How Chris Godwin helped Saquon Barkley emerge to greatness: ‘He (Godwin) was a pro before he was even a pro’

PHILADELPHIA — The push for greatness was established between Chris Godwin and Saquon Barkley long before the two became stars in the NFL. Sharing a locker for two years at the Lasch Football Building on the campus at Penn State, Barkley was learning from Godwin what it took to succeed at the next level. 

And neither player were at that stage of their careers yet. 

“He was a pro before he was even a pro,” Barkley said Wednesday. “He always carried himself and went to work. That’s probably the biggest thing that I learned (from him).”

Barkley and Godwin were teammates at Penn State for two seasons, both crucial elements toward the Nittany Lions rising from the sanctions stemmed from the Jerry Sandusky scandal to winning a Big Ten championship just four years later. 

Of course, both players showed the country they were going to be stars at the next level in the 2017 Rose Bowl. Barkley finished with 25 carries for 194 yards and two touchdowns while Godwin had nine catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Barkley was actually the second-leading receiver behind Godwin for that game, having five catches for 55 yards — ending the historic night with 249 yards from scrimmage. 

Both Barkley and Godwin had plays that took over “X,” then known as Twitter, that afternoon in Pasadena. Barkley had the 79-yard touchdown run that is still talked about in football circles to this day, but Godwin had a 72-yard touchdown catch when he leaped over a defender, snared the ball with one hand, then sprinted into the end zone. 

Those plays happened consecutively to open the second half of that game, by the way. 

“Uh, that one-handed catch was pretty impressive, and I had a pretty good view of it,” Barkley said when asked which play was better. “So I’ll give credit to him on that one.”

What Barkley and Godwin have done in the NFL has been noteworthy for the Penn State football program….

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/how-chris-godwin-helped-saquon-barkley-emerge-to-greatness-he-godwin-was-a-pro-before-he-was-even-a-pro/

Author : Jeff Kerr

Publish date : 2024-09-26 14:11:34

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