If Penn State Can Run the Ball, It Might Be Time to Rethink What Could Be

AUBURN, Ala. – Given Penn State’s overarching issues running the ball the past several seasons it would be hard to imagine the Nittany Lions winning any game in which they ran the ball 39 times and passed it 23 times. And yet, as Penn State left the field Saturday evening having beat Auburn 41-12 that was exactly what happened.

For a team that had gone seemingly forever — until last week — without a 100-yard rusher, the fact the Nittany Lions cranked out 245 yards on the ground against the nation’s No. 10 rush defense (a figure the product of just two games of play) and managed to do so with relative ease was a striking narrative turn.

Of course the question has never been a matter of running back talent itself. True freshmen Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen bring Penn State an eyebrow-raising young duo that cautiously reminds one of the Miles Sanders and Saquon Barkley tandem. The challenge itself has been more the blocking in front of said talent, an equation that Penn State seemingly solved Saturday afternoon in a hot Alabama sun.”

“I have not seen two guys have this type of success so early in their career,” Penn State coach James Franklin said Saturday. “We’re pretty excited. [Once they got on campus] they kept making plays. They have a complementary style but they both have the ability to make plays. I think Kaytron has really great vision and came make a four yard run into a 12 or a 16 yard run on a consistent basis. And we know Nick can take it 80 yards.”

The byproduct was exactly what the scoreboard stated, a thumping of a team many expected to give the Nittany Lions a much tougher test, although many of those predictions came under the presumption that the Nittany Lions would continue an ongoing trend of ground-game struggles. When that did not happen, a far different Penn State team found its footing.

“It makes it a lot easier,” Penn State receiver Mitchell Tinsley said of his job when the ground game is working. “They start putting more people in the box so it’s more one-on-one coverage out there. At the end of the day we’ve just got to make [plays] and take advantage of our opportunities when we get them. I feel like like with a strong running game, it’ll go a long way as the season goes along.”

That was maybe the most striking thing to take from Penn State’s win on Saturday. It is not terribly surprising to know that a team which is able to run and throw the ball is better than a team which is one dimensional – all the same the Nittany Lions looked a completely different group as they pounded the ball on the ground while working in the pass. In turn quarterback Sean Clifford turned in an effective but somewhat pedestrian 14-for-19 and 178 yard outing which marked the lowest single-game passing attempt total of his career [in a game he started and finished].

It raises the question, how good is this team when it can run the ball? “I think we’re very good,” Penn State offensive lineman Landon Tengwall said on Saturday. “Any team that can run the ball – you can control the clock and things of that nature. It can make you very dominant. Obviously we’ve got to continue, keep working to keep getting better, but being able to run the rock is big time.”

In total Penn State managed five rushing touchdowns against Auburn on all five of its touchdown scoring drives. While rushing for a score is not inherently difficult given a short enough field, the Nittany Lions did so on drives that were largely comprised of run plays. On all five touchdown drives Penn State ran the ball more than it passed, totaling 33 plays from scrimmage with 22 of those coming in as runs. Singleton led the way for the second-straight week totaling 124 yards on 10 carries as his breakaway speed continues to showcase why he was one of the nation’s premiere prospects.

But don’t forget Allen either, veteran Keyvone Lee or longtime back Devyn Ford who totaled 40 yards on seven carries.

“We’re getting better up front and at tight end,” Franklin added. “We’re doing some things speed-wise to help them. The ability to be more balanced and take pressure off the passing game, I think it’s been really important for us. We also have some dynamic backs that help create some explosive plays. Whether that is Keyvone (Lee) or Kaytron (Allen) or Nick (Singleton). Love to see Devyn Ford get in there. Devyn Ford is one of my favorites. I shouldn’t have favorites. The way he’s handled his entire Penn State career, he’s one of our MVPs. He’s on special teams right now. Got a nice role on offense and really proud of him.”

For Penn State the usual rotation of backs can sometimes feel like a overzealous attempt to keep a room of players happy, but in this case all four appear to have some role in this offense. For the future the duo of Allen and Singleton in particular tickle the imagination with their raw talent along.

The Nittany Lions will have to repeat the performance in the coming weeks and months, but after such a long time struggling to make it all work, doing it in back-to-back weeks is no small feat. And the potential that the corner might finally be turned rewrites much of how one might look at the rest of Penn State’s season.