Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1157192
A few plays into the 9rst live period of an early-August preseason practice session, Penn State run- ning back Journey Brown lined up next to quarterback Will Levis in the back9eld. Taking the hando:, the redshirt sopho- more patiently waited for his blocks to materialize then burst past the out- stretched arms of several Nittany Lion de- fenders as he raced toward the le; sideline. Receiver K.J. Hamler leveled a block on cornerback John Reid, but safety Lamont Wade was closing in fast, leaving Brown with a decision to make. Should he settle for the easy 9rst down by scampering out of bounds? It was only the 9;h practice of preseason camp, meaning that there were still more than three weeks to go before the Lions were set to open their season against Idaho. Heading for the sideline would have been the prudent thing to do. But there was another option: He could break it back to the 9eld and deliver some punishment. Brown chose the latter. That decision might surprise a lot of peo- ple. Brown, a;er all, is best known for his speed. But as Penn State's defenders have learned, he's not going to shy away from contact if there are extra yards to be gained. "If he breaks loose, good luck catching him because he's super fast," linebacker Jan Johnson said. "But the other thing with him is that he's physical, too. He's a big body who's not afraid to hit the hole and run you over. "I don't know if you saw it in the last SPEED TRAP RB Journey Brown may be known for his quickness, but that's not his only asset | 2 0 1 9 K I C K O F F S P E C I A L FAST FACTS Brown is poised for a much bigger role this year following Miles Sanders' depar- ture. Photo by Steve Manuel