Penn State Football: Grading Nittany Lions’ performance vs. Buffalo

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STATE COLLEGE, PA – SEPTEMBER 07: Noah Cain #21 of the Penn State Nittany Lions rushes for a touchdown against DeShondrick Foxworth #54 of the Buffalo Bulls and Tim Terry Jr. #5 during the second half at Beaver Stadium on September 07, 2019 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

. . . RUNNING BACKS . C

After a lights-out performance for the running backs in week one, the group struggled to get going vs. Buffalo on Saturday.

At the same time, the four running backs, Journey Brown, Ricky Slade, Noah Cain, and Devyn Ford only got a combined 11 carries in the game. Sean Clifford had 11 carries himself.

On those 11 carries, the four running backs combined for only 39 yards. Redshirt sophomore Journey Brown led the way with six carries for 28 yards. Sophomore Ricky Slade had three carries for eight yards and a fumble which caused him to be benched for the rest of the game.

The true freshmen, Noah Cain, and Devyn Ford, each got one carry. Cain took his run for a 2-yard touchdown, while Ford gained a yard on his run.

Furthermore, none of the running backs caught a single pass in this game, compared to a combined six receptions vs. Idaho.

It’s safe to say that in limited work, it was an underwhelming game for what was one of the best positional units of week one. With the Slade fumble, it should be interesting which running back steps on the field first Saturday vs. Pitt. Right now, my guess is Journey Brown.

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