Penn State Football: Grading Nittany Lions performance vs. Michigan

3 of 10

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – OCTOBER 19: Journey Brown #4 of the Penn State Nittany Lions carries the ball during the first quarter against the Michigan Wolverines on October 19, 2019 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

B. . . . RUNNING BACKS

Just when you thought Noah Cain was going to bell-cow back for Penn State going forward, he gets five carries in the next game.

After this game, I think it’s truly safe to say that this four running back committee is going to stay a committee the entire season. James Franklin and the coaching staff are going to make decisions of which back should be on the field, depending on the game situation.

Ricky Slade led the Nittany Lions in rushing yards with 48 on three carries. This included a 44-yard rush in the first quarter. Slade also had two receptions for two yards.

Journey Brown and Noah Cain had 19 yards each, but Brown had four carries compared to Cain’s five. Brown had a reception for four yards, and Cain had a reception for three yards. Devyn Ford had one carry for two yards.

The running backs combined for 88 yards on 13 carries, which is 6.8 yards per carry, a substantial number. However, if you take away the 44-yard Ricky Slade run, then the running backs combined for just 44 yards on 12 carries. Still not a bad number, but also not a great number.

Michigan’s run defense was very solid in this game, and as a result, none of the running backs did much. However, on the closing drive of the game, Noah Cain picked up seven yards to create a third and three for Penn State. K.J Hamler easily converted that on a run, but Cain deserves a lot of credit for putting the Nittany Lions in that position.

Home/Penn State Football