Ole Miss Rebels Peach Bowl Preview: Facing Penn State RBs Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen
OXFORD, Miss. -- The No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels and No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions are preparing for the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Dec. 30 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and part of that preparation involves scouting.
The Rebels and Nittany Lions have never faced one another on the gridiron, so many Ole Miss fans may be unfamiliar with the Penn State program under James Franklin. It never hurts to familiarize yourself with the next opponent on the schedule, so why not start now?
That's where The Grove Report comes in. Over the next few days, we will dive in to the Nittany Lions on a position-by-position basis, giving you a look at what Penn State is expected to field on that Saturday in Atlanta. This is a New Year's Six bowl game after all, so the stakes are rather high.
On Tuesday, we started this series off with an overview of Penn State quarterback Drew Allard, and today we will examine the two-headed monster in the Nittany Lions' backfield: Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.
Penn State running back Nick Singleton (10) looks for a seam while carrying the ball in the second half of an NCAA football game against Indiana at Beaver Stadium Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in State College, Pa. The Nittany Lions won, 33-24.
© Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK
Nick Singleton
High School: Governor Mifflin (Pennsylvania)
Height: 6-0
Weight: 222
2023 Rushing Stats: 163 carries for 702 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 4.2 yards per carry
2023 Receiving Stats: 22 receptions for 222 yards and one touchdown
Kaytron Allen
High School: IMG Academy
Height: 5-11
Weight: 222
2023 Rushing Stats: 162 carries for 851 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 5.3 yards per carry
2023 Receiving Stats: 14 receptions for 81 yards and one touchdown
Penn State's offense consists of a balanced attack, but it primarily relies on its rushing attack to win games. Singleton and Allen are the co-stars of the ground game, and they helped the Nittany Lions average 186.7 rushing yards per game in 2023.
The true sophomores were highly touted prospects coming out of high school, as Singleton is a former five-star recruit and Allen is a former four-star. According to On3, Singleton was rated as the No. 1 player in the state of Pennsylvania and the No. 1 tailback in the 2022 cycle.
In Penn State's two losses this season (Ohio State and Michigan), both Singleton and Allen recorded less than 100 rushing yards and zero trips to the end zone. If Ole Miss wants to pick up its first NY6 victory under coach Lane Kiffin, the primary goal on defense should be stopping Singleton and Allen.
Kickoff between Ole Miss and Penn State on Dec. 30 is set for 11 a.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ESPN.
