Saturday will be the first time that Penn State fans will get to see James Peoples for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State's newest offensive weapon will get his first crack at being a Nittany Lion on Saturday afternoon. Running back James Peoples will get his first carries and touches as a Nittany Lion when they kick off against the Marshall Thundering Herd.
Peoples comes to Penn State by way of the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he spent the first two years of his college career. As a Buckeye, Peoples had 541 yards on 110 carries for 5 career touchdowns.
He was passed over last year by two freshman running backs, and the writing was put directly on the wall. There were no spots left for him in Columbus, so he packed his bags and landed in Happy Valley.
Peoples is one of the most important pieces of Matt Campbell's patchwork team that he has assembled in his first season. Peoples will likely be the Nittany Lions' second option in the backfield to start the season.
He will start behind Carson Hansen at the beginning of the year but in today's day and age, having two running backs is incredibly important for the longevity of the position. The days of the bell cow back are gone, and a split approach is now far more common.
For Peoples, he is the perfect mix of a speed back and a power back. He has the agility and elusiveness to evade anyone on the edge, but he can also run between the tackles and get the hard, tough yards.
Early on in the year, as Penn State looks to get its feet under it, a strong running game will be able to pace an offense, which means that both Hansen and Peoples will have a major role on this team.
The outlook for Penn State this year couldn't be more positive. This is a very talented team that has some incredible schedule luck. They certainly avoided the toughest parts of the Big Ten, and if they can just stay afloat through one tough stretch of games in the middle, they will be in the College Football Playoff.
Unlike the majority of the transfers on the Penn State team, Big Ten environments will be no surprise to Peoples. He not only played in the most impressive environment in America, but he had real, legitimate carries for the Buckeyes. The crowds will never be too big, the lights never too bright, and Peoples has the opportunity to not only be a top player, but a leader on this team.
If they get there, a big reason for it will be the play of the running backs, specifically the newcomer, James Peoples.
