Penn State Sports Magazine
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2 2 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M ment translated into an 11-2 finish, along with the team's first Rose Bowl victory since the 1994 season. And as gratifying as it felt to help Penn State bounce back from an 11-11 show- ing in the 2020 and '21 seasons, the two freshman runners did something else: They brought a sense of excitement to the program that figures to carry over into the offseason and beyond. With so many of the team's best players holding either freshman or sophomore eligibility in 2022, it's entirely possible that the best is yet to come. Steady Improvement Singleton enjoyed one of the best sea- sons of any freshman running back in school history. His 1,061 rushing yards were the second-most ever by a first-year player at PSU, topped only by Barkley's 1,076-yard performance in 2015. Allen, too, had a big year, rushing for 867 yards. The former four-star prospect from IMG Academy in Florida topped 100 yards in games against Central Michigan and Rutgers, eliciting praise from Franklin for his diverse skills. "He has the ability to set up blocks," the coach said. "He has tremendous vision. … He's just a very well-rounded running back." Those talents helped Allen impact the backfield in a way that was less easily quantifiable but no less significant than his impressive yardage totals. He showed off his skill set while working side by side with Singleton throughout the year, and the former five-star prospect from Shillington, Pa., improved simply by watching. "My vision, my patience — in the be- ginning, I didn't feel like I did all that kind of stuff," Singleton said. "To see Kaytron, the way he plays, I feel like I got better from that." With 1,928 combined rushing yards, Singleton and Allen became the third- most-productive running back duo at Penn State since 1960, trailing only Lydell Mitchell and Franco Harris, who gained 2,251 yards in 1971, and Larry Johnson and Mike Gasparato, who gained 2,245 yards in 2002. The difference between those previ- ous backfield tandems and Penn State's current twosome is that Mitchell, Harris and Johnson were all seniors when they compiled their statistics, while Singleton and Allen both have three more seasons of eligibility remaining and won't be entering the NFL until 2025 at the earliest. For all his success this year, Singleton knows he needs more refinement at the college level before he's ready to move on. His 120-yard afternoon against Utah was just one more step along the way. "I felt like I did good," he said. "But there's stuff I need to improve on, and I'm just going to carry that into the offseason." Trust The Process Together, Singleton and Allen ac- counted for 81.9 percent of Penn State's 2,354 total rushing yards last season. Combine their proven abilities with an offensive line that returns six players who each boast at least five games of starting experience, and PSU appears to have the makings of a potent rushing attack. The Lions will move forward without rising junior Keyvone Lee. He was the team's leading rusher in 2020 and '21 but suffered an undisclosed injury this past fall and played in only five games. Lee closed out his career at Penn State Jan. 13 when he entered the transfer por- tal in search of a team where the carries would likely be more plentiful, rather than staying at PSU in the hope of regaining a spot in the running back rotation. Singleton and Allen will carry the load and should get all the touches they can handle. Offensive coordinator Mike Yur- cich is committed to that. "I don't think you need to do much there except keep feeding them the rock," he said. "I think the message from me is, we're going to just keep going with you guys. It is what it is. We're going to keep going, just being steadfast and making sure that they get enough touches, in my mind. That shows them that the offensive coordinator has a lot of faith in them and that we're going to give them the ball." 2023 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Sept. 2 WEST VIRGINIA Sept. 9 DELAWARE Sept. 16 at Illinois Sept. 23 IOWA Sept. 30 at Northwestern Oct. 14 MASSACHUSETTS Oct. 21 at Ohio State Oct. 28 INDIANA Nov. 4 at Maryland Nov. 11 MICHIGAN Nov. 18 RUTGERS Nov. 25 at Michigan State Allen finished his debut season with 867 yards. Together, he and Singleton became the first true freshman teammates in Big Ten history to each surpass 700 yards rushing. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE