Penn State football: 5 Players that are key to a win over Michigan

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 05: KJ Hamler #1 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after catching a pass for a touchdown against the Purdue Boilermakers during the first half at Beaver Stadium on October 5, 2019 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

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IOWA CITY, IOWA- OCTOBER 12: Running back Noah Cain #21of the Penn State Nittany Lions breaks a tackle in the second half by defensive lineman Cedrick Lattimore #95 of the Iowa Hawkeyes, on October 12, 2019 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /

5. Noah Cain, RB

It’s Week 8, and Penn State has a good idea of who their best running back on the team is. It’s not Ricky Slade, who was first on the depth chart to start the year. And it’s not Journey Brown, who eventually took over Slade’s spot on paper.

Instead, it’s the true freshman, Noah Cain. Just because we know that Noah Cain is most successful in his position right now, though, doesn’t exactly mean he’s going to be the feature back for the Nittany Lions moving forward. Right now, James Franklin still won’t commit to one guy and that’s okay for the time being.

When it’s all said and done though, Cain is easily the most reliable and important running back on the roster. When the offense stalls out, Cain is the guy who comes in and picks it up.

And when the Lions need to keep the ball on the ground and consistently move the chains, Cain is the player they rely on to keep the ball moving forward. It’s been that way every week now since Pittsburgh, and I doubt that will go away against Michigan.

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