and make that one cut and go. So we have to limit him to what we give him and we have to suck the air out of all those plays and not give him the space that he’s looking for to make those explosive plays.”

• The music was blasting when I walked past the Lions' practice on Tuesday en route to go cover hockey at nearby Pegula Ice Arena. It'll be loud all week as the Lions get prepared for their first road test of the season. With center Connor McGovern, a first-year starter at that particular position, it'll put an extra emphasis on handling crowd noise.

"When you're going into an environment like this, you want to keep everything the same," McSorley said. "Obviously you have to be a little bit more cautious about the communication aspect because it's louder and making sure everyone's on the same pages, but really it's just trying to keep everything the same and not doing anything different."

• With night games in back-to-back weeks the Lions will be used to having extra time on their hands Saturday morning and afternoon at the team hotel in Iowa. What does that game day routine consist of for the quarterback?

"For me, it's more confirming the looks that we've seen all week and going through watching a game and then doing, like, a mental thought process of the offensive game plan and what we want to do," he said. "Then you go into each look after watching it and trying to mentally picture whatever's playing on the film versus a play call, trying to take care of it each and every play and getting into that mindset of how things are going to work out."

• Franklin and offensive tackle Andrew Nelson will meet with the media following practice Wednesday night. As usual, I'll have a story off the availability and intern Waiss David Aramesh will have photos and video from practice.