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Five things I want to see out of Penn State Football in November

By Nick Kreiser

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 22: Drew Allar #15 of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on from the sidelines during the first half of the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Beaver Stadium on October 22, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 22: Drew Allar #15 of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks on from the sidelines during the first half of the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Beaver Stadium on October 22, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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It’s now November, which means the final stretch of the regular season for Penn State Football.

Although their record is about what you may have expected it to be at this point, there’s still a level of disappointment with not only how bad they lost at Michigan, but also the way they managed to let a fourth quarter lead against Ohio State slip away.

Regardless, there are some things they can do to take care of business the rest of the way and give fans some positivity heading into the offseason.

Here are five things I want to see from Penn State Football in November to end the regular season on a high note.

Continue to feed Kaytron Allen

Oct 29, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium. Ohio State defeated Penn State 44-31. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium. Ohio State defeated Penn State 44-31. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports /

As great as Nick Singleton has been so far, Kaytron Allen has proven to be the better down-to-down back at this stage of his career. His runs always go for positive yardage, his vision is excellent, and his strength and willingness to fight for extra yardage is something we haven’t seen often out of Penn State running backs in recent years.

Allen and Singleton should still be getting a near equal number of reps, but at this point, Allen should be getting a few more.

These are their stats so far this season.

  • Allen: 90 carries; 472 yards; 5.2 yards per carry; five touchdowns
  • Singleton: 96 carries; 606 yards; 6.3 yards per carry; seven touchdowns

So, their numbers are quite similar. Singleton’s yards per carry average is over a yard better, in large part thanks to some of the long runs he’s been able to rip off.

There’s no denying that Singleton is the more explosive of the two and is more likely to take one the distance. His longest run on the season is 70 yards, while Allen’s is just 37.

However, Allen seems to be the better option to pick up tough yards, especially in obvious running situations.

Take his touchdown against Ohio State for example. It looked like he was stopped short of the goal line, but he was able to find a way to muscle his way in for six.

Kaytron Allen had his first official start on Saturday against Ohio State, but despite the fact that he was having more success running the ball that day than Singleton, still finished the day with two fewer carries.

Allen should continue to be the starter and the go-to. Obviously, stick with the hot hand and if Singleton is having a great game, keep feeding him, but otherwise, I think No. 13 should be getting a few more carries each week than No. 10.

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