Penn State knew it was going to have to lean on its running backs in 2020, but it probably didn’t think it would be leaning on its fourth and fifth string options.
And yet on Saturday afternoon the Nittany Lions did just that, and picked up their first win of the season in process to the tune of a 27-17 victory over Michigan in Ann Arbor.
By the end of the day Penn State had 254 rushing yards to its name, 134 of those coming by virtue of the powerful and downhill running legs of true freshman and former four-star prospect Keyvone Lee, 34 more coming from true freshman and fellow four-star Caziah Holmes.
Lee and Holmes playing was a surprise, the medical retirement of presumed starter Journey Brown and subsequent season-ending injury to his replacement Noah Cain are well documented at this point. Penn State was without Devyn Ford on Saturday due to an unexpected death in the family according to the ABC broadcast, although his absence was hinted at by coach James Franklin earlier in the week.
Nevertheless, while Penn State may have known it would be leaning on two increasingly seasoned but otherwise unproven backs, it probably didn’t see such a successful outing. No matter how porous MIchigan’s defense may have been, you don’t know what you have in your fourth and fifth string options until they play.
“I mean that was our fourth and fifth running back and I don’t mean that in a negative way,” coach James Franklin said after the game. “You know we had one of the most respected running back rooms in the country. And to be in this situation where we’ve got two true freshmen carrying the full load and to see them to see them do it […] it’s great to see and I’m proud of them, but we’ve got a lot of room for improvement.”
Franklin was quick to point out that he wasn’t surprised either player was talented, but that with limited reps in practice there’s only so much you can glean about a player before he starts to carry the ball more.
In turn, while coaches know their players better than everyone else, it’s not as though he can claim to have seen so much production right off the bat.
“For me to sit here and act like [we knew this was coming], obviously when we recruited them we thought they’re both talented guys, but we thought they would be rotating in different types of games.”
Not quite garbage time these days with Holmes and Lee the only real options.
Lee in particular was impressive with physical and downhill running. While a near impossible stat to track by hand, Lee gained a good number of yards after contact, powering through defenders and falling forward for an extra yard or two along the way. By the end of the afternoon he averaged a very solid 6.1 yards a carry.
As for once-again starter Sean Clifford? His life was all the easier with a solid running game to work with. Of course Clifford added a touchdown and 73 yards of his own on the ground, but a modest-yet-efficient 163 yard passing outing without any of his increasingly common turnovers was a welcome sight for both fan and program.
All of this stemming at least in part from the trust he had in Lee to get the job done.
“He’s got a great work ethic and I respect anybody with a great work ethic, that’s like the biggest thing,” Clifford said after the game. “Keyvone is somebody who comes in with a great attitude and embodies all the core values of the team. He’s someone who deserves a breakout game like this. You know he works his ass off every day. And he’s somebody who I have a lot of trust in as a freshman, which speaks a lot on his character, and the type of person he is.”
Penn State will need more of both Lee and Holmes moving forward, especially if Ford’s absence extends into a second week. In either case the Nittany Lions continue to find bright moments with younger players during a season that has not been the program’s best.
And in the long run, something Lee will hope to have more of, that’s good news for the Nittany Lions.
