Saquon Barkley disappointed at being denied chance to break NFL rushing record

Eric Dickerson’s single-season NFL rushing record will stand for at least one more year. On Wednesday, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni announced that former Penn State football star running back Saquon Barkley will be among those starters held out for Sunday’s regular-season finale against the New York Giants.

Barkley will finish the regular season with 2,005 rushing yards, just 100 yards shy of Dickerson’s 2,105-yard milestone from 1984. Speaking to reporters later in the day, the ex-Nittany Lion expressed both understanding and disappointment in the decision.

“He asked me if I wanted to play, if I wanted to go for [it], Barkley said. “On Sunday, I probably didn’t care too much for it. When I slept on it, it was like – it’s an opportunity to implant my name in football history. I may never get another opportunity like that again.

“So I’m down, but at the end of the day, I don’t care if we’re putting the team at risk.”

© Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

However, the Eagles superstar noted his family was not as quick to move past the move.

“I told my family, obviously. My family probably wanted it a little bit more than me,” Barkley said. “At the end of the day, the most important thing is winning football games and winning in the playoffs, and I have a bigger goal in mind.”

At 13-3, the Eagles have locked up the second seed in the NFC for the postseason. However, the Penn State football letterman did become just the ninth running back in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards in a season with a 167-yard performance against the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday.

“I like him,” Dickerson said of Barkley last week. “But I tend to like big backs. He’s not a big back like I was. He’s elusive, he’s tough, he runs hard, he can catch the ball out of the backfield. I think he’s a great player.”

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation, one of the fastest-growing outlets covering Penn State athletics. Part of the Full Ride network, we are an alumni-owned and operated, credentialed media outlet dedicated to providing you with updated and reliable insights for all your favorite Nittany Lion sports. Whether it’s Penn State football, basketball, wrestling, or anything in between, you can find it all on Basic Blues Nation!

Please follow us on our social channels, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and subscribe to our newsletter on Substack for breaking news and notifications. For feedback, questions, or concerns, please email us at basicbluesnation@gmail.com or direct message us on social media.