UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Junior running back Saquon Barkley (Coplay, Pa.) collected Rose Bowl Player of the Week honors a day after claiming co-Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the shutout win over Akron Saturday.
Barkley had 246 all-purpose yards on 18 touches against the Zips. The junior rushed for 172 yards on 14 carries (12.3 ypc) with two touchdowns and added three receptions for 54 yards (18.0 ypr). He also returned on kick 20 yards. Among Barkley’s highlight reel efforts on Saturday was an 80-yard rush in the second quarter, which was the second-longest of his career and tied for the 10th-best rush in program history. Barkley and Ki-Jana Carter are the only players in program history to have multiple 80-yard rushes in their career. Barkley has two career rushes of 80 or more yards, while Carter had three.