Penn State in the NFL: Week 3

The NFL might be a few weeks in, but some former Nittany Lions had some firsts. From snaps to touchdowns, here’s how former Penn Staters fared in this week’s matchups.

Olu Fashanu, OL, New York Jets

Welcome to primetime, Olu Fashanu.

The offensive lineman played in his first career game when the Jets defeated the Patriots in its home opener on Thursday Night Football.

Fashanu was present for 19% of the snaps, primarily being rotated in during select moments on the offensive line. However, when Morgan Moses went down with an injury, he was the next guy up.

Moses is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with an MCL sprain so Fashanu should see more game time moving forward. The Jets will play the Broncos in week four.

Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Defenses can’t keep up with Saquon Barkley — he’s too fast.

The running back rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns as the Eagles narrowly defeated the Saints, 15-12 on the road.

In the fourth quarter, Philadelphia trailed 3-0, but when Barkley found a gap on the left side of the offensive line, he took it 65 yards to the house to take the lead and shift the game’s momentum.

He reached 21.66 miles per hour on the run and left several Saints defenders trailing behind. To celebrate, Barkley jumped into a section of Eagles fans who made the trip to New Orleans.

Barkley’s second score of the game was with just over a minute left to give his team the lead once again. He now has four rushing touchdowns and five total; last season with the Giants, Barkley had 10 total, so he’s well on his way to having a career-best season.

Jordan Stout, P, Baltimore Ravens

The Cowboys couldn’t complete the late comeback as the Ravens entered Dallas and left with the 28-25 victory.

The Ravens punted four times and Jordan Stout was able to nail three of them inside the Cowboys’ 20-yard line to only make things more difficult for the home team.

Stout is currently averaging 50% of his punts within the 20 in the early part of his third NFL season — he was drafted in the fourth round by Baltimore in 2022.

Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Broncos handed the Buccaneers their first loss down in Tampa.

Godwin’s production was limited as Denver only held him to six receptions for 53 yards. Yet, the wide receiver still managed to reach the endzone for what ended up being the Buccaneer’s only points.

He made the catch while falling to the ground in the left corner of the endzone in the second quarter.

In 2023, Godwin had only two passing touchdowns and one rushing. Now he is one of nine receivers in the NFL that has three touchdowns so far, which leads the league.

Brenton Strange, TE, Jacksonville Jaguars

It was a tough night on the road as the Bills defeated the Jaguars 47-10 in one of the two Monday Night Football matchups this week.

However, Brenton Strange caught his first touchdown of the season and the second one in his young NFL career. The tight end caught Jacksonville’s first touchdown of the contest with 11 minutes left to play in the third quarter.

Strange only had one other reception in the game. The Jaguars will remain on the road with their next game against the Texans.

Amanda Vogt is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email amandaevogt@gmail.com