UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — It began, as it so often does, with a brief burst of poetry from Saquon Barkley.
Second play of the game, biggest crowd in Penn State history (110,823) in a nationally televised night game against Michigan, and the Nittany Lions didn’t even bother to include quarterback Trace McSorley on the play, instead snapping the ball directly to Barkley, who cut back against the grain and outran the Wolverines defense for a 69-yard touchdown.
There is little doubt at this point that Barkley is the most consistently exciting running back in the country this season, if not in the recent history of the sport.