Well, Cam Wallace must have done a lot of right at practice this week.
The oft-injured junior running back got Penn State’s first carry, drawing a bit of a surprised response from the Big Ten Network announcing team.
The duo did note that Penn State coaches said Wallace would be more involved on Saturday, but no one could have known it would wind up being the best game of his career. For his performance, Wallace is this week’s BSD MVP.
He finished with 22 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown, showing
true speed and elusiveness on a 48-yard jaunt.
The 22 carries matched the number of touches he’s had in all of Penn State’s other games combined. Meanwhile, he hadn’t even taken a carry since a late September loss to Wisconsin.
But whatever happened over the weeks of practice, Wallace stepped up to the opportunity on Saturday. With Penn State missing its top two wide receivers, Wallace was the dynamic playmaker that the Lions so desperately needed.
Others Considered
Carson Hansen, Running Back: While Wallace stole the show, it was Hansen’s best game in a Penn State uniform. He did finally get in the open field, breaking off a 42 yard run early and he scored a critical touchdown on a fourth down play. He finished 96 yards, averaging 5.6 yards per carry.
Ben Brahmer, Tight End: Brahmer has been quiet in Big Ten play and one could still argue that Andrew Rappleyea was even better on Saturday. But, Brahmer caught four passes for 58 yards and caught a shovel pass to convert a key field goal fake and help stake Penn State to an early 7-0 lead.
Yvan Kemajou, Defensive End: He got a sack! No, really, it happened. Penn State did a good job of flustering Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne all day and Kemajou was part of that pressure. His sack of Browne in the fourth quarter sealed the game.
