Barkley's spectacular play doesn't surprise teammates

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - It seems to be getting to the point where no one is surprised when Penn State running back Saquon Barkley does something spectacular.

"The guy's a freak," linebacker Jason Cabinda said Saturday, speaking of Barkley's 81-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of a 62-24 Nittany Lions victory over Purdue.

"A guy like that, when he gets it going, he's such a spark. We just know that once he gets going, it just doesn't stop. It becomes the Saquon show. Seeing him get going and busting runs like that is really huge for our team."

Barkley finished with a career-high 207 yards on 18 carries.

When quarterback Trace McSorley was asked what he saw on Barkley's long run, he simply replied, "I just saw the back of his jersey.

"Any time you can get a playmaker in space that can make a guy miss, and he's got speed and athleticism, they can take it all the way any time," he said.

Penn State coach James Franklin admits that he doesn't want his Nittany Lions to be known strictly as a second-half team. But after an unexpectedly tight first half against Purdue, he was glad he had that chip in his pocket.

"But today, it helped to come in and tell the guys, 'Look, don't worry, stick to the plan. We're a second-half team. We're going to come out and make some adjustments,' " Franklin said after the Lions outscored the Boilermakers 45-7 in the final two quarters.

Penn State has been strong in the second half all season. Counting Saturday's output, the Lions now have outscored their opponents, 161-78, in the second half, with the other team holding a 135-102 advantage in the first half. They started more quickly Saturday, scoring a touchdown on the game's first drive, but were inconsistent after that.

"Our coaches did a great job of making adjustments," said wide receiver Chris Godwin, who caught two of Trace McSorley's three touchdown passes. "I think as players, both offensive and defensively, we did a great job of digesting that information and being able to translate that on to the field."

When the Penn State defense took the field to start the second half, middle linebacker Jason Cabinda remained on the sideline to have his helmet fixed.

Backup Brandon Smith entered the game and provided perhaps the turning point, intercepting a pass by Purdue's David Blough on the third play of the period and returning the ball 22 yards to the Purdue 24. The Nittany Lions scored from that point and never looked back.

"Something was wrong with Jason's helmet, so I've got to give thanks to him for letting me in there for three plays," said Smith, a redshirt junior who barely saw any playing time his first two years.

Cabinda loved the moment.

"I came up to him right after and said, 'That must have been God's work right there, for my helmet to just break like that and you go out there and make that play,' " said Cabinda, playing in his second game since returning from an injury. "It was huge."

Franklin emptied his bench in the fourth quarter as the Nittany Lions added to their lead. Besides two touchdowns from Barkley, their other three running backs all scored, including Andre Robinson twice, and Mark Allen and Miles Sanders once each.

Even third-team quarterback Billy Fessler saw his first action of the season, taking three kneel-down snaps at the end of the game.

"I thought that was significant," Franklin said. "We haven't really had an opportunity to do that a whole lot since we've been here."