Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1507572
8 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 3 OPENING SHOT RAISE THE SONG Flanked by freshman receiver Carmelo Taylor (21) and redshirt senior offensive tackle Caedan Wallace (73), Nicholas Singleton took center stage in the singing of the Penn State Alma Mater following the Nittany Lions' season-opening victory over West Virginia on Sept. 2 at Beaver Stadium. The sophomore running back was prominently featured in the game, too, rushing for 70 yards and a touchdown in the Lions' 38-15 win. Singleton's 2-yard score early in the second quarter gave Penn State a 14-7 lead, and while the Mountaineers kept the hosts within reach for much of the evening, the Lions eventually proved too much for their former Eastern independent rivals, scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter to pull away. Singleton said the second-half surge was a matter of players "just trusting ourselves." "We knew we had to step it up because it was a close game," he added. With sophomore quarterback Drew Allar making his first career start, many observers had been expecting Singleton and fellow sophomore run- ning back Kaytron Allen to be the focal point of Penn State's offensive attack. But the coaching staff proved entirely willing to give Allar a shot at carving up the Mountaineers' defense through the air, and that's exactly what he did. The former On3 five-star prospect completed 21 of 29 passes for 325 yards, with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. While it was a very promising start for the PSU passing game, Singleton and Allen are undoubtedly going to make a few star turns of their own be- fore the season is over. Indeed, that's going to be all but mandatory if the Lions are to vie for the Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff. People have been singing the Nittany Lions' praises for months, but the only way it's going to continue is if the team fields a balanced offensive attack throughout the year. — Matt Herb PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL