Miles Sanders has prime opportunity to step into spotlight for Eagles vs. Saquon Barkley, Giants on ‘MNF’ - PennLive

PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley could tell Miles Sanders was going to be a dangerous running back as soon as he arrived at Penn State in 2016. Barkley watched Sanders go through workouts and participate in 7-on-7 exercises, where the Pittsburgh native had the chance to show off his receiving skills. Barkley could see the potential.

There was just one little problem: Barkley was ahead of Sanders on the depth chart.

Both Barkley and Sanders acknowledge that Sanders’ college career didn’t necessarily go the way he expected it to for the first two years in State College. The former five-star recruit expected to be top contributor from the first day he stepped foot on campus. Barkley happened to blossoming into a generational talent at the same time who cast a long, long shadow.

• Read more: Eagles vs. Giants: How to watch, live stream, betting lines, stats to know and more

On Monday night, Sanders has the prime opportunity to step into the spotlight when his Philadelphia Eagles host Barkley and the New York Giants in a nationally televised NFC East matchup on ESPN. Both are expected to start — which will put Penn State firmly center stage — with Sanders coming off his most productive game of the season and Barkley putting up his best numbers since he missed a couple games with an ankle injury.

For the first time, the two friends will be on opposite sides.

“It's going to be real special,” Sanders said. “I remember talking about this before this was even started, when I was just guessing on who I would end up being with. I told him, if I end up with the Eagles, then we get to see each other twice a year, so that's going to definitely be special.

“But really, at the end of the day, I'll be pretty selfish to tell you that I'm focused on Saquon. For real, for real, I'm really just focused on getting this ‘W’ because we got some stuff to handle and we got a future ahead of us, just depending on what we do these last four games, so we got to handle business. It's going to be fun, but I'm also focused on something else, too.”

• Read more: Saquon Barkley-Miles Sanders matchup on ‘Monday Night Football’ puts Penn State on national stage

Sanders arrived in State College in 2016 as one of the nation’s top running backs following a decorated prep career at Woodland Hills. Barkley had enjoyed a solid freshman season — 182 carries, 1,076 yards, seven touchdowns — but there was a line of thought that Sanders could take on a contributing role immediately and the two could share carries.

Barkley, though, didn’t let that happen. He held onto the top job, and he exploded onto the national scene as a sophomore with 22 total touchdowns. He scored 23 touchdowns the next year. Sanders was relegated to a bit role with just 56 carries and three touchdowns over his first two seasons.

Despite the situation, the two still managed to create a friendship that was built through their time working out with and pushing each other through practice. Barkley and Sanders talked on FaceTime earlier in the week to check in with each other and coordinate their postgame swap of their respective No. 26 jerseys.

“For me, I had a successful freshman year and that was just a little extra motivation,” Barkley said. “I wasn't going to allow a five-star recruit to come in and take my job. I knew that obviously [the coaches] had envisioned a role for him. We just competed the whole time, but in a friendly way. I remember we were out there doing sprints one time after a workout. Just me, him — just working on speed, working on sprints going against each other, just doing little things.

“Even though, it was always a competition to be that starting back and be that back, it was always out of love, and I think just the respect that we had for each other's talent is what made our friendship grow so much stronger.”

Over the past three games, Sanders has had the opportunity to be “that back” for the Eagles. Leading rusher Jordan Howard, who started four straight games from mid-October into November, has missed three straight games with a shoulder injury, and he’s questionable for Monday night’s game.

That’s let Sanders, the No. 53 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, step into a role where he’s played more than 80 percent of the offensive snaps in three straight games. He set career highs with 17 carries for 83 yards in last week’s loss to the Dolphins, and his evolution as an NFL running back is becoming clear. He averaged 3.49 yards per carry in his first seven professional games. In the five games since, he’s averaging 5.66 yards per carry.

“I think you're seeing the patience in the running game,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. “His vision is better. It's improved from Week 1 to Week 13. The more he gets time, the more he gets snaps, the better he'll get.”

• Read more: What is Saquon Barkley’s favorite Miles Sanders story from their time together at Penn State?

On the season, Sanders has 116 rushes for 520 yards (4.5 yards per carry) and a touchdown, plus 32 catches for 359 yards and two more scores. His 879 yards from scrimmage are the third-most for a rookie in Eagles franchise history. Sanders credited Howard, the fourth-year back with 30 career rushing touchdowns, with setting an example of how to take care of his body and stay healthy through the grind of the NFL season.

“I feel like I've been getting better and better each week, and everyone's been telling me that,” Sanders said. “But most important, I've been noticing that myself, and just trying to get better and build off each week, and I feel more confident as far as reading what I'm supposed to read, getting my eyes in the right place and feeling everything else and just playing ball out there.”

Sanders has the opportunity to showcase his skills for a national audience Monday night. Barkley, in one analyst’s words, is already an “icon” in the NFL for his sparkling rookie season in which he gained 2,028 yards and scored 15 touchdowns. The former No. 2 overall pick is already a household name.

Sanders, meanwhile, is working to expand his footprint of notoriety beyond the state of Pennsylvania, where he’s played his entire football career. “Monday Night Football” is a good place to start.

And while there will be plenty of focus on how he stacks up against his former Penn State teammate, Sanders wants to be an engine to help the Eagles make a December run into the playoffs.

“We got four games left, and we got to win these four games to get into the playoffs,” Sanders said. “So for my rookie year to be in the playoffs, I think that would be pretty special, so that’s really all I’m focused on. But it’s definitely going to be fun playing against Saquon.”

Daniel Gallen covers the Philadelphia Eagles for PennLive. He can be reached at dgallen@pennlive.com. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Follow PennLive’s Philadelphia Eagles coverage on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

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Miles Sanders has prime opportunity to step into spotlight for Eagles vs. Saquon Barkley, Giants on ‘MNF’ - PennLive
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