Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1480138
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M N icholas Singleton formally intro- duced himself to Penn State fans at Beaver Stadium in a Sept. 10 victory against Ohio. A week later, he introduced himself to the rest of the college football world. The true freshman running back needed only 10 carries to lift the Nit- tany Lions to a 41-12 blowout win at Auburn. He rushed for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns, winning his second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor in a row. Singleton's impact could best be grasped through five specific carries over those two weeks. Those five rush- ing attempts, all of which covered more than 40 yards, offered an indication of how Penn State's offense in 2022 could differ from its recent predecessors. The five-star newcomer quickly showed that he's the home run hitter the Nit- tany Lions have been seeking. "Maybe in years past when the read would be cloudy … we didn't always have the speed to get to the edge like he does," coach James Franklin said. "He showed the ability to do that, and a run that may typically be 3 or 4 yards has a chance to be 80 with him. "I do think it has an impact, obvi- ously, and not just on the rushing stats. I think it has an impact on defensive coordinators. When they know if they're not in their gap or they make a mistake that there's a back on the other side that can go 80 yards at any point, there's a lot of value in that. I think it affects how people call the defense." Given the quick-strike potential that Singleton brings to the Nittany Lion of- fense, the sentiment is understandable. He didn't have much of an impact in his first game for Penn State, finish- ing with 10 carries for 31 yards in the opener at Purdue. A week later, against Ohio in PSU's home opener, Singleton showed his potential with a 70-yard touchdown carry late in the first quar- ter. The run offered fans a tantalizing glimpse of the agility, vision and speed that earned him Gatorade National High School Football Player of the Year honors last year. Turning the corner on a run to his right, Singleton cut back effortlessly behind his blocker. He then outran a pair of Ohio defenders while racing un- encumbered into the end zone. Singleton wasn't done, either. He opened the second half with a 48-yard run, then added a 44-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. The final stat line spoke for itself: 10 carries, 179 yards, 2 touchdowns. It was the first 100-yard rushing performance by a Nittany Lion since Keyvone Lee gained 134 yards at Michigan in 2020. A week later at Auburn, Singleton opened the second half with a 53-yard carry, again up the right sideline and past outmanned Tiger defenders. By the fourth quarter, Penn State was leading 31-12 and Singleton finished off the hosts with a blazing 54-yard touchdown. Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, now a TV analyst, had seen enough to under- stand the potential the Nittany Lions have in their dynamic frosh ball carrier. "Nick Singleton? That looked like Zeke Elliott to me," Meyer said, recalling the for- mer Buckeye great. "He ran away twice. He out- ran angles." What it means for Penn State moving for- ward isn't a guarantee. He appears to be the bona fide slugger that Franklin has wanted the past two seasons, but he isn't yet auto- matic. Against Central Michigan to close out the nonconference portion of Penn State's schedule, Singleton couldn't match his previous feats. He finished the game, a 33-14 Penn State win, with just 42 yards on 12 carries, with a long of 21 yards, failing to spark a Nittany Lion offense that was stagnant after the first quarter. And yet, even with Singleton largely contained, the Lions had some success on the ground. Freshman Kaytron Allen stepped in and finished with 111 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries. Allen's vision and Singleton's game- breaking potential give Penn State reason to be optimistic about the future of its running game. By extension, the Lions also have reason to feel hopeful about their point-scoring potential as they head into the heart of the Big Ten schedule. ■ Nicholas Singleton was sixth in the Big Ten in rushing with 376 yards through four games. His average of 9.0 yards per carry was the league's best. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE O P I N I O N NATE BAUER nbauer@bluewhiteonline.com HOT READ Freshman Running Backs Give PSU A New Dimension