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Penn State’s Barkley named to Walker watch list

UNIVERSITY PARK – Junior running back Saquon Barkley (Coplay, Pa.) is among the candidates selected to the Doak Walker Award watch list for the nation’s top running back. This is Barkley’s second watch list appearance this summer with a berth on the Maxwell Award list.

Penn State’s lone Doak Walker Award winner was Larry Johnson in 2002. Ki-Jana Carter and Curtis Enis were finalists for the award in 1994 and 1997, respectively.

The Doak Walker Award was created in 1989 to recognize the nation’s premier running back for his accomplishments on the field, achievement in the classroom and citizenship in the community. It is the only major collegiate football award that requires all candidates to be on schedule to graduate within one year of other students of the same classification. The award is presented annually by the SMU Athletic Forum.

Barkley is a preseason first-team All-American for Sporting News, Lindy’s, Street & Smith and Athlon Sports. Additionally, he was named the #5 player in FBS by SI.com and earned the #1 spot on Sports Illustrated’s “Feldman’s Freaks” list heading into the 2017 campaign. Barkley was stellar in 2016, claiming Graham-George Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Ameche-Dayne Big Ten Running Back of the Year and the Chicago Tribune Silver Football for the Big Ten’s best player last season. Barkley was named to the All-Big Ten first team by the coaches and media, which made him a unanimous first team choice. Barkley led the Big Ten and was fifth in the FBS in total touchdowns (22) and was tops in the conference and 21st nationally in all-purpose yards (140.86 ypg). The junior back was second in the conference and 24th nationally with 106.9 rushing yards per game. His 1,496 yards in 2016 broke the Penn State sophomore season record and rank fifth on the single-season charts. Barkley heads into his junior season 12th on Penn State’s career rushing yardage list (2,572) and 10th in career rushing touchdowns (25). Just the eighth player in program history to have multiple 1,000-yard seasons, Barkley had a streak of 14 consecutive games with at least one rush of 20 yards snapped at Rutgers (11/19), a streak that was the second-longest in college football in the last 20 years (19 – LaMichael James, Oregon (2008-10).

Nine different Nittany Lions have been named to preseason watch lists. They include: junior running back Saquon Barkley – Maxwell Award (National Player of the Year), Doak Walker Award (nation’s top running back); junior quarterback Trace McSorley – Maxwell Award (National Player of the Year), Wuerffel Trophy (college football’s premier award for community service), Davey O’Brien Award (nation’s top quarterback), Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (nation’s top quarterback based on his accomplishments on and off the field); senior safety Marcus Allen – Lott IMPACT Trophy (National Defensive of the Year on and off the field), Bednarik Award (National Defensive of the Year), Nagurski Trophy (National Defensive of the Year), Jim Thorpe Award (top defensive back); senior linebacker Jason Cabinda – Lott IMPACT Trophy (National Defensive of the Year on and off the field), Bednarik Award (National Defensive of the Year), Nagurski Trophy (National Defensive of the Year), Butkus Award (top linebacker); senior tight end Mike Gesicki -Mackey Award (top tight end); senior linebacker Brandon Smith – Allstate AFCA Good Works; senior kicker Tyler Davis – Lou Groza Award (top kicker); sophomore punter Blake Gillikin – Ray Guy Award (top punter); head coach James Franklin – Bobby Dodd Trophy (nation’s top coach).

The Nittany Lions’ home schedule features a trio of non-conference games, including Pitt’s first visit to Beaver Stadium since 1999. The Nittany Lions open the season against Akron (Sept. 2; noon) and face Pitt (Sept. 9; 3:30 p.m.) and Georgia State (Sept. 16) to close out a three-game homestand to start the year. In Big Ten play, Penn State welcomes Indiana (Sept. 30), Michigan (Oct. 21), Rutgers (Nov. 11; noon – Homecoming) and Nebraska (Nov. 18) to Happy Valley. Nearly 8,900 new season tickets have been sold for the 2017 Penn State football season presented by PSECU. The public single-game ticket sale opens Tuesday, July 11. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing new 2017 season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 9 a.m-4:30 p.m.

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