Bulked-up RB Noah Cain primed for big sophomore season for Penn State
Noah Cain made it a point as a true freshman last year to prove to his coaches that he was mentally mature.
Then, during the offseason, his body physically matured.
The combination could contribute to a breakout 2020 for a player who showed plenty of promise in limited action in his first college playing time.
Cain is 15-20 pounds heavier than the 205-208 he was last year, the 5-foot-10 running back said during a video conference call with media Tuesday.
“As time went on, I kind of got rid of some baby fat and became more and more lean,” said Cain, who was a four-star recruit from Baton Rogue, La. “And this offseason, I was actually surprised (to gain mass). I was eating right and everything, and as weeks went on, I kept gaining three or four pounds here and there.
“At first I don’t want the (added) weight, but it was natural weight. My body maturing, I guess, and come March, I noticed I was 223. That’s a big jump from what I was at last season. And as time went on, my body started to adjust to it. I’m excited with what I am at right now. I can’t wait to get on the field. I feel more explosive and lean right now than I have ever been.”
That could be alarming for the rest of the Big Ten and Penn State’s opponents in 2020 after Cain averaged 5.3 yards per carry and had eight touchdowns on only 84 carries last season. Cain had only one carry during November, missing three games that month because of an ankle injury.
Cain now he acknowledges that although he played in the December Cotton Bowl — his mother lives in Dallas and was anxious to see him — he was not 100% yet, despite his production of 92 yards and two touchdowns.
“I learned patience last year,” Cain said. “I’m not used to having any longterm injuries like that … and that took adjusting for me. Only you know your body, and there is nothing to gain by rushing back. Take it slowly, think longer-term. You want longevity so that you can play at the highest levels in the game.”
Cain showed his potential as a freshman during a two-game October span in which he had 207 rushing yards and two touchdowns on a combined 34 carries during wins against Purdue and Iowa. But his injury meant he only had 12 carries over the Nittany Lions’ final six games of the regular season.
In that time, others in Penn State’s loaded backfield shined. Most notable among them was Journey Brown, who over the final five games of the season had 593 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.
“He was playing like the best back in the country,” Cain said.
Still, Cain was outshining Brown — as well as Ricky Slade and Devyn Ford — throughout the first half of last season when he was only a true freshman.
“The narrative that I was too young or not mature enough to play early, I didn’t want to have that attached on my name,” Cain said. “I wanted to show the coaches that I was mature on the field and off the field. Even the smallest (transgressions) that you miss can affect your paying time, so it was big to show maturity on and off the field.”
And now, he aims to keep showing that maturity during such an extraordinary offseason in which plenty of trust is shown in players’ abilities to self-motivate.
Cain said he has taken the time to sharpen the mental aspects of his game, particularly in picking up on the new offense being installed by new coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca.
“Just understating coverages and understanding blitz concepts with the defense,” Cain said. “I think last year a lot of times my eyes were all over the place, when I go back and watch film.
“My main goal is for it to slow down for this year so I can make more plays when my number is called, and I think it really has slowed down for me. So, I am just real eager to learn plays in the new offense and just play my part this season.”
Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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