Penn State running back Mark Allen suffered an undisclosed season-ending injury, head coach James Franklin announced during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

The graduate senior finished his time with the Nittany Lions as a second-stringer behind Miles Sanders.

“Mark’s got a very bright future,” Franklin said. “He’s going to be very successful in whatever he chooses to do. He’s talking a little bit about maybe getting into coaching.”

Allen played three games this season — rushing for 4.3 yards per carry and two touchdowns — before missing the Illinois game last Friday.

In his previous three years with the team, Allen functioned primarily as Saquon Barkley’s backup, having his highest rushing year in 2016 with 115 yards on the ground in his nine games played.

Penn State still has a slew of players in the backfield to support Sanders heading forward.

“Ricky [Slade’s] doing some really nice things for us as a true freshman. We’re excited about his future,” Franklin said. “We’re going to miss [Allen], but we still feel really good about our other four guys.”

About the Author

Steve Connelly

Unfortunately, former editor Steve Connelly has graduated. Where is he now? He might be doing something related to that PR degree he got in 2019. Maybe he finally opened that sports bar named after one of his photos, the Blurry Zamboni. Or he might just be eating chicken tenders and couch surfing. Anything’s possible. If you really want to know, follow him on Twitter @slc2o.

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