Barkley, Penn State #26, leaps over an Illinois Defender putting his athleticism on display
Note: The slightly longer version is posted on the Blackshoe Diaries page.
It's official. It's time to start the Saquon Barkley watch, with the focus being a potential first in college football history. After a great finish in the Penn State/Iowa game that ended with a game winning touchdown by Penn State as time expired, Barkley officially solidified himself as both the Heisman frontrunner and the best overall prospect in next year's NFL draft.
After a dominating performance in which saw #26 put up 211 yards rushing on 28 carries (7.5 avg) and 94 yards receiving on 12 receptions, Barkley's new season totals after week 4 put him in position for a shot at being the first in NCAAF history to both rush and run for 1,000 yards in a season.
The Projected Numbers
After 4 games, two of which Barkley didn't play in the second half for the undefeated Nittany Lions:
Rushing: 66 carries, 518 yards, 4 TD, 129.5 yards/game
Receiving: 23 receptions, 335 yards, 2 TD, 83.8 yards/game
At this per game pace, Barkley would be looking at 1,172 receiving yards and 1,813 rushing yards over the course of a 14 game schedule (1,256 receiving/1,942 rushing yards if going the full 15 games). With his role in the kick return game, he'd also be looking at breaking the NCAAF record for all purpose yards in a season.
Per Game Numbers Needed to be the First (based of 14 games):
Receiving yards per game: 66.5
Rushing yards per game: 48.2
Can it be done?
Clearly, the more difficult aspect of this achievement would be amassing the necessary 1,000 yards receiving. After week 4, Barkley's lowest reception game total is 3 (against Akron) and lowest receiving yards being 45 (against Pitt). In the last two weeks, he's amassed 16 catches for 236 yards receiving, according to Barkley's ESPN player profile.
Anybody who's watched Barkley play, especially after tonight, knows that if there's going to be a player to do it, it'd be him. Absolutely dominating, and genuinely reminds me of Pro and College Hall of Fame running back Ladainian Tomlinson. This is something definitely worth watching, especially as I don't see a defense or a player that can match up and shut down Barkley -- outside of Alabama.