Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1480138
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 3 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Brock Bowers, who posted 121 yards and 2 scores on 5 receptions in the Bulldogs' win over South Carolina that same week. Strange has also been a big part of Penn State's success on the ground. His block- ing has helped spring freshman running back Nicholas Singleton on some of his biggest runs of the season. "I love that. I enjoy that just as much as the touchdowns," Strange said. "That's why I like being a tight end. You get to do everything. You get to pass protect, and you get to run block. I think that's why tight end is the best position in the game." Franklin said Strange's well-rounded play is going to serve him well the rest of this season and beyond. "Whenever that opportunity comes at the next level, I think it's going to help him. So many of these tight ends in high school and college are not tight ends. They're big wideouts," Franklin said. For now, Strange is simply focused on putting in more work. That's what got him to this point, and he knows it will be crucial to his continued development. "I've just got to keep doing what I'm doing," he said, "and keep being good in the process." ■ FIVE BEST PLAYERS 1. Joey Porter | CB | R-Jr. Through the season's first four weeks, Penn State was allowing opponents to complete just 51.3 percent of their attempts, the fourth-lowest rate in the Big Ten. Porter was one of the main reasons why. Going into the Northwestern game on Oct. 1, he had 9 breakups and was leading the conference in passes defended (breakups plus interceptions). The veteran cornerback was also tied for third on the team with 16 tackles. The only knock on him so far is that a couple of those breakups against Purdue and Central Michigan could have been interceptions, and maybe even pick-sixes. 2. Sean Clifford | QB | Sr.+ Penn State's running game has shown signs of life this year, but it's been Clifford more than anyone who has kept the offense moving. Through four games, he had connected on 75 of 117 pass attempts (64.1 percent) for 890 yards, with 8 touchdowns and only 1 interception. 3. Brenton Strange | TE | R-Jr. Strange's improbable 67-yard touchdown dash in the final seconds of the first half against Purdue has set the tone for a big junior year. Through four games, the veteran tight end was second on the team with 211 receiving yards on 14 catches and was tied for the team lead with 3 touchdowns. 4. Nicholas Singleton | RB | Fr. Of the many talented players in Penn State's seventh-ranked freshman class, Singleton has made the biggest splash. Through four games, he had 5 runs of 40 or more yards, restoring the home run potential that the Lions' backfield lacked the past two years. Even after a relatively quiet day against Central Michigan, he was leading the team with 376 rushing yards and an average of 9.0 yards per carry. 5. Barney Amor | P | Sr.+ We could go in lot of directions with this fifth spot, but let's take a moment to appreciate the job that Amor has done so far. He was the unsung hero of Penn State's victory at Purdue, pinning the Boilermakers inside their own 20- yard line 3 times. In the first month of the season, 10 of his 18 punts were downed inside the 20, and 7 covered 50 or more yards. A year ago, Penn State boasted the Big Ten Punter of the Year in Jordan Stout, but there's been no discernable drop-off with Amor manning this spot. KEY MOMENT Penn State had made a deflating mistake when Purdue's Chris Jefferson returned an errant throw by Clifford 72 yards for a pick-six and a three-point lead with 8:29 to play. But the Nittany Lions' vet- eran quarterback was unfazed. When the Nittany Lions got the ball back, Clifford led them 80 yards in eight plays for the winning touchdown. We'll never know how the season might have unfolded if Penn State had left West Lafayette with a heartbreaking loss instead of a rousing comeback victory. It feels safe to say, though, that the Nittany Lions wouldn't have been feeling quite so good about their short- and long-term outlook without the boost they got on opening night. BEST HIGHLIGHT Singleton had already ended Penn State's 17- game stretch without a 100-yard rusher when he gained 179 against Ohio. But there was something different about watching him do much the same to an SEC opponent on the road a week later. On Penn State's first offensive play of the second half, Singleton found a lane down the sideline and sprinted 53 yards to the Auburn 5-yard line. He scored two plays later to give PSU a 21-6 lead on its way to a 41-12 rout in Week 3. BOLD PREDICTION After its bye week, Penn State will face the most daunting three-game stretch of its Big Ten schedule, with a road trip to Michigan on Oct. 15 fol- lowed by home games against Minnesota on Oct. 22 and Ohio State on Oct. 29. Through the first four weeks of the season, those teams were sporting a combined record of 12-0. The average margin of victory in those dozen wins was 37.2 points. Penn State showed in its lackluster 33-14 win over Central Michigan on Sept. 24 that it's far from a finished product. And yet, the Lions flashed enough potential in the first month of the season to suggest that they're capable of winning at least one of those games. If they're able to do that, there's a good chance they'll head into November with a shot at a New Year's Six bowl. — Matt Herb PENN STATE FOOTBALL SUPERLATIVES WEEK 1-WEEK 4 Heading into Penn State's Big Ten home opener against Northwestern, super senior quarterback Sean Clifford had totaled 8 touchdown passes and hadn't thrown an intercep- tion since the first game of the season against Purdue. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE