Penn State's Kaytron Allen: 'I Can't Be Denied'

The running back, underrated in the Big Ten, will be essential to the Lions' offensive success against Michigan.

Kaytron Allen met first contact at the 7-yard line but never stopped driving forward. As Maryland's defense attempted vainly to slow him, the Penn State running back got stronger, propelled into the end zone by a freight train of teammates. The entire 10-yard touchdown run perfectly distilled Allen's career at Penn State, as did his description of his headspace during it.

"What's going through my mind is, I can't be denied," Allen said.

Bulldozing into the end zone. 😤@kaytron_allen x @PennStateFball

📺: FOX/@CFBONFOX pic.twitter.com/sHGVgldDfS

— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) November 4, 2023

As Penn State prepares for what coach James Franklin called a "big-boy" game against Michigan, the Nittany Lions need their big boys to play big. In the backfield that's Allen, or "Fat Man" as he's nicknamed. Allen has been the most consistent, and perhaps the Big Ten's most consistently underrated, presence on Penn State's offense this season, a player who extracts the most from the reps he gets.

Allen and Nicholas Singleton, roommates and co-starters in Penn State's backfield, have continued the position share that worked on such a complementary level last season. But this year, Allen has proven himself as the back Penn State needs for this offense. That appears particularly true for Saturday's game against Michigan, whose defense has allowed just six touchdowns all season.

According to Sports Info Solutions, Allen has been among the Big Ten's most effective backs this year. He ranks fourth in the conference in Points Earned (.161) and Expected Points Added (.123) per play. He ranks second, to Michigan's Blake Corum, in Positive Play Rate, which assesses the percentage of plays that produced a successful result. Corum's success rate is 57.9 percent, Allen's is 54.6 percent.

Allen averages 2.9 yards-after-contact per carry, tied with Ohio State's TreVeyon Henderson and ahead of Corum (2.7). Among backs with at least 100 carries, Allen ranks third in the Big Ten in first-down percentage, extending the chains on 32.8 percent of his carries.

Though Penn State certainly needs Singleton's home-run threat, the offense requires Allen to be on the field more for sustainability reasons. Franklin left the impression that the rotation will continue.

"We've talked a ton about the running backs and having a way to keep those guys fresh for the fourth quarter, but also for the length of their careers, not only at Penn State but afterwards as well," Franklin said. "So we feel very comfortable with the model and the plan and how we're using it."

Both backs should feel relatively fresh entering Saturday's game, considering their shared workload. Allen and Singleton virtually have split their carries — Singleton has 121, Allen 119 — both overall and situationally. Here's a comparison:

Kaytron Allen

• Carries by half: 69 1st, 50 2nd
• Carries by quarter: 34 1st, 35 2nd, 40 3rd 10 4th
• Carries by down: 67 1st, 37 2nd, 15 3rd, 4th 0

 Nicholas Singleton

• Carries by half: 76 1st, 45 2nd
• Carries by quarter: 37 1st, 39 2nd, 29 3rd, 16 4th
• Carries by down: 69 1st, 37 2nd, 15 3rd, 4th 0

However, Allen leads in Singleton in several key running stats, according to Sports Info Solutions:

A comparison of Penn State running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton / Data via Sports Info Solutions

"I think Fat Man just brings a mentality of toughness and aggressiveness to our offense, no matter if he's carrying the ball or in pass protection," Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said. "And I think him and Nick have both done a great job of being very well prepared. ... I have a ton of confidence in both of them. 

"But as far as Fat Man goes, I think he's the style of running back where he loves running people over, and that gives him more energy the more touches he gets throughout the game. And I think that showed this past Saturday pretty well, because he was able to really wear down that [Maryland defensive] line and linebackers and then really make that secondary feel his presence every time. They tried to come up and tackle him and, I mean, there was guys bouncing off of him right and left. It was just a really impressive thing to see him do."

Allen rushed 14 times for 91 yards against Maryland, averaging 6.5 per carry. He gained 50 of those yards in the third quarter, doing exactly what Allar described. Left tackle Olu Fashanu watched with appreciation as well.

"I've said this before, but he's just the type of guy to make something happen out of nothing," Fashanu said. "It's definitely nice blocking for a back that can help you make yourself right. Even if you might mess up or miss your own assignment, he'll still find a way to get an extra two of three yards on his own."

After that touchdown, Allen flexed on a Maryland defender, who tapped his facemask (leading Penn State tight end Theo Johnson, for some reason, to draw an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty). Anyway, that's yet another reason for Allen to play a bigger role against Michigan.

"I love to talk trash," Allen said. "I love getting in people's heads, because I know I'm going to back it up."

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.