Penn State Brings a 'Violent' Run Game to the College Football Playoff

The Nittany Lions believe their rushing offense will travel through a postseason ride.

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) runs with the ball during the second quarter against the SMU Mustangs in the first round of the College Football Playoff at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE | Late in the third quarter Saturday, Penn State embarked on a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that all but iced its 38-10 College Football Playoff win over SMU. The Nittany Lions didn’t throw once on the drive, imposing their will on the Mustangs’ defense by running the ball nine straight times. Penn State called only four pass plays in the third quarter, which made the coaching staff quite happy. 

“I think that one drive we ran the ball all the way down the field, which is awesome, and that's what you want to be able to do in a game like that,” offensive coordinator Kotelnicki said.

Added Penn State head coach James Franklin, "[it] took us a little time to get going on offense, specifically in the run game, but then we got it going. Those two guys are fast, they're big, they're both
220-pound backs, and they're violent."

Penn State running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen took center stage for the offense, combining for 160 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 25 carries and averaging a tandem 6.4 yards per carry.  

“I think we did a great job blocking it,” Kotelnicki said. “It wasn't always perfect, but as we started getting into the second quarter, you can see those runs started to get a little bit bigger. … If you're running the ball well, gains of two and three in the first quarter turn into gains of four, five and six in the second, and they turn into gains of 10 to 12 in the third and fourth, and that's kind of what happened. I was very pleased with that.”

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The way the Nittany Lions’ run game snowballed against SMU was critical on a day when quarterback Drew Allar wasn’t at his best. Allar finished 13-for-22 for 127 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. The first quarter was particularly slow, as the offense punted on the first two drives and turned over the ball on downs on the following two possessions. 

“At the end of the day, we weren't executing the play calls that were there,” Allar said. “I had plenty of missed throws in that first quarter that I need to hit and get the ball to the playmakers in space and allow them to show off their ability.” 

Penn State’s backfield duo has been hot lately. Singleton and Allen combined for 229 rushing yards against Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game, and Singleton rushed for 87 yards and two scores against Maryland. The Nittany Lions are getting significant production on the ground, even against good run defenses like Oregon and SMU. The Mustangs ranked fourth against the run going into Saturday’s game, but Penn State out-muscled SMU’s defense in the second half. 

“I thought we were gassed probably from the first quarter,” SMU defensive coordinator Scott Symons said. “We were on the field a long time in that first quarter and I think, over the course of the game, that probably wore on us.”

In the Fiesta Bowl against No. 3 seed Boise State, Penn State will face the nation's best running back in Ashton Jeanty and another solid run defense. The Broncos allow 3.6 yards per carry and 115.1 total rushing yards per game, which both rank in the upper half of the nation. Although Glendale’s State Farm Stadium will be much more suitable for Allar and the passing game, expect the Nittany Lions to keep pounding the rock on New Year's Eve. 

Franklin described Singleton and Allen as fast, big and violent, and those two embrace that description. Singleton said he tries to “run through someone” when they’re in his path.

“I feel like me and Kaytron, we always say we’re the best backfield in the nation. We stand on it,” Singleton said. “Shout out to the O-line. They had a good job today doing what they’re doing. I feel like we just keep going with it. Keep practicing hard. Take one day at a time and find the little stuff we can get better at.”

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Sam Woloson has covered Penn State Athletics for the past three years and is currently the managing editor of The Daily Collegian. His work has also appeared in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Huntingdon Daily News and Rivals. Follow him on X @sam_woloson