Penn State Football: Grades Nittany Lions in win vs. Rutgers
By Dylan Burd
Running Backs
It was another dominant day for Journey Brown as he had 16 carries for 103 yards and three touchdowns. Brown now has seven rushing touchdowns in his last four games and has run for at least 100 yards in three of his previous four games.
For the regular season, Brown finished with 688 yards and ten touchdowns on 113 carries. That’s an astounding 6.1 yards per carry. Additionally, Brown didn’t have a reception vs. Rutgers but ended the season with 13 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown.
Through the first eight games, Journey Brown looked like the second-best running back on the team, and “just another college running back.” With an increased opportunity, Brown has shown improvement in almost every facet of his game, especially his power and explosion into open running lanes.
Journey Brown has not only established himself as the starting running back for the near future, but also a serious 2021 NFL Draft prospect.
With Noah Cain out again due to his nagging leg injury, Ricky Slade and Devyn Ford shared the backup role. Slade had six carries for 36 yards in what was one of his best performances of the season. Ford had two carries for three yards.
It’s been fascinating to watch four running backs battle for touches week after week for this Penn State team. Depth at this position is undoubtedly something that Penn State doesn’t have to worry about going forward.