Penn State, UK boast nation’s two most-productive backfield duos. Here’s what to watch.

It could be a game of: What dynamic duo is Josh Allen discussing?

“Those two are electrifying to watch,” Kentucky’s senior linebacker said recently. “They’re fun to watch, just watching them, they make a lot of great plays with their feet.”

Allen could be talking about two players at UK that he faces every day in practice in running back Benny Snell and quarterback Terry Wilson.

But in this instance, Allen was discussing the Penn State tandem of quarterback Trace McSorley and running back Miles Sanders.

Turns out Tuesday’s VRBO Citrus Bowl has the two most productive quarterback-running back duos among Power Five schools with the Nittany Lions leading the way with a combined 1,956 yards on the ground compared to the 1,823 of Snell and Wilson.

Trying to stop a dual-threat quarterback and a powerful running back will be a challenge for each side.

Just ask them.

“Looks like Johnny Manziel, the guy can run around, scrambles around, makes plays when plays aren’t there and makes you pay when you make a mistake,” UK middle linebacker Kash Daniel said of McSorley, a four-year starter who owns a multitude of Penn State records.

The 6-foot, 203-pound senior has rushed for a career-best 723 yards this season (on 151 carries) and is responsible for 27 of the Nittany Lions’ 51 offensive touchdowns, running for 11 and passing for 16 along with 2,284 yards.

“Everything runs through him,” Kentucky Coach Mark Stoops said of McSorley, who has played in four straight bowl games at PSU.

“He wants the team on his back. And you have to have great respect for a player like that. You could just see it with the way he plays with the attitude, the toughness.”

UK defensive coordinator Matt House added that McSorley, Penn State’s all-time passing and wins leader, consistently finds ways to get a victory.

“He can throw the ball vertically down the field. He can hurt you with his feet,” House said, “but more than anything, I think he’s just a winner.”

And of Sanders, Penn State’s 5-11, 207-pound junior, House sees a perfect complement to McSorley, rushing for 1,223 yards and nine touchdowns on 207 carries. Sanders averages 5.9 yards per carry this season and also has caught 22 passes for 132 yards.

“He can make shallow cuts and accelerate, really an elusive guy and he’s got good speed,” House said, adding: “He’s an exceptional player.”

In Penn State’s news conferences this week in Orlando, the same kinds of words and phrases were tossed around about Kentucky’s combo of Snell and Wilson.

Of Snell, who is just 107 yards from breaking the career rushing record at UK, Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry said: “He’s very patient. He’s a four-quarter back. He runs very hard. He’s physical. You know, he punishes would be tacklers.”

The junior running back, who will play his final game at UK before heading to the NFL Draft, has run for 1,305 yards and 14 touchdowns this season.

How important is it that Kentucky run the ball well Tuesday? The Wildcats are 9-0 this season when they rush for more yards than their opponent and 0-3 when they don’t.

As if halting Snell wasn’t a tall enough task, the Penn State defensive coordinator expects Wilson to be a big part of the Cats’ running attack in this game, too, especially now that he appears healthy and is coming off his most complete game of the season versus Louisville.

“Their quarterback is a dynamite player,” Pry said of Wilson, who has rushed for 518 yards and four scores to go with his 11 touchdowns through the air while connecting on 67.6 percent of his passes. “He may even be faster than the tailback. He’s a very good athlete and is a threat running the football.”

Knowing that you’re facing a dual-threat quarterback changes your game plan as a defense, Pry said.

But it won’t be an unfamiliar game plan since both defenses go against a killer combo on a daily basis.

“The fact that Terry puts pressure on you with his arms and his feet obviously helps us” prepare for McSorley, House said.

Penn State feels prepared.

“They run a similar style to our offense, so we’ve had a lot of chances to run a defense against what their kind of scheme is,” PSU linebacker Jan Johnson said. “I think that we just kind of revert back to what we’ve practiced throughout the whole season.”

This story was originally published December 31, 2018 at 3:51 PM.