Analysis: Running back a position of strength for Penn State

ALTOONA, Pa. -- At this time last year, running back was a position of strength for Penn State. And while not much has changed, it's how the Nittany Lions got back to this point that's fascinating.

Heading into 2020, Penn State was fresh off a Cotton Bowl victory that saw Journey Brown rush for 202 yards and two touchdowns. The Nittany Lions also returned Noah Cain, who rushed for two touchdowns, as well as Devyn Ford, who'd added a touchdown of his own.

With a stable of backs that deep, it looked like, with some good blocking and timing, the Nittany Lions had one of the best backfields in college football. As it turned out, though, Brown announced his retirement due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, leaving Cain and Ford in the backfield with freshmen Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee. 

It took only one drive for that to change again, as Cain went down with a season-ending injury, leaving Ford and the two freshmen to shoulder the load. They did so admirably, while benefiting from an offense that featured the quarterbacks as running threats.

During a five-game losing streak to start the season, Penn State broke the 100-yard plateau twice. The first came against Indiana, as quarterback Sean Clifford rushed for 119 yards while Ford added 69 and Lee and Holmes got their first taste of college football. The second game came against Nebraska, when backup quarterback Will Levis rushed for a team-high 61 yards.

The struggles of the running game were a microcosm of the team's issues at the beginning of the season -- no consistency and nowhere to go -- but as the season went on, both the team and run game got stronger. The offensive line was horrid early, resulting in a lack of confidence for Clifford and a rushing unit that got swallowed in the backfield, not having a chance to get positive yards. 

A change was made up front which helped to propel the running attack for Nittany Lions, as Will Fries moved from right tackle to right guard, and it produced an immediate improvement against Nebraska. Penn State ending up rushing for over 200 yards in three of the final five games.

When Ford was away from the team because of a family emergency, Lee assumed the role of the feature back and he did not disappoint. He rushed for 134 yards against Michigan and picked up 95 yards a week later. 

Lee's vision, coupled with his skill set as an agile powerful runner, led to the run shown below. 

Those qualities set Lee up well for a successful future at Penn State and showed that, when given the opportunity, he was able to take it and run with it.

While Ford appeared in only one of the final four games, it was Holmes who got the carries as the backup to Lee, and Holmes didn't disappoint, either. He finished the season with 227 yards and two touchdowns, both coming against Illinois in the final game. 

While Lee is a shifty, yet powerful runner, Holmes demonstrated a quickness and ability to avoid tacklers, with some of the moves seen below.

Holmes might not have lit the world on fire with his performance this year, but he showed he has the potential to be a key part of the backfield in the future. 

Looking back, the fact that Holmes and Lee were able to play and able to play well was both a blessing and a curse. Keeping all of the backs happy with playing time and carries will be difficult, but not impossible, although the Nittany Lions did add another running back via the transfer portal in John Lovett, formerly of Baylor.

While Lovett won't get starting reps, he does add experience, having rushed for 1,803 yards and 17 touchdowns in his four years with the Bears. Lovett had been recruited by Penn State in 2017 before the Nittany Lions focused on Brown. 

What remains to be seen is how the off-season shakes out between the guys in the running back room. Ford, Cain, Lee and Holmes are all expected to return and with the addition of Lovett, it seems as though somebody will be the odd man out. As last season proved, there are never enough quality running backs, but what will be lacking is the opportunity to get the ball to each of them. 

Of the group, Ford would be most likely to transfer as a result of the issues which caused him to miss time this season. He finished the season with 274 yards and three touchdowns while being limited to only six games. As far as roles are concerned, Ford is more of a change-of-pace, third-down-type back rather than a starter, and Lee passing him on the depth chart solidified that late in the season.

Penn State has had a similar problem just a few years ago with Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders. The backs aren't quite the caliber of those two yet, of course, but head coach James Franklin and Co. are accustomed to this sort of thing.

Despite the trials and tribulations of the running back room early in the season, it is set up to be as good as -- or better than -- it was at this time last year and for years to come. What remains to be seen is how healthy the backs can stay.