He's a threat to house it anytime he gets a sliver of room. His touchdown in the game this past weekend was one of the best I've ever seen. And he has many like that so far in his short career. IMO he should be mentioned with the all time greats like Herschel and Bo
Can we all agree now that Saquon Barkley is the greatest tailback ever to play at Penn State
- Thread starter grinagrin
- Start date
While it was a great run, and exciting to watch.. let's not pretend like he blew past Ohio states nickle package.
There have been some great ones at PSU in the past and as time goes by we may forget how talented they really were. Saquon is definitely up there but I'll wait until December before I consider him to be the PSU GOAT.
What the hell is up with this fanbase? He is up there with the PSU greats. What does he have to do to demonstrate that?
I've been watching PSU football since Rip Engle was our coach and seen every team since 1965 (except for one year when I was overseas in Vietnam) and I can't remember another back who had all the tools Barkley has. Carter and Warner were close but he's in a league of his own. I never saw Lenny Moore play so I can't exclude him but he didn't have Barkley's size. He has my vote.
But also acknowledge that he out ran their secondary, not linebackers and remember those kids are on scholarship too.
How bout what he did to USC's nickle package?
Not yet. Right now he's in the top 5. The good news is you'll have your answer by December.
Barkley's big advantage over all those mentioned, is his ability to catch the ball. Never have we had someone this good as a receiver. As previously mentioned, as time passes memories fade but as for me, he is the GOAT.
Not yet. He may turn out to be, but let's see how this season plays out. He' s averaged just under 6 yards a carry the past 2 years. Very good, but in his junior year Lenny Moore averaged 8. In the past 2 years he had 25 rushing touchdowns. Lydell Mitchell had more than that (26) in a single season.
Best all around back, yes. Best running back, I would take Carter at this point in Barkley's career.
Last edited:
I'll say he is. He is the complete package and does it in a very humble way. Speed, power, elusive, catches the ball, and is a hell of a blocker. I didn't see Lenny run and was very young with Warner, but yes he is the best I have seen and did it with some shaky OL's his first 2 years.
Let's put it like this....which of them had more to do in their offense?
Let's put it like this....which of them had more to do in their offense?
Last edited:
Curt Warner was every bit the receiver that Saquan is. That isn't a shot at Saquan, who I agree is very good. Warner didn't have the power that Barkley has, at least IMO, but may have been a bit quicker (not saying faster).
Both are/were great backs, as are/were the others mentioned by people in this thread.
I'll wait until the end of the year to say I think he is the best. That said, the fact that we are even having this conversation about a guy who has only played two years is pretty cool.
Maybe not...but he's already done it against all the four and five stars USC had on the field in Pasadena...just sayin'
Keep in mind that Saquon is doing what he does behind average at best offensive lines. Ki-jana was great for sure, but he had a great offensive line too
I didn't look but I'd be shocked if Lenny Moore had as many receptions in his career as Barkley had just last year. I'm not sure how you can make this claim other than nostalgia. There simply isn't enough evidence.
Edit: well, I guess I was way off. At least according to the site I looked at (don't know how to link on my phone) Moore had 125 career receptions. Barkley had 28 last year. I'm shocked Moore had that many receptions. So I apologize for weighing in without the facts. At least based on numbers, there's certainly a claim to be made that Moore was the best receiving RB we've ever had.
Last edited:
No doubt, he's really, really, really good. We saw that as he ran away from DB's on a few long TD's. We saw that in pass blocking. He will go down as one of the all time greats if not the all time great.
But, big but, some of it is the system. Jo Mo's system gives him the best opportunity to exploit, and he does.
Love the kid. It might be the shortest 3 years I've ever seen.
I know this is the Colts, but boy, Lenny Moore looked unbelievable. I definitely feel like I am seeing shades of Lenny Moore watching Saquon Barkley.
Actually, I think I may be the one who is wrong. I based my opinion of Lenny as a receiver on his pro numbers and videos I had seen. I just saw a site that said he had limited receptions in college and the 125 that you reference, on the site I saw, were his total receiving yards. I guess one thing we can all agree on is we have been blessed with many great running backs.
When it comes to PSU running backs, there is no best, only great.
He has already blown past Ohio states nickel package. You watch the game in 2015 at their place?
Certainly near, if not at the top. I always liked Warner and Carter but they had All-Americans on their OL. It's hard to compare players from different era's. The knowledge, nutrition, medicine, training, supplements, equipment, staff numbers, etc. were so different. IT has been a huge benefit in the "film room" that most of the great PSU backs never had. I recall Jack Ham saying they hardly ever lifted weights!
Oh boy, I see now. I looked at the wrong column. 13 receptions for 125 yards. I should never have weighed in. I don't like pitting one PSU player against another. I love watching Barkley. I'm glad he's wearing blue and white. But you're absolutely correct, PSU has had its share of awesome running backs.
I think there's no question any more, Barkley is the best tailback, best offensive player, and maybe the best football player I've had the pleasure of seeing at PSU
The only backs worth comparing in the modern era are Carter and Warner and Blair Thomas. Barkley is as fast as they were. He's as powerful as Carter was his senior year, but as elusive and laterally quick as Warner was, and he's more explosive than any of them.
Just no weaknesses. Runs inside and outside equally well. Great receiver skills. Makes great decisions in the open field. Maybe the best blocking tailback ever at PSU.
