If the Micah Parsons and Journey Brown news wasn’t enough, add Noah Cain on the list of stars who will be missing the remainder of the 2020 season for Penn State football. Expected to take the lead running back role, Cain left the game due to an injury last Saturday and did not return.
Last season, Cain broke onto the scene as the next guy up in the history of great Penn State running backs. In a huge primetime game at Kinnick Stadium last year, he looked like anything but a true freshman. Cain played bully ball all night rushing 22 times for 102 yards and a touchdown to put Iowa away and remain undefeated. It was an electric performance, but it came at a price. Since that night, he missed three of the last six regular season games and only got 12 carries combined in that span. He dominated the first half of his freshman season but clearly wasn’t himself after that. Cain was played in the win against Memphis racking up 92 yards and two touchdowns to put himself atop of the touchdowns leaderboard by any freshman in Penn State history.
In that Cotton Bowl, Cain reminded the rest of the country just how good he is when healthy. He was ready to make his name known as one of the top running backs in the country but will have to use this year to rehab to come back in 2021.
With Brown and Cain both out, Penn State is left with sophomore Devyn Ford and freshmen Keyvone Lee and Caziah Holmes to take the carries going forward. While Ford did appear in 12 of 13 games last year, he played a very limited role and has never been the No. 1 option. Lee and Holmes combined for just 11 carries between the two in their college debuts, but you have to expect for their production to go up with the backfield wide open.
These three guys lack a ton of experience but are all super talented and could break out at any time. After all, they weren’t brought in here to ride the coattails of anyone. It’s time for them to write their own history. Let’s see what the young guys can do.
Junior linebacker Jesse Luketa will miss the first half of Saturday night’s game after being ejected in the fourth quarter for targeting last week. Lance Dixon will take his spot and try to stop the high-powered Ohio State offense. The young guys are being thrown into the fire, but it’ll help them down the road. But for now, please no more injuries for Penn State football.
Junior at Penn State University covering all things PSU Football, Men’s Basketball and the 2020 Heisman Trophy race. Die-hard Philly 4 for 4 fan. Go Birds and We Are.