Will top Penn State football star play vs Clemson in Pinstripe Bowl?

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NEW YORK CITY − More than 30 Penn State football players won’t take part in Saturday’s Pinstripe Bowl in frozen Yankee Stadium.

And the most productive Nittany Lion may not go at all now, either.

By far, it is the biggest PSU contingent on a Big Ten pregame availability report all season − players listed as “out” because of injury, illness or simply because they’ve decided not to play − for this season-ending game against the Clemson Tigers.

The list of notable missing Lions begins with defensive backs Antoine Belgrave-Shorter (undisclosed absence), A.J. Harris (NCAA transfer portal) and Zakee Wheatley (preparing for the NFL Draft) and runs from tailback Nick Singleton to starting defensive linemen Zuriah Fisher and Zane Durant to four-fifths of the offensive line.

The biggest addition to the list?

That would be record-breaking tailback Kaytron Allen, who is listed as “questionable” for the game. He broke Penn State’s all-time career rushing record this season and was one of the top runners in the nation over the second half of the season.

If Allen does not play, or makes just a token appearance, the run game will be led by little-used underclassmen Cam Wallace, Corey Smith, Quinton Martin and Tikey Hayes. They combined for just 11 carries all season.

The Lions are still missing backup quarterback Jaxon Smolik and, once more, may rely on senior receiver Liam Clifford to take over under center if starter Ethan Grunkemeyer cannot play, for any reason.

Of course, this Pinstripe Bowl always expected to be more of a showcase for backups and young, up-and-coming players. Clemson will be in a similar position to the Lions, missing more than 25 players.

Several other key players, like standout defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, may only play a few series before halftime.

The 6-6 Nittany Lions (winners of three-straight) and the 7-5 Tigers (winners of four straight) will try to end their disappointing seasons with feel-good positivity − as new head coach Matt Campbell continues to formulate his new staff and roster.

If the Lions own any tangible edge, it may be from their resourcefulness and resilience playing for interim leader Terry Smith, who will be in charge one last time. That could mean everything in a game in which both teams will rely on cobbled-together offenses and defenses — playing in a frigid bowl game none of them expected a couple of months ago.

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 Penn State football’s Kaytron Allen play vs Clemson in Pinstripe?

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