Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1410640
H er eyes welling up with tears, Tonya Cain hugged her son from the first row of seats at Camp Randall Stadium. In the moments after Penn State's 16- 10 upset victory over Wisconsin to start the 2021 season, junior running back Noah Cain embraced his mother right back. Cain had been key contributor to that effort, scoring the winning touch- down on a tough 2-yard carry in the fourth quarter, and he and his mother had earned the tearful embrace. It had been more than just a run, just a touchdown, just a game or just a win. For Cain, the moment marked the cul- mination of months spent working his way back from a major injury last sea- son. "I saw my mom after the game, and it was just a real emotional moment," Cain said. "Getting hurt the third play of the game last year, then coming back and getting a road win against Wiscon- sin, it's just a surreal moment. I'm just trying to take it all in. Winning against Wisconsin is not easy at all. We knew the environment that we were coming into, so we're going to celebrate." For Cain and his family, the celebra- tion was hard-earned. Cain's parents, Tonya and Terence, had shared in the disappointment of Noah's setback and his struggle to re- turn to the game. He had been forced into a grueling rehabilitation after a broken foot derailed his 2020 season in the first offensive series of the first game of the year at Indiana, and he had traveled a difficult path to get back to the field this season. The injury had been a blow to Cain's mind and his body. He had aspired to become the lead running back for a team ranked in the top 10 to start the year. But instead of helping the Nittany Lions achieve the success everyone had antic- ipated, Cain watched from the sidelines while coping with the first extended ab- sence of his playing career. "Getting hurt the third play of the game is never in anyone's head. When it happened, it was humbling because that was the first time for me having to be sidelined for that period," Cain said. "I had to learn how to embrace the process every day — going through the rehab and going through a lot of roller coasters with an injury, some weeks being good, some weeks being bad. "It was uncomfortable, just having to get used to that new normal, coming out of that surgery and just having to adjust mentally and physically. It was very challenging, but my support sys- tem and my faith helped me persevere through all that." The injury also caused him to rethink his approach to the game. He was al- ready a standout running back, having NAT E BAU E R | N B A U E R @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 3 2 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M NOAH'S ARC After an injury wiped out his sophomore season, talented Nittany Lion running back Noah Cain is once again trending up