Will Kaytron Allen pass Saquon Barkley, make Penn State football history vs Nebraska?
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Kaytron Allen has experienced a Penn State football metamorphosis on and off the field.
And now the senior is on the verge of making history.
Allen needs one more standout performance Saturday night against Nebraska to become Penn State’s all-time leader rusher.
Since becoming the Nittany Lions‘ No. 1 tailback last month, he’s produced career games of 145 yards at Iowa and 181 last week at Michigan State. He needs 139 more on “Senior Night” to pass PSU legends Saquon Barkley and Evan Royster and top the record list.
It’s been an impressive process for the schoolboy star from Virginia, via the IMG Academy in Florida.
“Kaytron is, as a person, he has transformed himself,” PSU interim head coach Terry Smith said this week. “As a freshman, maybe early in his sophomore year, Kaytron wasn’t a very friendly guy in the building. You had to really pull words out of him. He has matured tremendously. He’s always been an extremely hard worker, and he’s always been super talented, but now you just see more personality out of him.
“He’s a leader. We’ve got a bunch of young running backs in the room, (and) he leads those guys. And he’s stepping into a role that’s been a little bit different for him this year. Really, since I took over, he’s been the focal point. Up until (then), he shared that role.
“So, he’s embraced it, he’s answered it, and just looking for him to continue to keep getting better and just making self-improvements each week.”
For his first three seasons, Allen, known for his punishing, tackle-breaking running style, split the starting role with roommate and good friend Nick Singleton.
The two shared the workload again this season, despite Allen’s significant edge in production, until head coach James Franklin was fired in mid-October. Since, Allen has received the bulk of the carries and has averaged about 5 yards per attempt.
While both senior All-America candidates were primed to break the Penn State rushing record coming into the season, Singleton is now a distant fifth on the all-time list, 463 yards behind Allen. Only recently has Singleton, the faster, home-run sprinter, excelled again.
If Allen doesn’t break the record Saturday night he still will have a shot against Rutgers on Thanksgiving weekend and possibly in a bowl game.
He needs 50 rushing yards to break Barkley. Another 89 to make history with 3,933 in his career.
“Obviously, the most important goal is to win (Saturday’s) game,” Smith said, “but … our keys to victory every week is for Kaytron and Nick to touch the ball, and if they’re touching the ball, that means we’re going to get closer to that goal.
“I want nothing more than for him to have the opportunity to break the goal, but it’s paramount for us to get him the football for us to have success. So, they work hand-in-hand. Hopefully we can get it.”
Penn State football: All-time rushing list
- Evan Royster (2007-10) 3,932 yards
- Saquon Barkley (2005-07) 3,843
- Kaytron Allen (2022-present) 3,794
- Curt Warner (1979-82) 3,398
- Nick Singleton (2022-present) 3,331
- Tony Hunt (2003-06) 3,320
- Blair Thomas (1985-89) 3,301
- Curtis Enis (1995-97) 3,256
- D.J. Dozier (1983-86) 3,227
- Larry Johnson (1998-02) 2,953
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: Will Kaytron Allen make Penn State football history vs Nebraska?
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