How Journey Brown surprised with memorable performance in Penn State Nittany Lions’ Cotton Bowl win
Journey Brown briskly walked around the field Saturday after one of Penn State’s greatest-ever bowl performances, posing for photos, embracing his teammates and giving a loud shout before skipping toward the podium.
This — a Penn State bowl-record 202 rushing yards, the Cotton Bowl Offensive MVP and a 53-39 win over Memphis — was something few believed Brown would ever approach.
He was the least-heralded member of the running back room, its lone three-star recruit. He was a small-town back that many believed was a track athlete in pads. He even recalled to the media how he received calls, texts and direct messages about how he should transfer.
But, in the end, Brown’s steadfast faith in himself was rewarded. Some 202 times over. “Just to be able to do what I do and come out here and play ball, it’s a blessing,” the redshirt sophomore said, “because of where I started from and how many people doubted me.”
Those doubters were silent Saturday afternoon.
Brown — who earned the starting job early in the season — needed just 16 carries to rack up his 202 rushing yards, the second-most yards ever registerd in a New Year’s Six game. Only Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott topped that total, with 230 against Alabama in the 2015 Sugar Bowl.
“That shows the rest of the world what he can do,” running back Ricky Slade said, “but we already knew what he could do. It ain’t nothing new from our end.”
Brown, the former high school track athlete who broke an eventual Olympic gold medalist’s 100-meter PIAA record, earned those yards against Memphis in every way possible. He shimmied, he stiff-armed and, yes, he sped.
In the second quarter, he raced up the middle for a 56-yard touchdown, outran everyone and literally didn’t appear to be touched. In the third quarter, he cracked open a 44-yard run after breaking one tackle and carrying another defender nearly 10 yards. But it was his first-quarter run, a 32-yard TD scamper, that might’ve been his best.
He broke one linebacker’s arm tackle, stiff-armed a defensive back to the ground, then stiff-armed another DB — who tried to pull him down by his collar — and then carried a 250-pound defensive end for the last 5 yards into the end zone.
“He’s the strongest one out of all of us,” running back Devyn Ford said. “It may not look like it, but that boy is strong. I don’t think anyone in college football can tackle that man one-on-one.”
Added left tackle Rasheed Walker: “I was right behind him, so I could see the determination in the way he was running, so that was my favorite run. That was a badass touchdown.”
After the game, before confetti rained down from the rafters, teammates took turns hugging Brown and shouting in his ear over the crowd noise. Wideout KJ Hamler said he couldn’t help but cry while expressing just how proud he was. “You don’t know how hard he’s been working,” Hamler said.
Linebacker Micah Parsons shouted at Brown, telling him he told him all week he would win MVP. Walker embraced Brown and told him he loved him. Offensive lineman C.J. Thorpe nodded while speaking softly, “That was a long-time coming. We knew that; we knew that.”
Even while Brown tried to make his way through the crowd on the field, he acquiesced to every fan request. He stopped to take photos with at least three fans, patted a young boy on the head and seemed unfazed by all the strange hands patting his shoulder pads.
“I’m just a regular degular dude, you feel me?” Brown told reporters with a smile, maybe channeling his inner Ned Flanders.
One year ago, Brown was maybe the most unlikely running back to rise to the top of Penn State’s rotation. Slade was supposed to be Miles Sanders’ heir apparent, after all. But the pride of Meadville (pop: 13,388) never wavered.
If he didn’t get carries, he said, he’d cheer on his teammates. If he did? “If you get opportunities, take advantage of them,” he said matter-of-factly.
And as those opportunities came, Brown’s talent became more evident. He amassed 890 yards and averaged 6.9 yards per carry this season, and he earned his place in history Saturday. Penn State has played in 50 bowl games since 1923 — and never before has a running back reached 200 yards in those games.
With a few minutes left in the final quarter, Brown’s face and Penn State record even graced the AT&T Stadium Jumbotron, a colossal structure that weighs more than a million pounds and measures 160 feet wide.
The small-town kid made it.
No matter what happens now, Brown swore he’s still coming back next year. “I just want that to be known,” he said, raising his hands. “I’ve got stuff to do.” But he didn’t want to get too far ahead of himself for the 2020 season — even after a record-breaking performance, one that saw him surpass Saquon Barkley and his 194 yards against USC in the 2017 Rose Bowl.
“I don’t like to look ahead,” Brown said. “I’m going to work my butt off this offseason.
“I’m already ready to get back to work.”
This story was originally published December 28, 2019 at 9:18 PM.
