Saquon Barkley Bounces Back in Win vs. Northwestern After Rough 1st Half

Penn State running back Saquon Barkley broke off a 53-yard touchdown run to salvage an otherwise tough day in the Nittany Lions' 31-7 victory over Northwestern at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois.

The Heisman Trophy favorite spent most of Saturday's contest getting bottled up behind the line of scrimmage by a stingy Wildcats defense. He finished the game with 16 carries for 75 yards and two touchdowns along with two catches for nine yards.

Nevertheless, fourth-ranked Penn State moved to 6-0 with the win thanks in part to a strong showing from quarterback Trace McSorley, who completed 25 of his 34 throws for 245 yards and a score.

Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald gave high praise to the Penn State superstar ahead of the Big Ten clash, calling him "maybe the best player I've ever seen on tape."

"I've played against some pretty good backs, I've coached against some pretty good backs, but he's just absolutely spectacular," he told reporters. "He's great in the run game, he's great in protection, he's great catching the ball out of the backfield, he's a great return man. He does it all. He's an outstanding football player."

Fitzgerald's respect for Barkley's game-breaking ability was on full display within the Northwestern defensive game plan. It virtually eliminated the effectiveness of the run-pass option by devoting multiple defenders to the running back, putting additional pressure on McSorley.

Barkley finished the first half with negative-one yards rushing on eight carries and one catch for eight yards.

John McGonigal of the Centre Daily Times noted the Penn State offensive line wasn't helping his cause:

Barkley scored on a one-yard plunge early in the third quarter to help a stat line that otherwise showed zero rushing yards at the time.

Kevin McGuire of NBC Sports pointed out other Big Ten teams were likely taking notes:

Jeff Feyerer‏ of Inside The Pylon argued the struggles spoke to a larger Heisman point:

Those things said, there's been one constant throughout the season: Barkley always finds a way to make one blockbuster play. Last week, it was a 98-yard kickoff return touchdown against Indiana.

This week, he finally found a lane against the Northwestern defense late in the third quarter and took full advantage, as Sports Illustrated spotlighted:

It was his only highlight-reel moment of the day, but it made the overall effort more respectable.

Although one mediocre game isn't enough to doom Barkley's Heisman chances, his performance Saturday provides a boost to Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, Stanford running back Bryce Love and the rest of the contenders for college football's top individual honor.

The standout junior will look to get back to his typically dynamic ways when the Nittany Lions return to action Oct. 21 against Michigan at Beaver Stadium.