Penn State's dynamic duo take over Week Four in the NFL

Once again, former Penn State offensive players shined in the NFL during week four of the 2022 season. Two former Nittany Lions rushers powered their teams to victory, while two more returned from injury to give new life to the Buccaneers offense. Here are the top performers from Sunday. Some stats are provided by PFF.

Penn State offensive standouts

Saquon Barkley

Saquon Barkley powered the Giants to a 20-12 victory over the hapless Chicago Bears on Sunday with 31 carries for 146 yards. He also caught both of his targets for an additional 16 yards. Barkley is now where most Penn State fans expected him to be, leading the NFL in rushing through four weeks and back to ripping off explosive runs regularly. The fourth-year runner is showing more maturity in his game as well, running behind his pads and not taking as many negative plays trying to play hero-ball. 

Miles Sanders

Not to be outdone, Miles Sanders put up 27 carries for 134 yards and two touchdowns in a hard-fought win over the Jacksonville Jaguars yesterday. Sanders topped Barkley, gaining five yards per-carry, and matched Barkley with four explosive runs on the day. The Eagles are humming on offense and look like one of the best teams in the NFL, with Sanders and quarterback Jalen Hurts running a dangerous option offense out of the backfield. 

Pat Freiermuth

Former Penn State tight end Pat Freiermuth tied a season-high in targets with nine, catching seven for 85 yards in a loss to the Jets. While he did drop a pass, Freiermuth was incredibly efficient through the air, finishing as the team’s second-leading receiver. With rookie Kenny Pickett playing, could things be looking up for Freiermuth’s targets this season? 

Donovan Smith and Chris Godwin

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense looked much better with an infusion of Nittany Lion talent last night. Chris Godwin and Donovan Smith returned to the Bucs for Sunday night football after missing games this season with injuries. The team lost 41-31 to the Kansas City Chiefs, but the offense wasn’t the issue. Godwin tallied 59 yards on seven catches while Smith returned to his left tackle role and helped stabilize the pocket for Tom Brady, who threw for 385 yards. 

Dotson and Hamler under-utilized?

Jahan Dotson and KJ Hamler

Washington Commanders receiver Jahan Dotson was fifth on the team in total targets yesterday, behind both tight ends Logan Thomas and John Bates. Despite that, he turned in the team’s only touchdown in the 25-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Meanwhile, Hamler only saw one target in Denver’s 32-23 loss to Los Vegas, but it was a 55-yard reception. So maybe Dotson and Hamler need more targets?

Will Fries

It’s good news/bad news for former Penn State offensive lineman Will Fries. The second-year NFL guard got the first start of his career on Sunday against the Titans. The bad news is that the Colts lost a pivotal divisional matchup to Tennessee, and Fries didn’t play well. He didn’t allow a sack, but he did give up several quick pressures and didn’t produce any space for running back Johnathan Taylor. Last year’s leading rusher gained 41 yards on 22 carries in the loss. 

Defense

Arnold Ebiketie

The former Penn State edge rusher didn’t tally a sack, but Arnold Ebikeite was a nightmare off the edge for the Atlanta Falcons in its 23-20 win over the Cleveland Browns. Ebiketie added six pressures on only 21 pass rushing attempts and hit the quarterback three times. 

Odafe Oweh

Odafe Oweh finally broke through and got his first sack of the season in the Ravens’ last-second loss to the Bills. Oweh recorded six pressures in the contest, but quarterback Josh Allen continually frustrated the Ravens pass rush by eluding pressures and escaping the pocket. Despite the low sack totals, Oweh has gotten at least five pressures in half of his games this year. 

DaQuan Jones

While his calling card is as a run defender, DaQuan Jones got his first sack of the season in the Bills’ win over Oweh and the Ravens. It’s his second sack of the season as theBills starting nose tackle. He’s a solid run contributor on one of the best defensive lines in the NFL through four games.