‘I want the ball’: Penn State RB Kaytron Allen shown appreciation with heavy workload vs. Delaware

STATE COLLEGE — Kaytron Allen flexed both arms after trucksticking a defender into the end zone. Then, he turned to the Beaver Stadium student section, motioned to the crowd to get loud and slapped his own helmet not once but twice.

It was only Delaware; Allen has had bigger touchdowns in his young career. He scored in the Rose Bowl. He scored against Ohio State and Michigan last year. But there was a release of emotion when Allen reached the end zone Saturday.

“I just love being in the end zone, for real,” the sophomore tailback said after Penn State’s 63-7 win over the Blue Hens. “Anytime I can get into the end zone and express myself, that’s all I want to do.”

That reaction was a noteworthy moment so early in the season for Allen, who started and rushed for 103 yards on a team-high 19 carries. It was also timely given what was said a few days ago.

James Franklin went out of his way to praise Allen in his Tuesday press conference. Unprompted in his opening statement, Franklin recognized the running back who can sometimes get overlooked in favor of Nick Singleton — the one with the national name, image and likeness deals and the one who starred in the Rose Bowl.

“I just want to make sure that our fans and everybody that follows Penn State closely knows how fortunate we are and how blessed we are to have Kaytron,” Franklin said. “In our locker room, we’ve got a ton of respect for him and so does our staff. We are blessed to be one of these programs that has two backs that are two of the better backs in all of college football. We recognize that, and we’re appreciative of that.”

Allen said after the game that he feels appreciated by everyone at Penn State. He’s “grateful” to play for Franklin. He’s “grateful” to play for the Nittany Lions. And he’s “grateful” to share a backfield with Singleton. He said all the right things along those lines.

But Allen also wants the ball. He made that very clear speaking to reporters after the game, saying some variation of “I want the ball” five times in a three-minute span. And Penn State obliged. The Nittany Lions showed he was appreciated by giving him the rock.

On Penn State’s first two drives, Allen had 10 carries for 52 yards. Against West Virginia last week, he had 10 carries for 51 yards the entire game.

Allen had six carries on the opening drive — a drive capped by a Singleton touchdown from 2 yards. Allen had four carries on the second series, punching in his first touchdown of the season. Allen, when asked about the early workload, smiled again.

“Sheesh, give me the ball. You feel me?” he said. “Give me the ball, and I’m happy and I’m cool. I love running the ball. I love playing for this team. … I’ve been waiting to get the ball so I don’t care. Anytime I’m in, I want the ball.”

It’s hard to blame Allen for craving as many carries as he can get. And it’s easy to see why Franklin, running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider and the team value him so much and want him involved.

Allen runs angry. He runs through people. The 222-pound back built a reputation in 2022 for being the thunder to Singleton’s lightning — for powering through contact, punishing defenders and getting the tough yards.

That kind of approach paired with Allen’s ability is hard to find. It certainly doesn’t go unnoticed by Singleton and quarterback Drew Allar.

“He definitely doesn’t get enough recognition for how hard he works and how well he plays week in and week out,” Allar said. “Kaytron’s one of the more consistent players on our team even going back to last year. He’s the same guy coming into the building every day. He’s one of the hardest practicers I’ve ever seen. He’s a physical back. He’s always trying to run someone over. That’s just his mindset in general. He does a lot of things he doesn’t get a lot of praise for.”

Said Singleton: “That’s my man. He’s really done a good job ever since he stepped on campus. He’s a hard runner. He wants the ball. And we feed off each other. He sets the tone, which gets me up, too. It gets the whole offense up.”

That was the case Saturday. And it’ll be the case as Penn State pushes into Big Ten play — with two NFL-caliber tailbacks, both talented and both appreciated.