“We always say we’re the best backfield in the nation,” Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen dominant in win over SMU

Nicholas Singleton tells his team to "block everything up and leave me with one man to beat." As the first half neared its final minute, that’s exactly what his offensive line did. Singleton took the handoff and powered into the end zone to give Penn State a 28-0 advantage. 

After the score, he approached James Franklin on the sideline and declared, “I'm a violent (expletive) man.” Though he left the expletive unfinished, there was no doubt about his statement. 

Alongside his running mate Kaytron Allen, the duo dominated the ground game. The Nittany Lions ran for 160 yards and three touchdowns in the 38-10 win over SMU. 

Singleton’s touchdown run was just one of many violent plays on Saturday. He caught a pass and steamrolled SMU linebacker Kobe Wilson. Singleton is often considered for his speed, but his ability to truck defenders has become a key element to his game. 

“I'm trying to be more of a physical runner,” Singleton said. “Run through someone where the extra man is there.”

Allen has always been the ‘thunder’ of the duo, often saying he wants to “run through a mother—'s face.” On Saturday, he crossed the end zone twice. 

The first came when he and Singleton seemed to swap roles, with Allen sprinting for a 25-yard touchdown. Later, Allen bulldozed through SMU's defenders like his teammate did earlier in the contest.

“We talked a lot in the past about their abilities and how hard they run and the way that they complement each other,” offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki said. “It wasn’t always perfect, but as we started getting to the second quarter, you could see those big runs start to get a bit bigger.”

Penn State’s offense struggled to open the contest as the Mustangs entered with a top-five run defense in the nation. However, as the Nittany Lions' defense began to make plays so did their star running back duo. The offensive line started to create holes for explosive runs, allowing the offense to gain momentum. 

“When you have guys like Nick and Kaytron on the team,” quarterback Drew Allar said. “It just really helps our offense flow as a whole.”

Singleton led the way on the ground with 90 yards and a score on 14 carries, while Kaytron had 11 carries for 70 yards and two touchdowns. It was the second straight contest where the blue and white found success on the ground. 

Over the past two games, Penn State has run for 481 yards and five touchdowns. Those two games have seen Singleton explode for 195 and a touchdown while Allen has tallied 194 yards and three scores. Despite dealing with injuries throughout the regular season, both Singleton and Allen are at full strength heading into the biggest games of the campaign. 

This is evident especially in Singleton’s game as he’s playing with the speed and elusiveness that was lacking in the middle of the season. Along with a return to health for Singleton, he also credits the offensive line for creating space for him to operate. 

The offensive line has seen its own injuries this year. Right tackle Nolan Rucci went down against SMU, who replaced Anthony Donkoh who suffered a “long-term” injury against Minnesota. Despite the injuries, Penn State has continued to find success on the ground and it doesn’t look like it will deviate from the ground game. 

With Singleton and Allen playing their best football, the blue and white is positioned to continue to lean on the duo. 

“They're really close friends. They're great complementary pieces.” Franklin said of Singleton and Allen. “I know the expression is probably overused, but thunder and lightning' is a good expression or a good description for those guys.”

The thunder-and-lightning dynamic in the Nittany Lions’ backfield has been a successful pairing for the past three seasons, and they will need it to continue in the Fiesta Bowl against Boise State on Dec. 31. 

“We always say we’re the best backfield in the nation,” Singleton said. “We stand on it.”

Alex Rocco is a graduate student pursuing a master's in strategic communications. To contact him, email alex.rocco1702@gmail.com.