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F A S T F O R W A R D >> A N E A R L Y L O O K Penn State went into the 2019 season without much proven experience in the backfield and came out feel- ing pretty good about where things are headed. None of the four players in the Nittany Lions' backfield quartet compiled eye-popping numbers this past season; Brown's 890 yards con- stituted the Nittany Lions' lowest team- leading total since Akeel Lynch finished with 678 yards in 2014. But that was partly due to the coaching staff's egalitar- ian approach to playing time. None of the team's four primary running backs re- ceived more than 129 carries, and none re- ceived fewer than 47. Maybe the breakdown would have been less egalitarian if Cain had been healthy all season long; the injury he suffered in the Michigan State game in late October resulted in him receiving only one carry for 1 yard in Penn State's last four regular-season games. But the fact remains that Penn State has three former four-star recruits behind Brown right now and wants to get the most out of all the talent it has amassed. Brown reached the 100-yard plateau in three of Penn State's last four regular-sea- son games and followed up with a dazzling 202-yard performance against Memphis in the Cotton Bowl. He has sprinter speed, and having grown more confident in his role in Penn State's offense – he played in a wing-T in high school – he's showcasing the potential that the coaching staff saw when they took a chance on him late in the 2016 recruiting cycle. Brown may be the only player in the Lions' scholarship run- ning back corps who didn't earn a four- star rating from Rivals.com, but he goes into the off-season as the favorite to start in 2020. That said, it appears that everyone is going to get carries, no matter starts. Cain showed flashes of potential during the Lions' first eight games. He topped 100 yards against Purdue and Iowa in consecutive weeks, and those might not have even been his most impressive ef- HITTING PAYDIRT Dotson scores a second-quarter touchdown in the Cotton Bowl. The rising junior will be Penn State's top returning wideout in 2020. Photo by Steve Manuel

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