The mindset behind Kaytron Allen's relentless running style
Kaytron Allen just loves football. It's as simple as that. The Penn State running back is all about his business between those white lines. That love of the game comes from when he was a kid, where he found something within himself that, however many years down the road, is benefitting James Franklin and the Nittany Lions.
"Since I was a little kid, I always just wanted the ball and wanted to attack people people," Allen told reporters on Wednesday. "So it all started when I was a young kid, playing in my neighborhood and stuff like that. That's the way I run and I won't be denied."
Maryland was on the wrong side of that mindset on Saturday afternoon, as Allen rushed for 91 yards and a score on 14 carries in Penn State's blowout victory, which was the most since his week two total of 103 yards against Delaware.
The sophomore running back also set a new career-high with nine missed tackles forced (per Pro Football Focus) in the triumph and quarterback Drew Allar took notice.
"There was guys bouncing off of him right and left and it was just a really impressive thing to see him do," Allar said.
The Nittany Lion signal caller was impressed, but what the man Penn State calls "Fatman" has shown over the last two years with his mindset doesn't necessarily make things all that surprising to Allar and his head coach.
"Fatman just brings a mentality of just toughness and like aggressiveness to our offense, no matter if he's carrying the ball or in pass protection," Allar said of his teammate. "He's the style of running back where he loves running people over and that just gives him more energy and he gets going the more touches he gets throughout the game."
"He is a tough guy. Every run, he's usually breaking tackles, punishing tacklers, carrying guy for another 2 to 3 yards. Really, really playing well," James Franklin said. "We talk about toughness being one of our key ingredients as a team and on offense and I think he's one of the guys I think does a phenomenal job kind of setting that tone for our whole team."
That tough-nosed playing style stems from Allen's mindset, which is to run through anybody and everybody to get to the end zone.
"What's going through my mind is I can't be denied. That's always going through my mind. I don't want to be denied. I just want to get in the end zone," Allen said.
The proof is in the pudding, with Allen's production on the field and his style of running, but the Nittany Lions' leading-rusher also displays his mindset in some mental warfare against his opponents.
The back and forth with defenders every Saturday is something Allen looks forward to on a weekly basis, because it allows him to put his money where his mouth is.
"I love getting in people's heads because I know I'm gonna back it up. It's either you come with it or get lost. I'm gonna come with it. You're either gonna come with it or get lost, for real. That's the way my mindset is, the way I carry myself. I'm a go-getter," Allen said.
As a result, it's safe to say he may be loving the game a little more in recent weeks, coming off two of his best performances of the season. In wins over Indiana and Maryland, the sophomore tailback has racked up a combined 32 carries for 172 yards and a touchdown. Over the three games prior, Allen toted the rock just 24 times combined.
It hasn't been the same level of production from Allen, who burst onto the scene as a true freshman last season, but the playmaker is starting to find his groove with the Nittany Lions. The same cannot be said for his backfield running mate Nicholas Singleton, with whom he formed one of the top running back duos in the country in 2022.
The explosive plays, or lack there of, out of the backfield have been a surprising revelation through nine games considering how often the Nittany Lions broke off big gains a year ago.
Penn State's running back tandem combined for 26 runs of 15 yards or more last season, but that number has dipped to just 11 so far in 2023. Singleton and Allen have also combined for one gain of 20 or more yards on 240 carries and have produced just one individual 100+ yard outing.
Allen is not concerned by the lack of explosive plays from himself and Singleton and shared that the two have remained committed to contributing to one of the nation's top offenses.
"If it's not going negative, and it's going positive, it's a good run," Allen said. "We're all sticking together, sharing what we see out there on the field, helping each other out each and every way possible on the field. We're always communicating."
Allar echoed that on Tuesday morning when he spoke to the media, as the Penn State signal caller believes it's only a matter of time before the duo gets back to its 2022 form.
"I think they've done a great job this year of just --- staying present, not getting frustrated with anything. I think they trust Coach Seider a ton in everything he's teaching them and they both trust the [offensive] line a ton. So, it's only a matter of time before they get going and I think we just gotta keep building off both of them," Allar said.
The timeshare in the backfield (121-119 attempts in favor of Singleton) is set to continue moving forward, according to James Franklin, who said it has been a successful project over the last two years.
"I think we did this last year and it was pretty successful. We're doing it this year and it's been pretty successful," Franklin said. "So we feel very comfortable with the model and the plan and how we're using it."
Franklin also pointed to the importance of managing the workload of both Allen and Singleton throughout the year, to help keep them fresh for the rest of their careers in Happy Valley and hopefully on Sundays.
Penn State will need Allen to have one of his best games to date on Saturday when No. 3 Michigan comes to town, who are allowing just 90.1 yards per game on the ground.
"These type of games I came here for, these type of games I strive for. To get this opportunity to play in this type of game, it's a blessing for real. Give it up to God, and do what I love to do," Allen said.
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