Saquon Barkley embarrasses USC, goes 79 yards for touchdown (Video)

Penn State pulled ahead of USC in the 2017 Rose Bowl thanks to running back Saquon Barkley embarrassing the Trojans defense.

Though he wasn’t really in the mix seriously this season, there’s already buzz about Penn State Nittany Lions sophomore running back Saquon Barkley being in the 2017 Heisman Trophy conversation. He’s been the heart of the offense for the Big Ten champs, reeling off one highlight after another. There might not be any highlights better from this season, though, than the run he broke loose for in the 2017 Rose Bowl against the USC Trojans.

Right after the initial handoff, it looked like Barkley might be bottled up in the backfield. There were no holes up the middle, where he was supposed to go through. However, he then let loose a nasty cut to the outside and then another to get the edge and turn upfield.

Barkley wasn’t in the clear at all after getting to the outside, though. Even with a big gain, there were still a host of USC defenders around him. That’s when he beat another defender with a ridiculous juke move, but that was just a prelude to the finale. Starting to turn the ball upfield, Barkley hit the Trojans with an Emmitt Smith-esque jump cut that left them reeling. After that, he switched fields to bolt down the left side for the rest of the 79-yard touchdown run:

People say that players embarrass others quite often, but the Trojans truly have to feel that way after a run like that. Conceding a 79-yard touchdown never feels good, but especially not when the running back single-handedly makes half of the team miss.

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Barkley and the Nittany Lions have been monstrous all season when playing in the second half and it was no different in the Rose Bowl. Trailing by six points at the half, Barkley’s score gave them the lead. They then followed that up with a wild touchdown catch and an interception on the ensuing USC drive.