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Sports Illustrated lists Saquon Barkley as top Heisman candidate after Week 1
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Despite all the preseason hype, awards and accolades, Penn State running back Saquon Barkley still found a way to impress the nation in the first weekend of the season.
The running back had a monstrous performance on Saturday against Akron, rushing for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just 14 carries. He was also a threat as a receiver, tallying 54 yards on three catches. He looked bigger, stronger and faster than he ever had before.
Because of Barkley’s huge outing, Sports Illustrated’s Bruce Feldman tabbed the Penn State ball-carrier as the top Heisman candidate at the end of Week 1.
Here’s what Feldman had to say about Barkley:
The junior was his usually spectacular self, torching Akron for 172 yards on just 14 carries with two going for touchdowns. He also had 54 receiving yards on three catches in a 52-0 romp. He’ll face a Pitt team that held him under 100 rushing yards and beat the Nittany Lions last season.
Pitt did knock off Penn State 42-39 last season, but the Nittany Lions are already huge favorites to win the game this season.
We’ll see if Barkley gets a little revenge this Saturday and has another big performance in Week 2.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB