How the Penn State football offensive line, Kaytron Allen can lead a 3-game win streak
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EAST LANSING, Mich. − The Penn State football offensive linemen walked into the interview room here Saturday evening, one after another.
The five starters wanted to tell their story together, in an unusual show of postgame unity.
The Nittany Lions had just wore out the ill-equipped Michigan State Spartans on their home field, bulldozed them in the second half with one punishing running play after another.
They had cleared lanes for Kaytron Allen as he closes in on the school’s all-time rushing record. They protected freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer perfectly on his game-changing, 75-yard touchdown pass.
They led the way to breaking Penn State’s longest, most unexpected losing streak in two decades. And to carrying the oversized and well-earned Land Grant Trophy back to State College.
This line’s early-season struggles, it could be considered, are what got the Lions started down their broken path. And yet their so-called resurgence, their coming-together, is what has helped lead this team out of what they and interim coach Terry Smith call “the storm” of the past two months.
They will be the key to Penn State starting a new streak − to beating down Nebraska Saturday on Senior Day and then Rutgers on Thanksgiving weekend.
They could lead the Lions to salvage something of their lost season with a three-game winning streak, a bowl game − and some feel-good momentum heading into an unpredictable offseason with a new coaching staff and a new roster.
They sat next to each other on office chairs Saturday evening to meet reporters − tackles Drew Shelton and Nolan Rucci, guards Anthony Donkoh and Vega Ioane and senior center and group leader, Nick Dawkins.
“It’s the unit. Winning is fun and we’ve been waiting to have fun for a little bit now and this is fun,” Dawkins said about why they wanted to talk to reporters together. “It’s fun to change stuff up, which is what we’ve been doing, especially with Coach Terry.
“The unit is ‘one.’ In order for a play to work, all guys have to do their job. And in order for a play not to work only one guy has to not do his job.”
Penn State football: How offensive line, run game is finally revving
Their improved efforts truly began showing after coach James Franklin was fired in mid-October and senior tailback Kaytron Allen began being used as the feature tailback. Once he stopped splitting carries with roommate Nick Singleton, Allen ran for career-best 145 yards at Iowa and 181 yards and two touchdowns at Michigan State.
The line also sprung Singleton for a 59-yard blast against Indiana and some big runs late to break the Spartans.
Finally, the running game is working the way it was envisioned last spring and summer and into the start of this supposed national championship-contending season.
Allen’s numbers are certainly one measure how. He’s averaging nearly five yards per carry over the past four games. He’s only 50 yards away from moving past Saquon Barkley into second place on Penn State’s career rushing list. He’s only 83 away from another 1,000-yard season.
Finally, things are rolling after losing their head coach and their starting quarterback, losing linemen to minor injuries and losing games in the final moments.
Expect the Lions to embrace their advantage and attempt to bludgeon Nebraska and then Rutgers on the ground. To do what they always wanted to.
To at least end this season on their terms.
“That felt real good. I feel like it was a big game for us to show our true identity,” Ioane said Saturday night. “A lot of (people) talking about how we can’t run the ball, ‘There it is, man.’ Just goes to show …”
Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: How Penn State football, Kaytron Allen can beat Nebraska, Rutgers
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