Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503568
3 8 A U G U S T 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / 2 0 2 3 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / his work with the running backs through- out the offseason. "The scary part is, we haven't even tapped into it yet. They're doing it right now at a young age with a loaded box," Seider said. "To see it and understand how people are defending them, how we can take advantage of the little space we get, not the big space we get, it's been great." Now that they've had a chance to ab- sorb the knowledge that Seider has been imparting throughout the offseason, the next steps for both players are clear. "Our biggest offseason study so far in our meetings is to find out early where the unblocked defender is," Seider said. "It's a pre-snap [read]. Once we make the ID, where's the unblocked player? Is it the corner? Is it the free safety? Is it the Will [linebacker]? "It's going to make them scary, because now they know where that defender is at. And when they get into space, they've got to plan for him." Creating Versatility For Yurcich this summer, the commit- ment to running the ball hasn't waned. However, the need to create favorable conditions for those backs has taken on more urgency. Yurcich emphasized that running into a loaded box might not be in the best in- terest of the running backs' yards-per- carry average. Though tempting because of their ability to overcome stacked odds, there's no need to stubbornly insist on playing into the strength of an opposing defense. Instead, establishing offensive versa- tility could be the key to bringing out the best in both players this season. "I think that you could say, 'You know what, we're just going to cram it down the cram hole,'" Yurcich said. "I think there's a time for that. And there's no question that's tough, blue collar, the right mentality. It's demoraliz- ing, establishing your will upon the opponent. There's a time for that. "But there's also a time to make sure that you're equating numbers. You have to be diversified." Confident that the Nittany Li- ons can field a diverse offensive attack, Yurcich's commitment to letting Single- ton and Allen shine remains. Their pres- ence has the veteran coordinator feeling eager to take advantage of the opportu- nities that will emerge in the weeks and months ahead. "They're the heart and soul of the of- fense," he said. "At the end of the day, you have to stop them. [The defense] may be in a really good call, but they're talented enough to still win. That's why you make them the heart and soul, because [the op- ponent] can be in a great call, in a good defense, a loaded front, and you still don't know. "You want to lean on that. When in doubt, you're going to default to the run game, and that's a good thing to have. That helps the defense out. It helps your special teams out. It helps with field po- sition. You want to be in control of every game. You want to have that feeling, and having a dominant run game helps you have that feeling that you're never really having to play from behind and you're controlling the game. We want to control the game." With Allen and Singleton set for their highly anticipated follow-up seasons, the Nittany Lions expect to do just that. ■ Scholarship Players (5) No. Name Yr. Ht. Wt. 10 Nicholas Singleton So. 6-0 224 13 Kaytron Allen So. 5-11 221 23 Trey Potts R-Sr. 5-9 218 24 London Montgomery Fr. 5-10 186 26 Cam Wallace Fr. 5-9 184 Allen's 10 rushing touchdowns last year were the second most by a true freshman in school history, trailing only Singleton's 12. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE