Penn State Football: These 3 Nittany Lions aim to build momentum into Auburn showdown

Jesse Luketa #40 of the Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Jesse Luketa #40 of the Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Noah Cain #21 of the Penn State Nittany Lions (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Penn State Football’s Running backs have to stay hot 

The one-two punch of Noah Cain and Keyvone Lee in the Penn State Football backfield is a dangerous one when they both get going, and it looked like offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich was adamant about doing just that on Saturday.

Cain got the brunt of the carries in the first half, ultimately rushing for 69 yards on 20 attempts with a touchdown. Lee got a lot of work in the second half, and showed great burst rushing for 68 yards on only 8 carries.

The biggest impact from the backs thus far has been there pass catching ability out of the backfield. Cain caught three passes for 30 yards, but showed his elusiveness when he is in space. He did similar things for big first downs at Wisconsin as well in week one.

Having that outlet or safety valve of a back to check down to for Clifford when he is under pressure or has nobody open down the field is a stark difference form years past, and could make all the difference in the type of quarterback Clifford ultimately is this season.

A good pass rush by Auburn Saturday night could lead to more of those check downs to backs out of the backfield.