Last season, Alabama running back Trent Richardson gashed Penn State's defense for 144 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries in the Crimson Tide's 24-3 against the Nittany Lions in Tuscaloosa. Penn State defenders had trouble tackling Richardson all afternoon as he bounced off them like a pinball.
Saturday offers Penn State defenders a shot at redemption on their home turf when Richardson and his Alabama teammates roll into Beaver Stadium for the rematch, and defensive lineman and newly minted captain is looking forward to the challenge of stopping him.
"He's definitely an elite running back in college football," Still said at a press conference on Tuesday. "He's going to be tough to control Saturday, and we're just looking forward to practicing for Saturday."
Still said going up against Silas Redd, a back Still thinks is among the best in the country, in practice every day helps the Lions prepare for that they'll face in Richardson when kickoff comes around.
Stopping Richardson, however, will take more than bottling him up on the ground. The Penn State defense will also have to work to make sure he doesn't make the impact in the passing game that he did last season, when he pulled in four passes for 46 yards.
If the Lions' defenders can do that, they'll be well on their way to improving on their efforts from a year ago and possibly sparking an upset.