Barkley, McSorley lead Penn State to 52-0 romp over Akron

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Saquon Barkley had the kind of day Saturday in sixth-ranked Penn State's season opener that showed why he's one of the most compelling players in college football.

Who else could send murmurs through the Beaver Stadium crowd of 101,864 for not touching the ball a single time on the Nittany Lions' opening drive of the season; for beating himself up for not finishing off a run that went for 80 yards; and for going back to receive the second-half kickoff with his team up by 35?

For three quarters of the Lions' 52-0 thrashing of Akron on a cool and damp day, Barkley was Barkley. He rushed for 172 yards on 14 carries and scored twice, caught three passes for 54 yards, including a 43-yard reception filled with sharp cuts and a leap over a would-be tackler, and returned a kickoff 20 yards.

It added up to 246 all-purpose yards, just another day's work for a Heisman Trophy candidate.

"Every single day I try to work my butt off and push myself and push the guys and try to be a great leader," Barkley said, "and I take advantage of every opportunity because you never know when it could be your last."

The Nittany Lions (1-0) achieved what coach James Franklin called the most complete win since he took over the program three years ago.

Led by Barkley and Trace McSorley, the Lions' other Heisman hopeful who completed 18 of 25 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns to Mike Gesicki and rushed for one score, the offense rolled up 569 yards. The defense limited the Zips (0-1) to 159 total yards and never allowed them inside the Penn State 45 until the next-to-last play of the game.

Special teams also contributed. DeAndre Thompkins returned a first-quarter punt 61 yards for the Lions' initial touchdown, Penn State's first punt-return TD since Derrick Williams's in 2008. Thompkins, a wide receiver, averaged nearly 32 yards on four punt returns.

"It was very rewarding to me that we've been investing in special teams and in a lot of different ways – time, resources," Franklin said. "To see our special teams, and to see DeAndre Thompkins specifically get a punt return for a touchdown, it is awesome."

With rain falling at the start of the game, anticipation coursed through the crowd as Barkley took the field with the offense for the first time. But he didn't touch the ball for any of the nine plays, and McSorley threw an interception in the end zone.

"I'm perfectly fine with it," Barkley said. "We were moving the ball well. The only thing I was upset about was that we got in the red zone and we didn't finish."

However, after Thompkins' punt return, the Penn State offense scored four touchdowns in five drives to get to halftime with a 35-0 lead. McSorley hit Gesicki with a 13-yard TD pass and ran in for 4 yards himself before Barkley hit the end zone with runs of 3 and 30 yards.

Barkley's most electrifying run came just before McSorley's TD run. From the Penn State 13, the 230-pound junior exploded through the middle of the line and into the clear. He angled toward the left sideline away from Akron's Alvin Davis and appeared to score, but officials ruled he stepped out of bounds at the 7.

"I've got to find a way to get to the end zone," Barkley said. "I should have trusted my speed a little more, kind of leaned away from (Davis) when I probably should have kept straight and used my speed and see if he was able to run with me. I'm not happy about it."

Barkley didn't mind having to return Akron's only kickoff of the day at the start of the second half, even if a Zips comeback from 35 points down was highly unlikely.

"I want to be back there," he said. "I want to be on special teams. I want to help whether it's running down on kickoffs or block on a punt return or be a kick returner. I don't see anything wrong with that."

Penn State added on in the second half with a career-long 47-yard field goal from Tyler Davis, McSorley's second TD pass to Gesicki and a 5-yard run by backup quarterback Tommy Stevens.

"It was a phenomenal team win," Gesicki said. "For the offense to come out and put up 52, for the defense to come out and get a shutout, it was unbelievable. It was great. It's what we've been waiting for. It was good to get out there, kind of get our feet wet, and get the season rolling."