Penn State Is Ready to Run Against SMU in the College Football Playoff

The Nittany Lions rushed for 292 yards vs. Oregon in the Big Ten title game. Healthy and confident, they look for a similar performance against SMU.

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) carries the ball during the Big Ten Championship game against the Oregon Ducks at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It will be a battle between an unstoppable force and an immovable object at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, as Penn State’s run game looks to keep it rolling in the first round of the College Football Playoff. In a Big Ten championship game loss to Oregon, the Nittany Lions totaled 292 yards rushing, their second-highest number this season. Now, they'll face an SMU run defense that has been very stingy this season.

Kaytron Allen posted 124 yards and a touchdown against Oregon, Nick Singleton had 105 yards, and quarterback Drew Allar added 54 yards rushing and a score of his own. That production came against a solid Ducks defense that had allowed just 111.8 rushing yards per game. Penn State will be tested against another strong front Saturday, as SMU ranks fourth in the nation against the run (93.4 yards per game). 

“For us as an offensive line, definitely there were highlights and stuff of our potential and what we could do,” Penn State center Nick Dawkins said Monday. “And yeah, I would say that there's a bit of a confidence in that. But our expectation is that that's what we're supposed to do every single game. So I don't think it matters the opponent that we played against. It more so is just about the idea of what we were doing.”

RELATED: Penn State needs a QB2. A true freshman is the leading candidate

Singleton said he ran well against Oregon, crediting the offensive line and tight ends for opening lanes for him. The junior running back, who has not announced his plans for 2025, dealt with an injury that lingered through the middle of the season. But his recent performances appear to signal that he is at full strength at the most critical point of the season. 

“Yeah, I feel confident,” Singleton said Tuesday. “Me, I’d say the whole running back room, the O-line room, tight end room, we feel confident.”

Singleton credited Penn State’s training staff, as well as his teammates and coaches, for being there for him and helping him return to feeling healthy. 

“I think Kaytron and Nick are both back healthier than they've been in a while,” Penn State coach James Franklin said Monday. “And I thought our offensive line and tight ends did a really good job of getting a hat on a hat and straining [against Oregon].” 

The Nittany Lions rank 16th in the nation with 5.34 yards per carry and 19th in the nation with 202.2 yards rushing per game. That run game could change for the postseason, though, as quarterback Beau Pribula entered the the transfer portal and won’t be available during the playoff run. With a healthy dose of Tyler Warren direct snaps and possibly other wrinkles in offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s playbook, the Nittany Lions will look to maintain a strong ground attack. SMU coach Rhett Lashlee expects that to happen.

“When you run for 300 yards on Oregon, you’re pretty good,” Lashlee said. “I remember recruiting Kaytron Allen when we were at Miami [as offensive coordinator] when he was coming out of high school. [He’s a] big, physical back. Both of those guys have done a really nice job for them, and they compliment each other with that 1-2 punch.”

The Mustangs have been excellent against the run, most recently allowing 49 total rushing yards to Clemson running back Phil Mafah and quarterback Cade Klubnik in the ACC championship game. The defense is led by a strong defensive line that includes upperclassmen playmakers Jahfari Harvey, Elijah Roberts, Isaiah Smith and Jared Harrison-Hunte. 

SMU has accumulated 96 tackles for loss, tied for seventh in the nation. The Mustangs have made a living off pushing offenses behind the line of scrimmage and behind the sticks. 

Yet ahead of its first playoff game in program history, Penn State is feeling confident in its ground attack against SMU. 

“Coach Franklin always says, for this whole room, it starts with the O-line, D-line … just being physical at the line of scrimmage because them boys set the tone,” Singleton said. “They make our job easier. So we're up to the challenge, and we’re ready for it.”

More Penn State Football

Abdul Carter believes he's the best player in college football

Former USC receiver commits to Penn State from the transfer portal

James Franklin wants a word with college football

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