Penn State running backs could have legendary day in Week 4 against Kent State

Kent State is one of the least successful FBS football programs in the country and after the first three weeks, it’s already clear that the Golden Flashes, who went 1-11 in 2023, are in for another tough season. Ahead of its matchup with Penn State at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Kent State is 0-3 and coming off a 71-0 loss at the hands of the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers. 

While the headlines in Knoxville are about Tennessee’s former five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava in his first season as the starter, head coach Josh Heupel has leaned on the run game. Against Kent State, 456 of the Vol’s 740 total yards came on the ground with star running back Dylan Sampson racking up 101 and four touchdowns on just 13 carries. With the Golden Flashes in Happy Valley in Week 4, Penn State’s “Lawn Boyz” Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, could run wild too. 

Through the first two games, Singleton leads the Nittany Lions in rushing with 233 yards on 26 carries while Allen has added 121 yards on 24 attempts. Penn State is actually 106th in the country in rushing success rate at 36.4%, with an 80th percentile explosive rush rate of 9.1%, new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki has kept Penn State’s run-first identity. 

This week, it shouldn’t be hard to lean on Singleton and Allen because Kent State could feature the worst run defense in the country. On the year, the Golden Flashes have given up 7.39 yards per carry which ranks 133rd out of 134 FBS teams. Only New Mexico is worse. 

Kent State’s defense has also allowed a 46.8% rushing success rate (118th) and 0.13 expected points added (EPA) per play (113th). With Sampson, Peyton Lewis, and DeSean Bishop, Tennessee averaged 8.63 yards per rush, generated a 57% success rate, created an explosive run on 13% of its carries, and Sampson alone was worth 10.07 EPA. It was utter dominance. 

Penn State is capable of the same physical style that Tennessee displayed in Week 3 and the Nittany Lions may have even more talent at running back than the Vols. 

In 2023, Singleton ran for over 100 yards in a game only once and Allen cleared that threshold just twice. Through two games, the junior duo has combined for three 100-yard rushing games (two from Singleton) and both should be expected to do it again in Week 4. In fact, both player’s career-high could be in danger. 

Singleton’s most prolific game came in 2022 when he ran for 179 yards on 10 carries as a freshman against Ohio. Allen’s came last season against Michigan State with 137 yards on 15 carries. 

With such a significant timeshare, it’s unlikely that either Lawn Boy will challenge Larry Johnson’s single-game rushing record of 327 yards against Indiana in 2002, but collectively they could get there on Saturday. To crack the top 10 in program history for single-game rushing yards, either Singleton or Allen would need to run for more than Ki-Jana Carter’s 227 yards against Michigan State in 1994. 

It could also be hard for that duo, even with help from third-string back Cam Wallace, to touch the single-game record for most total rushing yards in Penn State history of 526 set against Maryland in 1993. 

However, more attainable is the record for most rushing yards in a game during the James Franklin era. That mark comes from Penn State’s 53-39 2019 Cotton Bowl win over Memphis when the Nittany Lions ran for 396 yards behind 202 from Journey Brown on only 16 carries.