When Saquon Barkley Passed the Torch to Miles Sanders at Penn State
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On Saturday night in Philadelphia, Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders meet in the NFC Divisional Round, the epic next stage of their NFL careers.
Barkley and Sanders, Pro Bowl running backs for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles, combined for more than 2,500 yards rushing in seasons that represented a renaissance (Barkley) and a breakthrough (Sanders).
So it's remarkable to recall five years ago, when they sat together as teammates for the last time, and Barkley passed the torch to Sanders at Penn State.
"Be honest," Sanders said, smiling, as Barkley began explaining what makes Sanders such a great running back.
Barkley and Sanders, who meet in the NFL playoffs for the first time, played together for the last time at the 2017 Fiesta Bowl. Barkley punctuated his Penn State career by rushing for 137 yards and two touchdowns in the Lions' 35-28 win over Washington.
After his farewell lap around University of Phoenix Stadium (now State Farm Stadium), Barkley returned to the locker room to discuss his past and future. He was a little coy, having scheduled his announcement to enter the NFL Draft for the following day, but did make sure everyone knew about Sanders sitting next to him.
"[NFL] GMs may not know about him yet," Barkley said, "but when he gets the chance to shine, he definitely will."
Sanders rushed for 191 yards on 19 carries behind Barkley that season but certainly was about to emerge. He ran for 1,274 yards the following year, finishing fourth in the Big Ten, to become a second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles.
This season, his fourth in the NFL, has been Sanders' best by far. He ranks fifth in the NFL in rushing, one spot behind Barkley, with 1,269 yards. Among backs with at least 250 carries, Sanders ranks second (tied with Josh Jacobs) at 4.9 yards per carry.
Barkley, meanwhile, rushed for a career-high 1,312 yards in his first truly full season since his 2018 rookie year. He scored 10 rushing touchdowns, one fewer than Sanders, and caught 57 passes.
Barkley and Sanders will be centerpieces of Saturday night's playoff game, something Barkley just might have predicted then.
"This guy is amazing; he's a special talent," Barkley said of Sanders after the Fiesta Bowl. "Obviously he hasn't gotten the opportunities as much as he would like to show his talents, but we see it in practice. We see flashes of it.
"He's strong, powerful, fast, a hard worker and he's humble. He's going to be a great back in the future and definitely have a career in the NFL one day."
Former Penn State running backs Miles Sanders (left) and Saquon Barkley in the locker room after the 2017 Fiesta Bowl. The game marked their last together with the Nittany Lions. Barkley, who rushed for 137 yards in a win over Washington, declared for the 2018 NFL Draft the following day.
Mark Wogenrich
Five years later, Penn State has another standout tandem of backs. Last season Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined to rush for 1,928 yards, the third-highest total for a backfield duo since 1960.
Which makes Barkley's parting words to Sanders resonate today.
"You guys won't be talking about Saquon Barkley for long," he said, before telling Sanders, "save me some records."
Check out the video above for more from Barkley and Sanders after the 2017 Fiesta Bowl.
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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.
