Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State at Purdue: Players of the Game

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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After thumping Purdue, Penn State is going bowling for a third straight season.

On Saturday afternoon the 24th ranked Penn State Nittany Lions traveled to West Lafayette, Indiana, looking to avoid a letdown against the Purdue Boilermakers. This game had all the makings of a ‘trap’ game for Penn State. The Nittany Lions were coming off a huge win over Ohio State, it was an early kick on the road, and the atmosphere at Ross-Ade Stadium was going to be bad.

Despite a slow start, the Nittany Lions overcame all of these factors to earn a dominating victory.

This victory snapped a seven-game road losing streak for Penn State. The game was tied at 17 at halftime, but the Nittany Lions outscored Purdue 45-7 and outgained them 326 yards to 98 in the second half. All of this culminated in a 62-24 Nittany Lion victory. By scoring 62 points on Saturday, Penn State set a new record for the most points ever scored by a visitor at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Due to their victory, Penn State is now bowl eligible for a third consecutive season. However, the Nittany Lions have bigger fish to fry. Right now Penn State is 6-2 and will be favored in each of the four remaining games. 10-2 is a real possibility for the 2016 Nittany Lions.

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Here are the players of the game from Saturday’s mauling of Purdue.

Offense – Running Back Saquon Barkley

Saquon Barkley continues to prove to be the best running back in all of college football. Barkely finished Saturday’s game with 207 yards rushing and 70 yards receiving, both of which led the Nittany Lions. He also rushed for a pair of touchdowns.

This season Barkley now has 10 rushing touchdowns. That number is tops in the Big Ten Conference.

The stats Barkley posted on Saturday do not give his day justice. He showed incredible burst, he did a great job of making tacklers miss in the open field, and he unleashed some nasty cuts on defenders. Barkley also showed off his hurdle, and truck sticked a Purdue defender halfway into next week.

Honorable mention: QB Trace McSorley, WR Chris Godwin

Defense – Linebacker Brandon Smith

While Brandon Smith may not have been Penn State’s best defensive player on Saturday, he made arguably the biggest play of the game. This game was tied at 17 at halftime and Purdue got the ball to start the second half. On this opening possession of the half Smith recorded his second interception of the season.

Brandon Smith would return this interception to the Purdue 24-yard line, leading to a four-play touchdown drive for Penn State. With the touchdown the Nittany Lions took a 24-17 lead and they would lead the rest of the way.

After this interception the Nittany Lions outscored Purdue 45-7 the rest of the way. Additionally, the Nittany Lions racked up 326 yards of total offense while the Boilermakers had just 91 yards. Smith’s interception set the tone for a dominant second half by the Nittany Lions.

Honorable mention: LB Jason Cabinda, CB John Reid

Special Teams – Kickoff Man Joey Julius

Joey Julius had another strong day in the kicking game for Penn State. Big Toe Joe certainly got his work in on Saturday, as he kicked off eleven times.

Over half of Julius’ kick offs went for touch backs, as the Boilermakers were unable to return six of them. He also put a seventh into the end zone. On this one Purdue, foolishly, attempted to return it and only made it to the 14-yard line. On the five kicks Purdue did return, the Boilermakers averaged less than 20 yards per return. And a big reason for this was the work of Julius.

Honorable mention: P Blake Gillikin, CB Jordan Smith

That will do it for this game. What a great, dominant second half by the Nittany Lions. We are watching this team grow up before our vary eyes and it is a lot of fun. The rest of the 2016 season should be a lot of fun for Penn State fans.

Next up, the Iowa Hawkeyes under the lights at Beaver Stadium. Quite honestly, this game might be the toughest game left on Penn State’s schedule. But for now, enjoy this victory Nittany Nation.

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