F O O T B A L L
Brown's absence thrusts young RBs into spotlight
By the time Penn State's preseason
practice sessions began in September in
advance of a delayed and abbreviated
Big Ten campaign, Noah Cain felt like he
was ready for anything. Asked
during the Nittany Lions' vir-
tual media days in early Octo-
ber about the likelihood that
the conference would be able
to pull off a season consisting
of nine games in nine weeks,
the sophomore running back
conceded that nothing felt
certain given the current state of world
affairs.
"I feel like with 2020, you all have seen
it, you can't predict anything," Cain told
reporters. "So I just take it
day by day. I'm ready to
adapt to anything I have to
adapt to."
Cain was talking prima-
rily about the ever-shift-
ing nature of the season
itself, which had gone
through three iterations by
the time the Nittany Lions opened on
Oct. 24 against Indiana. But it turned
out that there were more surprises in
store for him and the entire Nittany Lion
backfield.
On Oct. 19, Penn State officially con-
firmed a bit of internet chatter that had
been circulating for several days: Jour-
ney Brown would be out of action indef-
initely due to an unspecified health
concern. Coming off a spectacular 202-
yard afternoon in the Cotton Bowl last
December, Brown had been expected to
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NEWS & NOTES
BUILT FORD
TOUGH With
Cain sidelined,
Ford carried 20
times for 69
yards in Penn
State's opener
vs. Indiana.
Photo courtesy
of Penn State
Athletics
