UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Coming into Saturday afternoon’s game against Purdue, Penn State was in desperate need of finding footing in the running game and they did just that in the first half.
PSU took advantage of an abysmal run defense and rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns against the Boilermakers.
Carson Hansen got it started with a 42-yard gain on his second carry of the game. That run alone eclipsed his yards per game average of 39.7.
Hansen finished the half with seven carries for 59 yards and a touchdown.
While Hansen is the feature back, it was Cam Wallace who got the bulk of carries for Penn State in the first half. At one point, Wallace was out-touching Hansen 3-to-1. He, too, got involved in the big run game with a 48-yard run of his own. Wallace finished the first half with 15 carries and 97 yards.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Rocco Becht also added six runs of his own for 21 yards and a touchdown.
The Boilermakers run defense entered the game ranked No. 17 in the Big Ten.
I don’t think that it’s ever like ‘we are what we are,’ but we’re a run game without an identity, and that’s the reality of the situation,” Mouser said earlier this month. “And for us, it’s like, how can we get good at something to be able to hang our hat on? … We have to find a way to get better. It’s been our biggest focus.”
It looks like that focus is paying off for Mouser and the Penn State running game
