Nice to Meet You, Nick Singleton: BSD MVP

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Penn State’s highly-touted freshman running back dazzled in his Beaver Stadium debut.

It was on the tip of the tounges of many Penn State fans - “Nick Singleton is so close to breaking one.” He showed his explosive burst on his first carry as a Nittany Lion, ripping his way through the line for a 10-yard carry against Purdue. He showed other glimpses, and you could see the game begining to slow down for him with each carry.

It didn’t take long at all for Singelton to prove this to the Penn State faithful in week two. The first carry of the second series went to Singleton, who was stuffed for a one-yard loss. The play resulted in a first down anyways thanks to a personal foul on the Bobcats, setting up a 1st and 10 from the Penn State 30. Then it happened - Singleton bounced to the right where he saw an opening. However, what would have been about a 10-15 yard gained turned to something different. With three Ohio defenders closing in on him with a clear angle to the sideline, Singelton used that explosiveness to run past all three, leaving them well behind as he raced into the end zone. It was his first touchdown as a Nittany Lion, putting Penn State up 14-0.

(Video embedding isn’t cooperating at the moment, but check out Singleton’s highlights.)

He nearly reached the end zone again on the first play of the second half, racing for 48 yards before finally being caught. Unfortunately, the drive ended a few plays later on a missed 42 yard field goal.

Singleton wouldn’t leave it to chance the next time. As the third quarter was winding down, he took a handoff and was nearly brough down in the backfield. He was able to shake off the defender and find some room along the sideline. However, this time about half of the Bobcats defense had an angle on him. Once again, Singleton was able to blow past them all for his second touchdown of the day. The score put Penn State up 40-7, as the Nittany Lioms cruised to victory in their home opener.

Singleton was the first Nittany Lion since week six of the 2020 season to have 100 or more yards rushing in a single game. With him and Kaytron Allen joining the backfield, those streaks should quickly become a thing of the past.

Singleton finished the day with 179 yards on just 10 carries with two scores.

Others Considered

DE Chop Robinson - Robinson’s stat line doesn’t jump out at you - two tackles, a TFL and one pass batted down. However, it’s become clear that he is quickly becoming the Nittany Lions most disruptive defenive lineman, and we’ll be seeing some game-changing plays from #44 as the air turns cooler.

The QBs - Three Penn State quarterbacks saw action, with each having a standout performance. Sean Clifford led the way, connecting on 19 of 27 passes for 213 yards and a score. He also had 14 yards and a score with his legs, including a nifty scramble to get the ball at the one-yard line to set up the first score of the day. Drew Allar had the first two touchdowns of his Penn State career, showing an unbelieveable amount of pocket presence and ability to fit the ball in tight windows for a true freshman. Christian Veilleux closed out the day, and had just one incompletion out of his seven pass attempts. The overall stat line for all three was 31/42 for 338 yards, three touchdowns and not a single interception.

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By: Jared Slanina
Title: Nice to Meet You, Nick Singleton: BSD MVP
Sourced From: www.blackshoediaries.com/2022/9/12/23346255/penn-state-nittany-lions-football-nick-singleton-running-back-freshman-bsd-mvp-ohio-2022
Published Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2022 19:33:00 +0000

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