Kaytron Allen, Penn State's Best Postseason Player, Sights Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl

The Nittany Lions back has 328 yards rushing in three postseason games and has been "demoralizing" opponents, teammates say.

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) rushes the ball against the Boise State Broncos during the first half in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Penn State's Kaytron Allen has delivered his share of sonic booms over the past three years, though few were quite as symbolic as the one he unleashed on New Year's Eve. Allen sighted a Boise State defensive back, lowered his shoulders and produced a sound that all of State Farm Stadium heard during the Fiesta Bowl. And then, as usual, Allen kept going — for another 25 yards.

"He was on a mission," Penn State running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider said near midnight, after the Nittany Lions defeated Boise State 31-14 in the Fiesta Bowl. Unfortunately for Allen, a penalty negated that 50-yard run, which would have been his longest of the season. But Penn State coach James Franklin made sure to show the clip during a team meeting. As Penn State prepares to faces Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, Franklin wants his team to know who the alphas are heading into the College Football Playoff semifinals.

"Even though it was called back, I showed it because I thought it was such an impressive run," Franklin said, "and he deserved his flowers in that moment, and so did the rest of the group."

Kaytron created a *collision* - like watching the rams batter each other pic.twitter.com/ogAAcHYiB9

— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) January 1, 2025

Through three postseason games, Allen has been Penn State's best player at just the right time. The junior has rushed for 328 yards in three games, averaging 7.8 yards per carry, and produced a season-high 134 in the Fiesta Bowl. He has flexed his strength and style into the perfect playoff combination: Allen is hitting holes with speed and defenders with ferocity. He and fellow running back Nicholas Singleton have combined for 610 rushing yards in three postseason games, a tool Notre Dame expects Penn State to continue weaponizing against it in the Orange Bowl.

"They're a great running-scheme team," Notre Dame defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka said. "And obviously, if you can't stop the run, they're just going to keep running it."

Nothing would please Allen more. Though he and Singleton have praised the strategy of their three-season payload share, Allen has enjoyed flexing at the right time. He could not stop smiling in the locker room after Penn State's win in the Fiesta Bowl and was most proud that he had the yards-after-contact game most people predicted for Boise State's Ashton Jeanty.

"Kaytron is just so physical," Franklin said, "and he wears people down. He's able to run you over, keep his feet, extend runs."

"Just in terms of what he's shown throughout the season, and then for him to take another step again during the playoffs, I know it's tough to watch for everybody that's not wearing a Penn State jersey," Penn State defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas added.

Allen's revival followed a stretch of inconsistent and frustrating games in which he didn't get the touches or corresponding yards. The running back had just six carries for 20 yards at Purdue and seven carries for only 10 yards the following week at Minnesota. He also labored to 34 yards on 13 carries against Maryland, finishing the regular season with a 2.46 yards-per-carry average and no touchdowns in three games. He has looked completely different since against Oregon, SMU and Boise State.

"When you have somebody running that hard, running through people's facemasks, and you see him just destroying the opponent, it's incredible," Thomas said. "I know it's incredibly demoralizing as well [for opposing defenses]. ... That has to be a big portion of your game plan, otherwise it's gonna hurt you tremendously. So I think it's very tough for opposing defenses, and I think it's great for us."

Teammates still call Allen "Fatman," a childhood nickname he since has outgrown now that he's a 5-11, 220-pound college running back. Still, sometimes the nickname hints at his other strengths.

"I haven't faced a back like Fatman since I've been at Penn State," Penn State defensive tackle Zane Durant said. "Our practices against him are like the hardest practices we've ever had."

Franklin likes to say that Penn State has the nation's two best backs in Allen and Singleton, something that Notre Dame will counter quickly regarding Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. The two have combined for 1,796 rushing yards, average 7 yards per carry and work in tandem with quarterback Riley Leonard (831 yards rushing). So Notre Dame's defense feels prepared to take on Penn State's run game.

"Honestly, I think we have the two best running backs in the country," Tuihalamaka said. "So if we can stop them in practice, we can stop anyone else."

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