Kaytron Allen turns his punishing attention to Notre Dame

Penn State’s Kaytron Allen has delivered his share of sonic booms over the past three years, though few were quite as symbolic as the one he unleashed on New Year’s Eve. Allen saw a Boise State defensive back, lowered his shoulders and produced a sound heard throughout State Farm Stadium during the Fiesta Bowl. And then Allen carried on as usual – for another 25 yards.

“He was on a mission,” Penn State running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider said near midnight after the The Nittany Lions defeated Boise State 31-14 in the Fiesta Bowl. Unfortunately for Allen, a penalty negated the 50-yard run, which would have been his longest of the season. But Penn State coach James Franklin made sure to show the clip during a team meeting. As Penn State prepares to face Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl, Franklin wants his team to know who the Alphas are heading into the College Football Playoff semifinals.

“Even though it was called back, I showed it because I thought it was such an impressive run,” Franklin said, “and he deserved his flowers at that moment and so did the rest of the group.”

Through three postseason games, Allen has been Penn State’s best player at just the right time. The junior has rushed for 328 yards in three games, averaging 7.8 yards per carry. carry, and produced a season-high 134 in the Fiesta Bowl. He’s flexed his strength and style into the perfect playoff combination: Allen hitting holes with speed and defenders with ferocity. He and second runner Nicholas Singleton has combined for 610 rushing yards in three postseason games, a tool Notre Dame expects Penn State to continue to arm itself against in the Orange Bowl.

“They’re a great running team,” Notre Dame defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka said. “And of course, if you can’t stop the run, they’re just going to keep running it.”

Nothing would please Allen more. Although he and Singleton have praised the strategy for their three-season payload share, Allen has enjoyed flexing at the right time. He couldn’t stop smiling in the locker room after Penn State’s victory in the Fiesta Bowl and was most proud that he had made the yards-after-contact play that most predicted for Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty.

“Kaytron is just so physical,” Franklin said, “and he wears people down. He’s able to run over you, keep his feet, extend runs.”

“Just in terms of what he’s shown throughout the season and then for him to take another step during the playoffs, I know it’s hard to see for anybody who’s not wearing a Penn State jersey, Penn State defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas added.

Allen’s resurgence followed a stretch of inconsistent and frustrating games where he didn’t get a touch or the equivalent of yards. The running back had just six carries for 20 yards at Purdue and seven carries for just 10 yards the following week at Minnesota. He also rushed for 34 yards on 13 carries against Maryland, finishing the regular season with a 2.46 yards-per-carry average and no touchdowns in three games. He has looked completely different since against Oregon, SMU and Boise State.

“When you have someone who runs that hard, runs through people’s facemasks and you see him just destroy the opponent, it’s unbelievable,” Thomas said. “I know it’s also incredibly demoralizing (for opposing defenses). … It has to be a big part of your game plan or it’s going to hurt you tremendously. So I think it’s very difficult for opposing defenses, and I think it’s great for us.”

Teammates still call Allen “Fatman,” a childhood nickname he’s since outgrown now that he’s a 5-11, 220-pound college running back. Yet the nickname sometimes hints at his other strengths.

“I haven’t met a back like Fatman since I’ve been at Penn State,” Penn State defensive tackle Zane Durant said. “Our practices against him are like the hardest practices we’ve ever had.”

Franklin likes to say that Penn State has the nation’s top two running backs in Allen and Singleton, something Notre Dame will quickly counter in Jeremiah Love and Jadarian Price. The two have combined for 1,796 rushing yards, averaging 7 yards per carry. carry and works with quarterback Riley Leonard (831 yards rushing). So Notre Dame’s defense feels ready to take on Penn State’s run game.

“Honestly, I think we have the two best running backs in the country,” Tuihalamaka said. “So if we can stop them in practice, we can stop everyone else.”

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