Sanders ready to hit the ground running
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Saquon Barkley is already considered a once-in-a-generation talent at Penn State, but the 1,271 rushing yards he gained last season constituted a relatively unremarkable total, at least on the national stage.
Barkley finished 28th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total rushing yards, and his average of 97.8 yards per game was also outside of the top 25. He did reach the end zone more frequently than many of those other runners, scoring 18 rushing touchdowns in 2017. Even so, there were six running backs and a pair of dual-threat quarterbacks ahead of him in that category.
But those statistics and rankings offer an incomplete picture of Barkley’s contributions to Penn State’s success, and no one knows that better than his successor, Miles Sanders.
Sanders is keenly aware that Barkley’s three seasons of greatness had everything to do with his incredible versatility. That’s why the junior running back spent his off-season working to incorporate facets of Barkley’s skill set into his own game.
“I’m just trying to be the all-purpose back, the all-around back,” he said. “You see running backs in the NFL, they all catch the ball out of the backfield. So that’s what I’m willing to do to help this team win, to have Trace’s trust in me to throw it to me whenever he needs to.”
Barkley filled that role marvelously, serving as one of Trace McSorley’s most reliable targets with 28 catches for 402 yards and four touchdowns in 2016 and 54 for 632 yards and three scores last year. His sure hands were an essential component of Penn State’s offensive success, as opponents sold out to stop him in the running game.
Having seen Barkley’s repertoire firsthand, the 5-foot-11, 207-pound Sanders went to work during the off-season, not only with his teammates in the running backs room but also a few steps down the Lasch Building hallway with the wideouts. Veteran receivers Juwan Johnson, DeAndre Thompkins and Brandon Polk welcomed Sanders to their group as they took turns catching balls from the JUGS machine.
“The main thing I’ve been working on is my hands this summer. No dropped balls, none of that,” Sanders said. “I’m just making sure I have confidence and consistency catching the ball.”
With his starring turn in Penn State’s offense growing ever closer, the effort appears to be paying off. At the very least, it has left teammates and coaches feeling encouraged by his potential.
“Miles is a big guy with great speed,” Penn State offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne said. “He’s got almost the same size that Saquon has. He’s gotten a lot bigger, a lot more physical. He has very, very good vision, especially in between the tackles.
“But he has the speed to play on the perimeter and make plays out there. His ability to break tackles and have great balance on contact is going to be a huge asset, not to mention the fact that I think he’s made a major improvement in his ability to run routes and catch the ball. Then he also has really worked on and done a great job this spring of pass protecting.”
In addition, Sanders has also grown much more comfortable with Penn State’s offense. The Nittany Lions had a way of making Joe Moorhead’s system appear effortless at times during the past two seasons, but Sanders acknowledged that there were instances in which he would look to McSorley for guidance.
No longer, said Sanders, now confident that he’s completely comfortable with the concepts that shape both the run and pass game.
“It allows me to play faster,” he said. “This game is fast. It gets faster once you get to the next level, too, so just knowing where the defenses are going to be allows you to play faster and helps me get to places better.”
All of these elements have Sanders’ teammates excited for the coming weeks and months.
With Barkley, Mike Gesicki, DaeSean Hamilton and a number of other talented veterans now playing in the NFL, the Nittany Lions are taking an underdog mentality into the coming season, intent on dispelling any suggestion that their success in 2016 and ’17 was due to the presence of a handful of irreplaceable players. The notion is especially evident in the way the Lions have rallied around Sanders, consistently citing him as being poised for a breakout season.
“He’s going to be electric this year,” offensive lineman Connor McGovern said. “You saw the glimpses the past two years. This is going to be his year. It’s definitely the speed and the power. He sees the hole, he’s going to run through it. He’s not always going to try to give you the shake. He’s going to go right through you sometimes.
“We came in together and he was a little bit smaller then. Now you see him and he’s just a completely different person. A lot bigger, a lot stronger, a lot faster, and it’s going to be his year.”
Maybe just as important as the physical attributes Sanders brings to the field are the developments he’s made off it.
Noting that Sanders was fortunate to have had the opportunity to practice and train alongside Barkley, head coach James Franklin said he has taken pride in the maturation process that has taken hold. Since his arrival in 2016, Sanders has shown continual physical, academic and mental growth, the coach explained.
“I know he’s hungry. I know he’s excited,” Franklin said. “He’s doing all the right things off the field, [and] we’re big believers [that] discipline off the field translates on the field. We talk about it all the time with our guys.
“Miles has really matured from high school to now, and I think he has really taken advantage of what this opportunity presents for him. I think he’s going to have a big year. I think we’re going to have a lot of production out of our running back position.”
The influence of that mentality extends beyond just Sanders, of course.
Having developed himself through each of the past two seasons, Sanders is also taking to heart his role as a leader in a running backs room with a pair of exciting young backs in redshirt freshman Journey Brown and true freshman Ricky Slade. Suddenly one of the team’s veterans, Sanders is embracing the new role.
“The one thing I’ve seen from Miles that’s changed is that he’s assumed a leadership role, and that’s been really, really good,” Rahne said. “He’s a guy who has always been a little bit in the background for obvious reasons, but I think he’s stepped out and really gone into a leadership role. That’s critical for our football team. We want as many leaders as we can possibly get.”
With that mentality pushing him forward, Sanders looks ready to step out of Barkley’s shadow and into his own moment in the spotlight.
“I feel like I’m much faster, stronger. Mentally, I feel better. I feel like I know the offense way more. I know the defenses way more,” he said. “I feel like I’m a leader on this team now, and I have a bigger role. So I’m just ready to help this team win and get far in the season.”
Blue White Illustrated has put the finishing touches on our latest issue of our magazine as the Nittany Lions get set to kick off the 2018 season. Let's take a look at all of the stories and features, here!
THE RUNDOWN:
PHIL'S CORNER - If it ain't broke, why fix it? This is the offensive philosophy the Nittany Lions must take when approaching a system that has had great success under Joe Moorhead, and now will attempt to continue it with Ricky Rahne, says BWI publisher Phil Grosz.
FOOTBALL RECRUITING - As always, BWI recruiting analysts Ryan Snyder and Tim Owen have your Penn State football recruiting fix! In this issue, we take a look at Penn State's tremendous run of recruiting success through the summer months, including an exclusive Q&A with Marquis Wilson, plus Up Close and Personal features with Juice Scruggs, P.J. Mustipher and Jayson Oweh.
FOOTBALL: BWI editor Matt Herb kicks off our football preview with an analysis of Penn State head coach James Franklin and where the Nittany Lions stand as the 2018 season nears. Reaping the benefits of a culture within the program that encourages having fun within the context of its ultimate goals, where can they go next?
BIG TEN BREAKDOWN: You're ready for Penn State, now get ready for the Nittany Lions' schedule with a complete look at the rest of the conference. Do they have what it takes to compete for another Big Ten title?
"DRAWING POWER" - BWI special contributor Lou Prato catches up with former Nittany Lion Scott Radecic as he heads up the architecture firm leading Penn State's athletics facilities master plan.
These stories are all part of our bursting preseason magazine. You won't want to miss this in-depth issue!
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