Penn State Football’s key Players vs. Illinois start with Ta’Quan Roberson

Penn State Football Running Back – Noah Cain

Noah Cain has gotten the bulk of the carries for Penn State Football so far…46.8% of carries by the running backs to be exact.

Although none of the backs seem to be separating themselves in an offense that has struggled to run the football, it appears that Cain will continue to get a majority of the snaps/touches.

He has not seemed to be 100% healthy the past few games, so hopefully the bye week gave him an opportunity to heal up and become more explosive in the open field.

Penn State Football has not yet had a 100 yard rusher in any game this season, the closest to do it has been Keyvone Lee who tallied 74 yards on the ground against Indiana.

This game against Illinois is an excellent opportunity to do that, as the Illini are second last in the Big Ten allowing 163.1 rushing yards per game.

As the back who will presumably be getting the most carries, especially early in the game, Noah Cain’s ability to find the crease and get the the second level will be important for this offense to be able to move the ball successfully without having to rely too much on the passing game.

A big game for the junior tailback will also help springboard him closer to the 500 yard mark on the season that I predicted him to get, prior to the start of the season.

The running game will be very important for the Penn State Football offense against Illinois, and as the ‘feature’ back, Cain will need to have a good afternoon carrying the football.