‘Execution and Details.’ James Peoples Breaks Down Penn State’s Rushing Struggles

Running back James Peoples isn’t satisfied with the current state of the Penn State rushing attack, and for good reason.

Though he leads the team with 37 carries for 199 yards and two touchdowns, the Nittany Lion ground attack has sputtered out of the gate and struggled to generate explosive plays. Even Peoples’ best outing of the season last Saturday — a modest output in a disappointing loss to Wisconsin — did little to quiet concerns about a unit searching for identity as Penn State prepares for a short-week Friday night matchup against Northwestern.

For the Ohio State transfer, receiving the film wasn’t about what went right, but rather confronting the execution breakdowns holding the entire run game back. 

“I feel like looking over the past few games, and especially the one on Saturday, that is just key blocks,” Peoples said. “In the running game, it takes everybody having to do their job, and of course, a running back running physical and hard and making one man miss as we always have to is what we preach in the running back room.”

The struggle to establish a dominant run game has put extra pressure on the entire offense. Average gains and lack of explosives have kept the unit from finding a steady rhythm, which in turn makes the offense one-dimensional and drags down the passing game. 

“I think we’re just one hair off with details of blocking who we are going to, and in that case, which we’re getting fixed right now, I think we’re doing a way better job than last week, just building off the momentum, and it’s going to pop,” Peoples said.

Finding consistency has been further complicated by a revolving door in the backfield. Rather than riding a single feature back — or two, a la Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton — the coaching staff deployed four different runners — Carson Hansen, Quinton Martin, Cam Wallace and Peoples — in the first quarter alone against the Badgers.

While the committee approach has yet to yield dominant results, Peoples maintained that the room remains aligned with the coaching staff’s approach, with position coach Savon Huggins responsible for substitutions throughout the game.

“We’re gonna do whatever’s best for the team,” Peoples said. “So if that’s Carson, if that’s Q, Cam, me, whoever, whatever the case is, you know, I trust in the decision of the coaches.”

Next up is a Wildcat defense that surrendered a 200-yard rushing performance to Indiana’s backup running back Lee Beebe Jr. following an early injury to starter Turbo Richard. While they “can be run on” according to Peoples, it’s more about Penn State’s own execution.

“But at the end of the day, it’s not about the opponent; it’s about us,” Peoples said. “You know, we’re gonna scheme it up right, but at the end of the day, are you gonna execute when it’s in front of you? So that’s where we’re at.”

As the Nittany Lions prepare for Friday night, the focus in practice remains locked on “execution and details.”

“We just gotta be on the same page and understand, I gotta have trust in you to do your job, you have to have trust in me to do my job,” Peoples said. “So building that trust between us is key.”