UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- When Saquon Barkley needs a breather during a game Penn State's do-it-all running back doesn't shy away from tapping his helmet, signifying it's time for someone else to enter.
"When he taps his helmet and he comes out and he's getting some water, and we have a stoppage of play, [offensive coordinator] Joe [Moorhead] looks over and goes, 'Saquon, you ready? Saquon, Saquon, you ready?; Third time, 'Saquon, are you ready to get back in there?' "James Franklin said Tuesday. "Obviously there's a confidence from our team and the coaching staff, you know, with knowing that every time Saquon touches the ball, something really special can happen."
There's no doubt the Lions' offense is much more explosive and the rest of the team's playmakers have more opportunities to make plays when the Heisman Trophy candidate is on the field, but the 43 touches Barkley had during Saturday's win against Iowa is a number that can't and won't be duplicated every week. While Barkley set a school-record with 358 all-purpose yards in the win and said after the game he looked forward to getting a lift in on Sunday and continuing with his usual weekly routine, Penn State will continue to carefully monitor how Barkley is used during the week, something that's dated back to spring practice, camp and non-conference play.
With Barkley serving as the team's top kick returner, evolving into a big-time receiving threat plus dazzling with his usual repertoire of spin moves and hurdles, it's a delicate balancing act all week just to make sure he's as healthy and as well rested as possible come Saturday. Striking that balance will be even more difficult as the season wears on and the stakes get higher. That's why getting Barkley out of non-conference games in the fourth quarter when the lead was out of hand and why not getting him banged around in spring was important.
