Penn State Sports Magazine
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O C T O B E R 2 0 2 5 3 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Following the victory over Villanova, Allar pushed back on speculation that he'd been overthinking his responsibili- ties. Leading an offense that, through three games, had produced points on 20 of the 29 possessions on which he played, he called for more consistency. "I think we go in spurts," Allar said. "Sometimes the rhythm kind of gets out of sync. The times that we were out of rhythm today, I felt like we hurt ourselves more than anything. I think it's just [a mat- ter of] eliminating the bad-ball aspect of it, whether it be missed assignments, missed reads, or whatever the case is on any par- ticular play. If we limit those things, it will just flow better throughout the game." Redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer won the backup role behind Allar for the 2025 season. Appearing in all three non- conference games, he completed 8 of 11 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Running Back There's been a big disparity in the per- formance of the Nittany Lions' 1A-1B duo of Allen and fellow senior Nicholas Singleton. Following the first injury-free offseason of his career at Penn State, Al- len has emerged as one of the most ef- ficient running backs in the country with his average of 8.0 yards per carry on 34 at- tempts. Through three games, that figure was ranked ninth nationally and sixth in the Power Four. While Allen amassed 273 yards in those three games, Singleton struggled to regain the momentum he established at the end of the 2024 campaign, totaling 179 yards and 5 touchdowns on 41 attempts for an average of 4.4 yards per carry. Singleton attributed those numbers to the defensive approach that Penn State's opponents were taking through three games. "They're set up to stop the run. That's really it," he said. "Everybody's in the box. That helps with the throwing. The receiv- ers have been really good going down the field, trying to open up the box." Singleton hasn't yet rekindled the ex- plosive playmaking that characterized his first three seasons, either on the ground or through the air. His longest run of the sea- son so far has covered only 16 yards, while his longest catch has gone for 22 yards. Anticipated to be a big part of the pass- ing attack, Singleton has 5 receptions for 44 yards to date. "I'm getting there," he said. "This is all stuff we're not going to show, obvi- ously, these past three games. I feel like the following week when we go up against Oregon, we're going to show more stuff. I know it's going to happen soon." The Lions are still trying to settle on a third-team running back. Redshirt soph- omore Cam Wallace is back in action after breaking both legs against Bowling Green and missing the rest of the 2024 season. He's had 6 carries for 23 yards, including a highlight-reel hurdle on a 12-yard swing pass against Nevada. Redshirt freshman Corey Smith has 13 yards on 5 carries, while classmate Quinton Martin Jr. wasn't cleared for participation until Week 2 and saw his first action of the season on kick- off coverage against Villanova. Wide Receiver Like the rest of the offense, the re- vamped receiver corps, headlined by se- nior transfers Trebor Peña, Kyron Hud- son and Devonte Ross, has had mixed success. Ross played sparingly in the opener while working his way back from an in- jury sustained earlier in the summer. In his absence, Peña and Hudson shined. Peña led all receivers with 7 catches against Nevada, totaling 74 yards, in- cluding 40 yards after the catch. Hud- son, meanwhile, posted 6 receptions for 89 yards and an eye-opening 31-yard touchdown to close the first half. Ross was ready for a bigger role when FIU came to town in Week 2 and fin- ished with 3 catches for 61 yards, in- cluding a 42-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Through three games, Hudson, Peña and Ross have accounted for 32 of the 35 total receptions made by Penn State receivers this season. Tight End Although redshirt senior Khalil Din- kins was named the starter at the po- sition, sophomore Luke Reynolds has established himself as one of Allar's fa- vorite targets and is tied for second on the team in receptions with 13 for 142 yards through three games. Reynolds finished first in receptions in games against FIU (7 for 58 yards) and Villanova (4 for 73). Offensive Line Following the FIU game, in which Penn State rushed for just 137 yards over the first 56 minutes, Franklin raised some eyebrows with his appraisal of an offen- sive line group he had predicted to be one of the nation's best. "I think there's a lot of meat left on the bone," he said. "I think we have the chance to be a dominant front, but I wouldn't say we've played like that up to this point. We have to get that figured out. Playing up to our potential is going to be important to us moving forward." Through three games, the Nittany Li- ons' average of 193.7 rushing yards per contest ranked seventh in the Big Ten. They likely can't afford to finish there if they hope to vie for a national champi- onship. ■ Kaytron Allen is averaging 8.0 yards per carry for Penn State, a mark that led the Big Ten as of mid-September. PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT