It can be argued that senior running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen are Penn State’s greatest running back duo.
You will get a staunch argument from those who believe Lydell Mitchell and Franco Harris were, especially considering Mitchell held the NCAA record with total touchdowns from scrimmage in a single season before Barry Sanders broke it in 1988.
If both Singleton and Allen repeat their junior season efforts, they will match a feat Harris and Mitchell did when they left Penn State as being the top 2 rushers in the program since 1956.
It also needs to be said that just because they may run for the most yards doesn’t mean they are anointed the greatest. I don’t think Evan Royster, Penn State’s current rushing leader at 3,932, is leading any polls as the greatest.
Individually, can Singleton and Allen make it to Penn State’s running back Mount Rushmore? Let’s examine.
Tier 1 – Penn State’s Mt. Rushmore
Curt Warner
Ki-Jana Carter
Saquon Barkley
Lenny Moore
Right out of the gate, many will be critical of my Mt. Rushmore because of the omission of John Cappelletti – Penn State’s only Heisman Trophy winner. Many feel that should be a slam dunk to be carved into a side of the mountain.
In many cases that would be. But the resumes of the four even without those ultimate resume items Cappelletti has are simply more impressive and the eye test no one would complain.
Moore, for many, will be the low hanging fruit here but the “Reading Rambler” or “Reading Comet” was the ultimate versatile weapon in all phases of the game for Rip Engle’s teams. Moore was the first to eclipse 1,000 yards at Penn State. Moore was unfortunately overshadowed by Syracuse’s Jim Brown – see the 1955 duel for guidance which Penn State won 21-20.
Again, if you are dueling and going toe-to-toe to with who many still consider the greatest football player ever, that speaks volumes in itself to say how good Moore was.
If that isn’t sufficient, Joe Paterno said of Lenny Moore, “probably the best player I coached, all-around.”
Warner, to me, is the greatest running back in Penn State history because he checks all my boxes. Warner was individually great, leaving Penn State as the program’s all time leading rusher and has only been eclipsed by Barkley and Royster since. Warner also still has the program record with 18 100-yard rushing games.
Warner was recognized nationally as an Consensus All-American and is in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Historian Lou Prato said of Warner’s game and how he influenced Penn State to a championship.
“I think the best thing about Curt Warner is the fact, even the year he made All-American, that’s the year Penn State passed more than they ran. Without Warner they would not have won the national championship.”
Then there’s Warner’s innate ability to elevate his game on the biggest stages against the biggest competition— think the Fiesta Bowls against Ohio State and against Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Allen. The argument could be had that Georgia’s Herschel Walker is the greatest collegiate running back of all time, and Warner outperformed Walker in the 1983 Sugar Bowl – which is regarded as one of the greatest bowl games in college football history.
To me, Carter and Barkley epitomize ultimate explosiveness. I recognize the greatness of Mitchell’s epic 1971 season, but I feel that’s eclipsed by Carter’s 1994 campaign. Considering Paterno never gave Carter a full load that season – Carter only had 198 carries, compared to Colorado’s Rashaan Salaam, who had 100 more carries and only managed 516 more yards and one more touchdown than Carter.
Carter’s resume moment is the opening play of the 1995 Rose Bowl against Oregon when Carter dashed 83 yards for a touchdown.
Carter’s program record of 7.2 yards per carry in a career, which is tied for the seventh highest mark in NCAA history, is not impossible to break but isn’t easy.
Saquon Barkley is Penn State’s Barry Sanders.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.You never knew when Barkley would hit the hole and hit paydirt but you knew and felt it was a matter of time. Whether you channel the Rose Bowl or Fiesta Bowl runs, or other signature performances, Barkley’s 5,538 all purpose yards is a mark that will be a measuring stick for a long time.
