It's still early, but the new-look defense performed well against a solid Clarkson team.
Barkley exploded on Thursday night as several other Nittany Lions also made NFL scoreboards throughout the weekend.
A lack of experience, vanilla play-calling, and missed opportunities on defense have all contributed to Penn State's struggles in recent weeks.
The Nittany Lions moved up six spots to become the fourth Big Ten team ranked in the top 10 of the USCHO poll.
The Nittany Lions will begin a game at 3:30 p.m. for the fourth time this season on October 27.
The Nittany Lions didn't trail until the final 19 seconds of Saturday's game, but needed bigger performances from several players to come away victorious.