Penn State Football: 3 takeaways from blowout win at Northwestern

3. Saquon Barkley can’t be stopped for a full 60 even by a solid defense

Through the first half, Northwestern was doing exactly what they needed to do to keep themselves in the game. Most importantly for the Wildcats defense, they bottled up Saquon Barkley. He was held to negative rushing yardage in the first half, and at the intermission he had just seven total yards on nine touches.

Following a similar script to last week’s Indiana game, the Wildcats focused on stopping the Heisman contender. They did a good job for one half, but Pat Fitzgerald’s team learned the hard way that it is impossible to bottle up Barkley for a full four quarters. The Wildcats did not get beat on special teams like Indiana did last week, as he was not allowed to return any kickoffs.

But ultimately Barkley is just too good to contain for 60 minutes. He heated up in the third quarter, piling up 58 yards on just five carries and scoring twice in the process. Most of that was gained on his 53-yard scamper for a highlight-reel touchdown.

Barkley remains one of the favorites to be honored at the Downtown Athletic Club in December after finishing with 75 rushing yards and the two touchdowns in the road win. At the midway point of the season, Barkley has been a primary reason why Penn State is still undefeated and on track for another Big Ten title.