1. Journey Brown is critical to Penn State’s offensive success
With Will Levis proving ineffective at leading the Penn State passing game, the pressure fell on the backfield to produce on Saturday afternoon. As the season progressed, Journey Brown has increasingly asserted his role as the top back for the Nittany Lions. Brown came up strong against Rutgers, helping ensure that Penn State was able to win the regular-season finale at home.
With 103 rushing yards on 16 carries, Brown finished just behind Levis in terms of yards generated on the ground. Where Brown got real separation from his quarterback, however, was in terms of producing points.
The first scoring run came from two yards out right at the end of the first quarter. Brown scored again three minutes later, punctuating a three-play scoring drive that took less than a minute with an 18-yard carry across the goal line. In the fourth quarter, Brown added a third score to set the final margin at 21 points.
If Levis remains the quarterback for Penn State in their bowl game, Journey Brown becomes that much more critical to any success that the Nittany Lions might enjoy. To get to 11 wins, they will need Brown to continue asserting himself as his team’s feature back and shouldering the load.