Despite Injury to Cain, Penn State Running Backs Get Spark from Ford and Lee

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Penn State will seemingly be without another running back for at least the immediate future following an injury to sophomore Noah Cain on Saturday. The Nittany Lions are currently without starter Journey Brown who will miss some if not all of the season due to an undisclosed medical condition.

Cain, who was hurt fairly early during Penn State’s overtime 36-35 loss to Indiana and did not return to the field. Cain was later seen on the sideline with his left leg in a walking boot and using crutches. Cain missed a significant portion of Penn State’s 2019 season with a lower body injury.

Penn State coach James Franklin was not asked about his status following the loss but generally does not speak about injuries and was unlikely to have a full status report on Cain’s health at the time anyway. The Nittany Lions leaned on a trio of backs with sophomore Devyn Ford managing the majority of the load with 20 carries for 68 yards.

The Nittany Lions were led by quarterback Sean Clifford on the ground who picked up 119 yards on the ground over the course of 17 carries. His 35 yard touchdown scamper was his longest of the day.

Behind Ford the Nittany Lions went to a young and unproven freshmen combo of Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee. Holmes fumbled his first touch of the day and career but was ruled down. Lee was a surprisingly positive runner despite falling fourth on Penn State’s depth chart, amassing 35 yards on six carries and was a brief spark for Penn State’s offense in the second half. His 5.8 yards per carry was the best average for either team regardless of touch totals.

Both backs caught at least two passes for modest yards.

Without Brown and potentially Cain for the long term, Penn State will likely continue to roll the same three backs in some combination with Ford getting the bulk of the workload. Barring any other injuries, redshirt freshman Tank Smith and true freshman Joseph Bruno remain on the roster as well.