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Four things we learned about Penn State Football this season

By Alec Whitaker

BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 05: Kayton Allen #13 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates a touchdown during the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium on November 05, 2022 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 05: Kayton Allen #13 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates a touchdown during the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium on November 05, 2022 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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Oct 22, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin celebrates with running back Nicholas Singleton (10) Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin celebrates with running back Nicholas Singleton (10) Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports /

2. The running game is alive and well

Penn State football struggled to run the ball last season, there is no secret about that.

The Nittany Lions did not have a single 100-yard rusher at all in 2021, and it greatly hurt the offense. Penn State was too one dimensional in 2021 and it’s a reason the offense struggled.

The addition of both Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen at running back cannot be overlooked. The two true freshmen went off this season, with Singleton rushing for 941 yards and ten touchdowns, while Allen had 830 yards and nine touchdowns on 156 carries.

Penn State rushed for 182 yards per game in 2022, an improvement of 75 yards per game from 2021.

While the two star running backs deserve a lot of the credit, there are other reasons why the run game improved so much. The offensive line is miles ahead of where it was in 2021. Offensive line coach Phil Trautwein has done a great job of taking the next step with his unit.

Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich also got more creative with his run schemes. Maybe it’s because he had more talented backs or a better offensive line, but Yurcich definitely made life more difficult for defenses this year.

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