Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

Before he scored his own touchdown on Saturday night, Brandon Polk kept finding a way to the end zone anyway.

During Penn State’s scoring bonanza against Georgia State, the short but speedy wideout was throwing blocks to spring others for scores.

And though no Georgia State defender could catch up with Saquon Barkley on his 85-yard sprint for a touchdown, Polk was right there running near him as he crossed the goal line.

“Very pleased with his overall development right now — how he’s playing, his enthusiasm,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “His enthusiasm for his teammates, the effort he’s playing with. If you watched that play with Saquon Barkley, we all know how fast Saquon is. Watch Brandon Polk — he’s on the opposite side of the field, he sprints down, catches Saquon and gets in front of a defender, and then goes into the end zone and celebrates, and he’s as happy or more happy than Saquon is. I’m very pleased with him.”

And the two kept on running and kept on celebrating all the way back across the field to the Penn State sideline.

“I tell all the running backs, I say, ‘If you get in open field, I’m coming to get you. I’m going to block for you,’ ” Polk said. “I told (Barkley) before the game — it’s kind of funny. I was like, ‘I feel like this game, you’re going to either catch or have some big run and I’m going to come get you,’ and that’s why he kind of pointed at me.

“We were pointing at each other. It’s kind of like, ‘I told you.’ So, kind of fun.”

Polk has made sure to have some fun on the field this season after missing nearly all of 2016 with an injury that led to a medical redshirt.

The Nittany Lions’ No. 2 slot receiver behind DaeSean Hamilton, Polk had actually carved out a significant role in 2015 as a true freshman, when a more conventional offense needed his speed on sweeps and screens to open things up.

His very first collegiate play was Penn State’s first snap of the 2015 season, taking a handoff 33 yards to the surprise of a tough Temple defense. Later that year, he added a touchdown run against Buffalo and a touchdown catch against Indiana.

But an undisclosed injury kept him out of the final 11 games during last season’s run to the Rose Bowl. With a chance to apply for a medical redshirt, he was kept off the field rather than try to return late in the campaign.

The NCAA granted the request, allowing Polk to keep three years of eligibility, starting with this season. And the time away from the game altered his outlook on it.

“Just being back, since being out last year, it’s kind of fun. I’m enjoying like every second of it,” Polk said. “Because it was taken away from me due to injury. So I really missed it. So every time I’m out there, I’m playing like it’s literally my last play.”

He even hit paydirt in the third quarter against Georgia State, working his way open in the end zone to catch a 15-yard touchdown from his former Briar Woods High School teammate, Trace McSorley.

McSorley, who was a year ahead of Polk, won multiple Virginia state championships with him. But whereas Polk was able to simply blow past the competition at that level, he has needed to develop a more complete skillset in college.

“One thing I saw change (since then) is his route running,” McSorley said. “Before, he was just the fastest guy. Now he’s setting guys up to get open — the little details in the routes.”

More than that, Polk has also developed the physical part to his game.

Listed at 5-foot-9, Polk wasn’t known for his blocking ability but was able to show how far he’s come last week with some noticeable work against defenders.

But it took some time to change his mentality in that regard

“For me, I would say yes,” Polk said. “For me, I’m not the biggest guy. So it was like, ‘Oh, how can I block him — he’s 6-5, he’s this. No, you have to have the want to do it.

“So it doesn’t matter how small you are. If you want to do something, you can do it.”

Penn State wideout Brandon Polk (10) was the only one on the field fast enough to keep up with Saquon Barkley on his 85-yard touchdown on Saturday night.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_AP17260134802330201792122022154.jpg.optimal.jpgPenn State wideout Brandon Polk (10) was the only one on the field fast enough to keep up with Saquon Barkley on his 85-yard touchdown on Saturday night. Abby Drey | AP photo, Centre Daily Times

By Derek Levarse

[email protected]

UP NEXT

No. 4 Penn State at Iowa

7:30 p.m., Saturday, ABC

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