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Having committed to Penn State all the way back in October of 2012, Mark Allen has long been tied to the program. After taking a redshirt season in 2014, Allen carried the ball 27 and 29 times in 2015 and 2016, respectively, but he saw his carry total drop to just 9 last season.
With Saquon Barkley now gone though, there should be more carries to go around. Although former five-star prospect Miles Sanders is expected to see the heaviest of the workload, Allen should certainly see an increase from his carry total last year.
While the 5-foot-6, 190-pound Allen is not the biggest back (no duh), he’s extremely quick and a fantastic pass blocker for his size. Because of that, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Allen carve out a niche as a third-and-long back.
Just. Eight. Days.