Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen Make Penn State History in Fiesta Bowl Win
Penn State Football and head coach James Franklin secured the Nittany Lions‘ second college football playoff win Tuesday night, defeating the Boise State Broncos 31-14 in the Fiesta Bowl.
In the win, quarterback Drew Allar threw for three touchdowns, two to tight end Tyler Warren, to push the Nittany Lions past Boise State. Penn State’s dynamic running back duo led the way on the ground for Penn State’s offense, gashing the Broncos’ defense for 221 yards on 29 carries, including a 58-yard game-sealing touchdown by Nick Singleton.
Tuesday’s game was the third game in the last four for the Nittany Lions that the running back pair went over 200 yards on the ground. Additionally, in the Fiesta Bowl win, Singleton and Kaytron Allen made history for Penn State.
With 134 rushing yards and 87 rushing yards, respectively, Allen and Singleton both surpassed the 1,000 rushing yard mark for the season for Penn State. Singleton has rushed for 1,015 yards on 157 carries for Penn State in 2024.
The other side of the dynamic duo, Allen, has rushed for 1,026 yards on 201 carries this season. This marks the first time in program history that Penn State had a pair of running backs have surpassed 1,000 yards in the same season.
For Singleton, 2024 marks the second time that Singleton has rushed for at least 1,000 yards in a season for Penn State. Singleton rushed for 1,061 yards in 2022 during his freshman season.
2024 is the first time that Allen has surpassed the 1,000-yard mark at Penn State, rushing for 867 yards in 2022 and 902 yards in 2023.
Both Singleton and Allen are undecided on whether they will return to Penn State in 2025 for a fourth season in blue and white. With one game remaining in the 2024 season, Singleton (2,828 career rushing yards) sits 1,104 rushing yards away from Evan Royster’s program record in career rushing yards (3,932). Allen (2,795 career rushing yards) is 1,137 rushing yards away from Royster’s record.
Singleton’s 58-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of the Fiesta Bowl also raised his career total to 29 rushing touchdowns. This ties Singleton with Heisman winner John Cappelletti, Richie Anderson, and Royster for seventh all-time in Penn State history. Singleton is 14 touchdowns shy of Saquon Barkley’s program record 43 touchdowns from 2015 to 2017.
Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen’s Impact on Penn State Football
If either Singleton or Allen (or both) return to Penn State in 2025, either or both backs have the opportunity to cement their names atop the record board for Penn State with another stellar season in Happy Valley.
Both Singleton and Allen could push themselves into the top ten in career rushing yards in Penn State history in the Orange Bowl later this month. Singleton is one yard shy of former number one overall pick Ki-Jana Carter for tenth all-time at Penn State. Allen is 34 yards shy of Carter on the all-time list.
If Penn State hopes to continue its historic season and push past the program record 13th win that the Nittany Lions set on Tuesday in the Fiesta Bowl, the Nittany Lions will need Singleton and Allen to continue to stack excellent, complimentary performances as they have for the past four weeks. Penn State is two wins away from the Nittany Lions first consensus national championship since 1986, but first the Nittany Lions must get through either Notre Dame or Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
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