For the Penn State Nittany Lions this season, one thing was clear: no matter what, it seemed like the running game could not find its footing. When you factor in all the running backs in their room, they were only averaging 3.94 yards per carry. That is, until Saturday afternoon against Buffalo.
In a run game explosion, the Nittany Lions rushed for 304 yards as their committee approach paid dividends. For Matt Campbell, it must have felt good heading into Big Ten play to find a more physical side of Penn State's offense outside of Rocco Becht's efficiency at quarterback.
"All four guys really did some great things with the ball in their hand in some critical moments," Campbell said of his running back room. "I thought there was growth, but I also
thought there was growth because there was some really good blocking on the perimeter. I think the ability to get the ball out in space and those guys to be able to make some plays happen in space was really awesome, and I thought all those guys did some great things."
Penn State fans should like that the running backs found their roles in the offense in order to diversify the run game rather than have one set back.
One running back in particular stood out on the day. Quinton Martin Jr. wasn't expected to be in the conversation for Penn State in terms of getting meaningful snaps. But in his time on the field, he showcased why Penn State should utilize him more. He was the leading rusher for the Nittany Lions on the day and had a highly impressive 61-yard run on just his second carry.
"You know, it was great to see Quinton really had a great moment," Campbell said in his postgame press conference. "I think if you ask Q, Q would tell you maybe one of his best weeks of practice, and I think he took that into the ability to execute at a really high rate on the football field."
It may not mean much as Campbell will want both Carson Hansen and James Peoples to carry the bulk of the workload, but Martin's emergence could pay off in critical moments throughout the season for the Nittany Lions.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Matt Campbell praises emergence of Penn State run game
