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STATE COLLEGE — Saquon Barkley may have stolen the show. But after the game, he and coach James Franklin wanted to talk about Nick Eury.

That would be the former Lake-Lehman standout running back, a redshirt freshman who got his first collegiate carry late in Penn State’s 56-0 throttling of Georgia State on Saturday.

Taking a handoff from reserve quarterback Billy Fessler, Eury gained 4 yards. And to hear the Nittany Lions tell it, Barkley was ecstatic.

“There was nobody more excited on our sideline, and there was nobody coming up to me and (offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead) more during the game, wanting to get Eury on the field,” Franklin said. “That was the thing he was probably most excited about was getting Eury a carry tonight.”

Barkley grinned when Eury’s name came up after the game.

“That was awesome for Nick Eury to get into the game,” Barkley said. “A lot of younger guys and walk-ons got to get in the game. As a player, I know everyone else on the team — all the starters and older guys — (appreciate them). You guys don’t see what they do for us throughout the week. On the scout team they give us a look so we’re able to do what we’re capable of doing.

“When you see those guys get on the field, they may not be starting, but they’ve been with us since the offseason. Winter workouts. Spring ball. All the hard work they put in. To see them get in the game, it’s amazing. It’s an exciting feeling.”

Running behind future Penn State teammate Connor McGovern at Lake-Lehman when both were seniors in 2015, Eury nearly hit 2,000 yards rushing and scored 24 touchdowns for the Black Knights.

On Saturday, he gave the Lions three Back Mountain alums on the field along with McGovern and defensive tackle Ryan Monk of Dallas.

“It doesn’t matter what their role is,” Franklin said. “Their role is critical to our success. To see a bunch of guys work so hard during the week, to have the opportunity to get on the field and compete and contribute is awesome. And what it’s all about.”

Infirmary report

• Penn State’s sideline emptied. To a man, the players took a knee.

Across the field, starting defensive end Torrence Brown was on the ground in serious pain. The junior had taken a cut block from Georgia State running back Kyler Neal at a bad angle on his right knee during the first quarter.

The situation did not look good for the Alabama native as athletic trainers called for a cart to bring Brown to the locker room after being examined by athletic trainers. But Brown appeared to have avoided a serious injury, as he was back on the sideline in street clothes without crutches by the end of the game.

“Torrence Brown, as you guys know, we don’t ever talk about those (injuries),” Franklin said. “But I know he just broke the team (huddle) down in the locker room, and he was (on the sideline) in the second half, so obviously we’re hoping he’ll be available next week.”

With Brown out of the game, Penn State’s primary defensive ends were Shareef Miller and Ryan Buchholz, though the Lions use a fairly deep rotation that also includes Shane Simmons, Shaka Toney, Colin Castagna and true freshman Yetur Gross-Matos.

“We’re playing a lot of guys,” Lions coach James Franklin said during the week. “We’re building a lot of depth. I’m hoping we’ll be able to do that again this week and hopefully by the midpoint of the season, we’ve created a defensive line and a position that we’ve got a lot of guys that we feel like can play and play at a very, very high level for us.

“I thought Torrence played really well on first and second down against the run with some of the plays” that Pitt ran a week ago.

• Fifth-year senior offensive lineman Brendan Mahon dressed for the game but did not get in the game.

Steven Gonzalez switched over to Mahon’s spot at right guard to open the game while redshirt freshman Will Fries got his first career start, slotting at left guard.

Fries’ future looks to be at tackle but he got the nod because Penn State’s second-team left guard is true freshman Mike Miranda, whom the staff is hoping to redshirt.

Franklin said he thought Penn State’s run game suffered without the bruising Mahon in the game.

“Brendan Mahon’s a big-time player for us and is going to have a significant role as the season moves along,” Franklin said. “Anticipate having him back this week. That’s about as far as I’ll go with it.”

• Junior cornerback Amani Oruwariye did not play for the Lions after appearing to suffer a lower-body injury in the fourth quarter against Pitt.

That left the Lions without two veteran corners, along with John Reid, who is out indefinitely with a knee injury.

Fortunately for Penn State, the most recent recruiting class provided reinforcements in Lamont Wade and Tariq Castro-Fields, two of the three true freshmen to have seen the field this season for the Lions.

Oruwariye, who had an interception in the opener against Akron, had been coming into the game in Penn State’s nickel package, shifting Grant Haley into the slot.

• Running back Mark Allen was in uniform for the Lions after sitting out the first two weeks.

• Redshirt sophomore tight end Nick Bowers has still yet to play for the Lions as he recovers from a major injury.

Recruiting corner

The opponent was the least anticipated on the schedule. But the 7:30 p.m. kickoff again led to a big recruiting weekend for the Lions.

Penn State’s 2o18 recruiting class looks to be about full, but the Lions coaches are still courting some of the nation’s top seniors, including Harrisburg High School star Micah Parsons.

Rated as the country’s top defensive end for this cycle, Parsons made the trip for the game and got a hug from Franklin just outside the stadium when the team arrived.

Parsons had previously been committed to the Lions for a year before opening up his recruitment earlier this year. He was in Columbus last week for Ohio State’s game against Oklahoma.

Up next

The Lions are back in prime-time next Saturday for the start of Big Ten play. They leave Happy Valley for the first time this season to travel to Iowa. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. with ABC carrying the broadcast.

Kinnick Stadium can be a tricky place to play at night, as Michigan well found out last fall. But Penn State brings in a rare three-game winning streak in the series after a long stretch of struggling with the Hawkeyes. Amazingly, those three wins (2011, 2012, 2016) have come under three different Lions coaching staffs.

Naturally, coaching turnover has been non-existent in Iowa City as Kirk Ferentz. The dean of Big Ten coaches, Ferentz is in his 19th season leading the Hawkeyes.

But despite a 3-0 start to 2017 — including shutting down NFL draft darling Josh Allen and Wyoming in the opener — Iowa has looked a little shaky.

The Hawkeyes needed overtime last week to beat rival Iowa State 44-41. Like the Lions, they scheduled a Sun Belt Conference opponent as a tune-up for league play, but they found themselves trailing North Texas at halftime before blanking the Mean Green in the second half of a 31-14 win.

More concerning for Iowa is that standout tailback Akrum Wadley exited the game in the second half with an apparent ankle injury.

A highly productive running back at Lake-Lehman, Nick Eury made his college debut for Penn State on Saturday night.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_lehmanlakeland01.jpg.optimal.jpgA highly productive running back at Lake-Lehman, Nick Eury made his college debut for Penn State on Saturday night. Times Leader file photo

By Derek Levarse

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Reach Derek Levarse at 570-991-6396 or on Twitter @TLdlevarse