If one thing is for certain after the first five weeks of the college football season, it is that Penn State Nittany Lions Freshman running back Saquon Barkley is already a vital part of the offense and is one of their biggest keys to success. 

The true Freshman running back from Whitehall, Pennsylvania, so far this season has amassed 373 yards and three touchdowns on 42-rushing attempts, an average of 8.9-yards per carry, better than that of LSU Tigers Heisman contender Leonard Fournette

When the true Freshman went down with an undisclosed ankle injury early in the game against the San Diego State Aztecs two weeks ago, he was obviously missed by the Penn State offense that has troubled to find it's stride without Barkley in the backfield. It didn't help the Nittany Lions that a few minutes later, their starting running back Akeel Lynch also went down, this time with a knee injury that appeared gruesome at the time but luckily was a non-season ending injury.

Before leaving against San Diego State, Barkley had already picked up 62-yards on eight rushing attempts. The rest of Penn State's running backs had a combined 21 rushing attempts for 32-yards. In the Nittany Lion's recent win against Army, the Nittany Lions failed to run the ball successfully as they garnered just 108-yards on 32 rushing attempts.

Luckily for James Franklin and Offensive Coordinator John Donovan who has been scrutinized by Penn State fans the past five weeks for the offensive struggles, their freshman star finally got back to practicing this week and looked good according to James Franklin. 

While it isn't certain that Barkley will go this weekend against the Indiana Hoosiers, it's still a very promising step forward for the Nittany Lions as they're just ten days away from facing the Ohio State Buckeyes, a game where Barkley's services would greatly be appreciated. 

If Barkley is able to go this weekend for the Nittany Lions, expect him to get anywhere in the mid-teens, the Hoosiers so far this year have allowed a total of 826 yards this season including averaging 165 rushing yards per game. That could be a recipe for success for Penn State if Barkley is a "go" this weekend. 

The Hoosiers and Nittany Lions will go out at Beaver Stadium in the final game of Penn State's five game home stand with a kickoff at noon, the game will be televised on ESPN2. 

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About the author
Dylan Callaghan-Croley
A college freshman, Dylan is Vavel's Penn State conent manager while also helping with the NHL.