Penn State football heads into the 2025 Orange Bowl against Notre Dame with the chance to play for its first national championship since 1986. The Nittany Lions are led by head coach James Franklin who’s in his eleventh season with the program. The Big Ten power is coming off of two impressive College Football Playoff victories over SMU and Boise State.
Penn State’s success is spearheaded by imposing defense that ranks seventh in the country in points allowed per game at 15.8. This unit will face a physical and versatile Notre Dame ground game that will look dominate time of possession throughout the contest. That element of the game is key for both teams as they try to wear each other’s defenses down.
The Nittany Lions’ offense is led by several elite talents in the passing game. This includes quarterback Drew Allar, who is seen by many to be a future first-round NFL Draft pick. The junior has thrown for 24 touchdown passes and seven interceptions while rushing for six scores. Those stats were enough to give Allar the 15th best QBR in the country.
Alongside its leader under center, Penn State has the best tight end in the nation in Tyler Warren. At 6’6, 257 lbs, the senior is a matchup nightmare for any team he faces. Warren will be key for a Penn State passing attack that has been very explosive at times. However, this game will be won in the trenches and backfield. And with that key comes the most important player of the game; junior running back Kaytron Allen.
Kaytron Allen is the key on Thursday night
For the title of biggest x-factor for Penn State, Allen was competing with his backfield teammate Nicholas Singleton. The two have each run for over 1,000 yards this season with Singleton actually having the higher rushing average. The reason that Kaytron has the edge is due to the way he runs the ball. Both are physical backs but Singleton is a tad more of a burner than his teammate. This explosiveness was on display in his 53-yard game-sealing run in the win over Boise State.
Allen, on the other hand, in the Fiesta Bowl, was more methodical with the 134 yards he rushed for. The Norfolk, Virginia native averaged 7.9 yards per carry with his longest run coming on a 23-yard scamper. Allen’s longest run this entire year has only been 32 yards. At 5’11, 229, Kaytron is physical back that is going to look to wear down a Notre Dame defense gunning to shut this strength of the Penn State offense down. The Nittany Lions’ ground game has been on an absolute tear recently. The backfield has averaged more than 200 yards overall it its past three contests and is vital towards Penn State’s play-action passing attack.
Notre Dame similarly has an offense that heavily relies on its ground game. Quarterback Riley Leonard and star tailback Jeremiyah Love are leading a rushing offense averaging more than 217 yards a game. While Penn State does have a defense that is equipped to limit this duo’s effect, keeping this duo off the field as Kaytron Allen wears down Notre Dame’s defense is the ideal script for James Franklin’s team.
Penn State’s offense goes as its ground game does
It’s been no secret for Penn State football this season. The offense is at its best when the rushing attack is thriving. Penn State has an elite third-down conversion rate, but much of that stat has to do with an offense that consistently gets ahead of the chains. The games where the Nittany Lions have struggled to score generally show the team barely rushing for over 100 yards. Such was the case against Ohio State earlier in the year when James Franklin’s team ran for 120 yards on an average 3.8 per carry.
As this unit has gained consistency over the last few weeks, Kaytron Allen’s production has gone up. Over past three games against College Football Playoff teams the Nittany Lions have scored 34, 38, and 31 points. In those contests, Allen has rushed for a total of 328 yards and three touchdowns. The junior needs to be the focal point of the offense on Thursday night.
Singleton and Allen should provide a good enough contrast that can throw the Fighting Irish off at points during the Orange Bowl. A versatile approach to this game is what James Franklin will need to implement to keep Notre Dame’s elite defense guessing. However, in the end, this Orange Bowl clash will come to the meat and potatoes of football. Whichever team rushes for more yards will likely advance to the national title game, and for Penn State, that starts with Kaytron Allen.
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