Tier 2 – Mt. Rushmore Worthy
John Cappelletti
Lydell Mitchell
Larry Johnson
Franco Harris
As I mentioned in Tier 1, if someone were to come to me and say John Cappelletti is on their Mt. Rushmore, I wouldn’t argue. He’s my No. 5 back all time at Penn State, and when you begin to try to answer the question of how high Singleton and Allen can go, this is the perfect barrier between summit and every other tier.
The odds are great both Singleton and Allen will be No. 1 and No. 2 on the Penn State rushing list, and they both have signature moments. But neither possess individual accolades those in Tier 1 have and maybe not even Tier 2.
The guidance for the duo has to go to Mitchell and Harris.
If Singleton is the home run hitter that Mitchell was, an explosive season staying healthy can get Singleton that recognition. Mitchell had the lionshare of the carries in 1971 and made the most out of them with a program-record 27 rushing touchdowns.
The fact that Harris left Penn State trailing only Mitchell, Moore and Charlie Pittman speaks volumes about a running back they many felt was just blocking for Lydell Mitchell.
Allen is the workhorse in the duo with Singleton. Much like Harris, Allen lacks the individual achievements, but is so integral to the operation. Allen wears down the defense so Singleton can run right past them. It is a chemistry that works just like it did with Mitchell and Harris.
Larry Johnson’s 2002 season is right there with Carter’s 1994 season as well as Mitchell’s 1971 opus. Johnson ran for more 2,000 yards, the only Penn State running back to do it. When you add in the hardware Johnson accumulated in 2002: Maxwell, Doak Walker, Jim Brown, Walter Camp to go along with Unanimous All-American selection, couple that is as one of two Penn State running backs with over 5,000 career all purpose yards, Johnson’s resume has him in the No. 6 position amongst all Penn State running backs.
Tier 3 – All-Time Great
Blair Thomas
D.J. Dozier
Nick Singleton
Kaytron Allen
It seems appropriate to match Singleton and Allen in a tier with the last great running back duo to guide Penn State to a national championship: DJ Dozier and Blair Thomas.
Much like Singleton and Allen, Dozier and Thomas finished their Penn State careers as the second and third leading rushers behind Warner.
Dozier was the first Penn State freshman running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season, a feat matched by Barkley and Singleton.
When Thomas fully emerged to share carries with Dozier in 1986, he was the explosive counterpart, averaging 8.4 yards a carry and gaining 504 yards and five touchdowns on 60 totes.
As we revisit the question, if Singleton and Allen either get into the Top 5 at minimum or both pass Royster’s mark they are legitimately in Tier 3 of the greatest running backs ever. Without a national championship, I find it hard to elevate them past Dozier and Thomas in this tier, with arguments for guys like Curtis Enis, Charlie Pittman and Tony Hunt to be in.
If Singleton and Allen both pass Royster and are integral factors in winning a national championship, with both having signature games and moments, they’ll be in Tier 2. I feel Johnson and Cappelletti are the barriers to Tier 1 for them.
To get past the barriers, a likely candidate to go supernova is Singleton because of how he is used in situations to be a home run hitter. I feel between the duo, Singleton will edge Allen in yards. But say he has a Carter-type season, sets the Penn State rushing record, gets individual accolades All-American honors, potentially Big Ten MVP and some running back honors, that can get him into Tier 1.
Allen’s path to Tier 1 is a bit tougher but not impossible.
To many, the greatest running back duo of the 21st Century is USC’s Reggie Bush and Lendale White. With Singleton being the Reggie Bush dynamic athlete, many forget the dominance of White’s 2005 season because USC fell to Texas in the epic 2006 Rose Bowl.
Say Allen were to replicate White’s performance, which isn’t out of the question— 197 carries 1,302 yards and 24 touchdowns— Allen would be at the top or at worst No. 2 in all major rushing categories. If there was a national championship, to go along with individual accolades and performances, it would be hard to deny Allen his spot amongst the greatest in Penn State history.
The Penn State legacies for both Singleton and Allen are still being forged and will be assessed and reassessed as the season progress. Both are all time figures in the program and it will be fun to see how far they go this season.
