PSU’s Barkley top player in the country?
IOWA CITY, IA 鈥� As a sports fan, sometimes when an athlete makes plays that most others can鈥檛, you shake your head in amazement.
When it comes to Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, it is to the point now that he is almost expected to not only make the impossible play possible, but to also make it look easy.
Yes, quarterbacks get the love and attention from fans and the media, but is there a better player in the country than Barkley?
Penn State fans and the national media alike are running out of adjectives to use for describing Barkley.
鈥�(Barkley) is a bad, bad man,鈥� said Mark Packer Monday on his ESPN/SiriusXM radio show, 鈥淥ff Campus.鈥�
Watch or listen to any show, and the national media is getting on the Barkley train.
He amassed a school record 358 total yards Saturday night in Penn State蘑菇视频 thrilling 21-19 win at Iowa, and at times he made things look easy.
Penn State fans need to enjoy the junior now, as he will be making plays next year on Sunday蘑菇视频.
Amazing experience at Iowa
Last Wednesday, Adam Kramer of Bleacher Report posted an amazing piece that did not revolve around a touchdown or a sack.
Kramer was on assignment for Iowa蘑菇视频 Sept. 16 game against North Texas, but his story emanated across the street from Kinnick Stadium in Iowa Stead Family Children蘑菇视频 Hospital.
The hospital opened in February, and only Hawkins Drive stands between it and the stadium.
At the end of the first quarter of Iowa蘑菇视频 season-opening win over Wyoming on Sept. 2, the newest, and possibly most touching, college football tradition was born.
As the quarter ended, children in a room named 鈥淭he Press Box,鈥� a room on the 12th floor of the hospital, all looked down to the stadium.
What they saw in return was over 68,000 fans waving at them in the hospital.
Kramer蘑菇视频 piece, which can be found at http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2734062-the-unforgettable-inspirational-cfb-gameday-inside-iowas-childrens-hospital?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=college-football, is a must-read and I urge you to check it out.
Kramer and I connected over the weekend and he shared his thoughts on his experience from Sept. 16.
鈥淚t蘑菇视频 something I will be thinking about, professionally and personally, for the rest of my life,鈥� said Kramer, who can be found on Twitter at @KegsnEggs. 鈥淭o watch a room full of families and children so unbelievably drawn into the day was inspiring 鈥� this was something pure and beautiful.鈥�
Where does he rank this compared to other sporting events?
鈥淔rom a sporting standpoint, it stands alone,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e covered national championships and playoff games, and have been on the sidelines for some of the most amazing football moments over the past five years.
鈥淏ut I have never felt the way I did inside the hospital on that Saturday.鈥�
Having experienced it Saturday night from Kinnick, it was amazing to see the stadium waving to the kids and the kids reciprocating feverishly.
The act tugged at my heartstrings a little more than it would for most as my niece, Abbey Zuraw, was a patient at Pittsburgh蘑菇视频 Children蘑菇视频 Hospital when she was fighting Hodgkin蘑菇视频 Lymphoma in 2015 as an eight-year old.
Seeing firsthand the pain and agony some of the kids went through when I went with my niece during a chemo treatment, I appreciated the new ritual at Kinnick and was more than willing to take part.
I recorded the experience, the video can be seen on my Twitter page, and I am even more than willing to email it out just so others can see it.
The video does the actual act no justice, and while Adam蘑菇视频 piece is one of the finer stories I have read in a long time, I think that even he would admit that there are no perfect words to describe what is felt in the stadium, and more so, in 鈥淭he Press Room.鈥�
While excited to see Penn State pull out a win on the last play of the game, I will always remember 鈥淭he Wave鈥� way more than 鈥淭he Win.鈥�
WVU keeps rolling
The Mountaineers exploded for 28 points in the second quarter en route to a 56-34 win at Kansas.
Will Grier continued his torrid pace with 347 yards passing on 25 completions with eight of them going to David Sills V for 130 yards and two scores.
One concern was WVU蘑菇视频 run defense as Khalil Herbert ran for 291 yards on 36 carries.
WVU has two weeks to prepare for a road trip to No. 9 TCU on Oct. 7.
Pitt looking for a fix?
Pitt scored quickly at Georgia Tech and forced a turnover in Georgia Tech territory, but the Panthers squandered a prime opportunity have a 14-0 lead and that could have made a difference as Pitt fell, 35-17.
Another key was Pitt forcing four turnovers and not scoring a point off of them.
Ben DiNucci started at quarterback but only finished 12 of 19 for 110 yards.
Pitt must also shore up its running defense at Tech ran for 436 yards on 67 carries.
The Panthers should get back on track Saturday when they host Rice.
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