Penn State Football: Position grades vs Kent State
By Dylan Burd
Running Backs
The Nittany Lion running backs have done a great job this season to replace Saquon Barkley, and they continued their 2018 success vs. Kenn State, combining for 233 yards on the ground.
Miles Sanders once again led all running backs, carrying the ball for 86 yards on only 14 carries. He also caught three passes for 30 yards, but dropped the pass that led to Kent State’s only interception in the game.
Expect Miles Sanders’ workload to increase once the Nittany Lions go into conference play.
Backup running back Mark Allen carried the ball 11 times for 62 yards and a touchdown. He’s done a nice job this season in his role, as he now has 24 carries for 99 yards and two touchdowns on the season.
Ricky Slade, who fumbled twice against Pitt, only got five carries in this game, and only rushed for one yard, but he did score a touchdown. He’s likely in James Franklin’s doghouse until he fixes his ball security, and I don’t anticipate seeing him anytime soon unless there’s an injury or another blowout.
Senior running back Jonathan Thomas also carried the ball three times for 84 yards and a touchdown (first career) all at the end of the fourth quarter. This included a 69 yard rush.
Overall, the running game has been an unexpected strength of Penn State’s thus far throughout the 2018 season. If the Nittany Lions want a chance to win another Big Ten Championship, then that’s going to have to continue going forward.