Consistently plays big in big situations, against tough opponents when the game is on the line. Ohio State and USC fear him as much as Akron and Ga. State.
Studies defenses and reads defenses. The TD catch that broke open the Pitt game happened because Barkley knew what the coverage would be and suggested Moorhead call the play. The 9 yard TD run behind Mahon was so impressive in a totally different way.
Almost every single week he makes jaw dropping plays. The dump pass TD on Saturday was just beyond belief. That would the No. 1 career highlight for a really good running back -- what a show of speed -- but for Barkley it was just the play of the week.
Finally, Barkley is a natural leader. Always supporting his teammates in every way he can. Never draws attention to himself except by what he does on the field. He's the No. 1 cheerleader for the other tailbacks. Smart guy, good guy. Whenever football is over for him, he's going to be successful at whatever he takes on.
You know the history of the best PSU tailbacks. They get drafted high by terrible teams, get hurt and never have the pro career that's expected. I sure hope Barkley somehow manages to avoid that fate and gets a chance to play with a decent offensive line. If he can, he'll tear up the NFL just like he's tearing up college football.
The only backs worth comparing in the modern era are Carter and Warner and Blair Thomas. Barkley is as fast as they were. He's as powerful as Carter was his senior year, but as elusive and laterally quick as Warner was, and he's more explosive than any of them.
Just no weaknesses. Runs inside and outside equally well. Great receiver skills. Makes great decisions in the open field. Maybe the best blocking tailback ever at PSU.
Consistently plays big in big situations, against tough opponents when the game is on the line. Ohio State and USC fear him as much as Akron and Ga. State.
Studies defenses and reads defenses. The TD catch that broke open the Pitt game happened because Barkley knew what the coverage would be and suggested Moorhead call the play. The 9 yard TD run behind Mahon was so impressive in a totally different way.
Almost every single week he makes jaw dropping plays. The dump pass TD on Saturday was just beyond belief. That would the No. 1 career highlight for a really good running back -- what a show of speed -- but for Barkley it was just the play of the week.
Finally, Barkley is a natural leader. Always supporting his teammates in every way he can. Never draws attention to himself except by what he does on the field. He's the No. 1 cheerleader for the other tailbacks. Smart guy, good guy. Whenever football is over for him, he's going to be successful at whatever he takes on.
You know the history of the best PSU tailbacks. They get drafted high by terrible teams, get hurt and never have the pro career that's expected. I sure hope Barkley somehow manages to avoid that fate and gets a chance to play with a decent offensive line. If he can, he'll tear up the NFL just like he's tearing up college football.
The tables in the following tweets compare Barkley's season & career stats to PSU's best running backs. Each table is slightly different in the way they are sorted & how much data they show.
I tended to sort the tables on a per carry basis or per game basis since stats for the older backs didn't include bowl games.
I tended to sort the tables on a per carry basis or per game basis since stats for the older backs didn't include bowl games.
That was great. Thanks. Curt Warner's style reminds me of Lenny; the way he ran with his arms sort of flailing about. I saw a lot of Lenny as a pro. He could do it all and was an especially good receiver, maybe the best receiver among RBs in the NFL of his time and before.
Which tells me that Joe should have thrown to him more. It's just that offenses depended on running the ball so much more back then.
Fair, in your absence, I handed out a 'fairgambit word of the week' award to ChickenmanTesta. The word was 'internecine'. I hope you approve.
no, we can not agree. There have been MANY great tailbacks at Penn State, each with his own unique way of running. Barkley is super fast and super athletic, but I don't think he's a weaver inside. I think it's pointless arguing who is the best at any position. All the great have been just that . . . great.
Other than Carter left after his junior year, so we never saw how strong he was his senior year.
Definitely tough to compare players of different eras. Today's players are certainly stronger and faster than any previous era. Barkley does have the best receiving stats, but today's game is much more air oriented. I need to see more of Barkley against tough competition before I declare him better than Ki-Jana
Excellent work. I was unfamiliar with the word but will add it to my lexicon. Henceforth you have my imprimatur in all such matters. I trust your judgment.Which tells me that Joe should have thrown to him more. It's just that offenses depended on running the ball so much more back then.
Fair, in your absence, I handed out a 'fairgambit word of the week' award to ChickenmanTesta. The word was 'internecine'. I hope you approve.
I can't believe anyone would say top five... I say this because some people prefer a certain kind of back that is speedy, or powerful, or shifty, or a great receiver too, or great at picking up blitzes. There have been various backs that have done some of these things really well, and you might have Barkley among the top two based upon your idea of what a great back should be. There really isn't anyone else who checks every single box like Barkley does though. He is THE best and most complete back in Penn State history. If he played in an era when Penn State prided themselves on a strong running game over all else, and had the o line to support it, he would likely challenge all time NCAA rushing records.
Carter was at PSU for 4 years, playing 3 years after a redshirt. Barkley will almost certainly have 3 years and gone.
Well, he was a 1991 Parade All-American then attended PSU from 1992-1994....so I'm not sure how he was there for four years. And Paterno encouraged him to leave early, not after he completed four years.
Yeah, it's a good word. I've been looking for the opportunity to use 'revanchist' (revanchism) here. If you're looking for a quizzical stare from most persons, that word usually works. Just for fun, of courseExcellent work. I was unfamiliar with the word but will add it to my lexicon. Henceforth you have my imprimatur in all such matters. I trust your judgment.
. Gotta use the smug, French accent though.
