Penn State vs. West Virginia: Breaking Down the RBs

Big Noon Kickoff for week one between No. 8 Penn State and West Virginia is now nearly a week away.

As both teams fine-tune their game plans and finalize personnel, let’s take a look at each squad’s starting running backs. The rushing game should be a major factor in the outcome with two gritty duos. The following will look at the opposing backs and compare their stats and styles.

Penn State — Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton

The Nittany Lions have two hard-running power backs in Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. Now both juniors, the duo will look to build off of their first two seasons. Running the ball, they had very similar workloads with Allen getting one more carry than Singleton last year (172-171). Allen was the team’s leading rusher with 902 yards on the ground, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. However, Singleton had more rushing touchdowns than Allen (8-6) and was more utilized in the passing game. Singleton was PSU’s fourth-leading receiver in 2023, making 26 grabs for 308 yards and two touchdowns. Against WVU last season, Singleton was the lead-back taking 13 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown, while Allen had 51 yards on 10 carries and one reception for 15 yards. Including the Rose Bowl in his freshman season, Singleton was a 1,000-yard rusher. With both backs apart of the same class, Allen and Singleton have been one of the best tandems in the league for the past few years. Against the Mountaineers and in 2024, the two should continue to receive similar workloads, with Singleton possibly having the slight this season.

West Virginia — CJ Donaldson and Jahiem White

Penn State’s running back duo will be contrasted by West Virginia’s running back duo of CJ Donaldson and Jahiem White. Including quarterback Garrett Greene, WVU had one of the top rushing attacks in the nation last year. Donaldson and White have two completely different running styles. Donaldson, originally recruited as a tight end, saw immediate action as a freshman back in 2022 and played above expectations before suffering a season-ending injury midseason. The 6-foot-2, nearly 140-pound back, has punched it in the endzone 19 times in his first two seasons for the Mountaineers. Last season as a freshman, White didn’t see consistent work until midseason. Then, he finished top-three in yards per carry at 7.7 in 2023. Both finished with 750+ rushing yards, with Donaldson having 11 rushing touchdowns and White, 4. Against Penn State last season, White didn’t see any action, while Donaldson had 81 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. When watching the two play and comparing their stats, it is not hard to infer that Donaldson is more of third-down, red-zone powerback, while White is a shifty, elusive back who makes big plays out in space. This could be seen through the passing game as well, Donaldson had more receptions for fewer yards and shorter gains last year, while White had fewer receptions for more yards and two touchdowns.

With two running back duos that could be considered elite, it should be intriguing to see how the running game plays out in week one. Kickoff from Morgantown will be at noon Eastern on Aug. 31.