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rushing chart for the regular season, compiling 688 yards and 10 touchdowns on 113 attempts to go along with 13 re- ceptions for 127 yards and another score. His average of 6.1 yards per carry hinted at his big-play capabilities, and so did the six touchdowns that he scored on explo- sive plays. Two were runs of 18 yards apiece, and he also had scoring runs of 23, 35 and 45 yards, as well as a 37-yard receiving TD. Brown always suspected he had that kind of potential, but he knows that some others weren't so certain. "I definitely can tell you they didn't think I was going to turn out the way I am right now, for sure," Brown said. "When I first got here, I knew I had believers, but I also knew I had 50/50-type guys. That's how it is sometimes. And I almost felt that way about myself, but my family backed me up and they told me I could do it and I started believing in myself. I started listening to the people that had my back from the jump and kept me pushing." Tightly connected to his family, Brown received constant encouragement from his inner circle. But it also came from within the program – from his team- mates, from strength coaches Dwight Galt and Chuck Losey, from Moorhead, from some of the defensive coaches who saw him compete as a scout team per- former, from head coach James Franklin, and from the team's director of player de- velopment, Will Flaherty. They all urged him to push past his frustrations, insist- ing that with time and consistent effort, success would come. By the end of his freshman year, that determination had started to pay off for him, as others within the program took notice. "He's made a very big jump," Miles Sanders told reporters after the 2018 Blue-White Game. "One thing he has to work on is just getting the playbook. Once he learns the playbook, I think he'll prob- ably play a big role in this offense. Him being young and being on a scout team played a big part in him not knowing the playbook, but once he learns [it] and has that down, I think he'll have a significant role in this offense." Now that he's starting to reap the re- wards he envisioned, Brown is convinced that an even brighter future lies ahead – for himself and for the Nittany Lions. Both his mother and his position coach, Ja'Juan Seider, have worked to reinforce his confidence. When you step on the field, they've told him, you're the best player on it. Brown intends prove it with every opportunity he earns. "I just always try to make sure that I know that I can do it. I'm supposed to be here. If I wasn't supposed to be here, I wouldn't be here," Brown said. "When I first got here, in my own head, I felt like I wasn't supposed to be here, and that's the truth." Brown believes that his gradual path to this year's successes has been purpose- ful, pitfalls and struggles included, and he is eyeing the future with optimism. His goal? "To prove to people what I know, that I'm the best running back, and then just work every day for that," Brown said. "Work and strive not to be the best running back for them, but to be the best running back that I can be in the eyes of my peers, my coaches and my family. ... I know that I'll definitely put in the work and put in the energy to do my best and be the best running back I can be." ■ JOURNEY BROWN GAME-BY-GAME PASSING RUSHING OPP ATT YDS TD LONG REC YDS TD LONG ATT YDS TD LONG Idaho 5 38 2 23 2 31 0 18 0 0 0 0 Bu#alo 6 28 0 10 0 0 0 0 2 19 0 13 Pitt 10 109 0 85 1 16 0 16 0 0 0 0 Maryland 5 21 1 12 2 41 1 37 0 0 0 0 Purdue 5 21 0 6 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 Iowa 4 16 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Michigan 4 19 0 11 1 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 Michigan State 12 45 0 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Minnesota 14 124 2 45 1 17 0 17 0 0 0 0 Indiana 21 100 1 35 2 20 0 14 0 0 0 0 Ohio State 11 64 1 18 2 -3 0 0 0 0 0 0 Rutgers 16 103 3 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTAL 113 688 10 85 13 127 1 37 2 19 0 13 KICK RETURNS RECEIVING RUSHING P E N N S T A T E F O O T B A L L >>

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