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James Franklin discusses Nicholas Singleton’s absence vs. UCLA
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James Franklin was truly caught by surprise when it was revealed shortly before kickoff that Penn State star running back Nicholas Singleton would miss Saturday’s showdown with UCLA at Beaver Stadium.
The junior was a limited participant in practice this week for the 7th-ranked Nittany Lions, and he hadn’t missed a game in his Penn State career, playing in 30 straight. But on Saturday, that streak was snapped.
“I thought we’d have him Thursday, I thought we’d have him Friday, I thought we’d have him (Saturday),” Franklin told reporters after his team brushed aside Singleton’s absence and cruised to a 27-11 victory over the Bruins to stay undefeated at 5-0. “(I) didn’t find out until after warmups … (it) literally was a last-minute deal.”
Franklin discussed how Singleton’s absence gave other guys a chance to shine. And Kaytron Allen did, rushing for 78 yards on 21 carries and a 1-yard touchdown late in the 3rd quarter that made it 24-3 and finally gave heavily favored Penn State some breathing room. Still, the Nittany Lions struggled to run the ball overall without Singleton, managing just 85 rushing yards on 30 carries for a 2.8 yards-per-carry average.
“Obviously, not having a guy like Nick Singleton is significant, but it was a tremendous opportunity for Kaytron to get a few more touches. It was also a great opportunity to get Quinton (Martin Jr.) in there. Really, really good opportunity for those guys, and I think we handled it well.”
Singleton has rushed for 408 yards on 53 carries this season and ranked 3rd nationally with a 7.7 yards-per-carry average among backs with at least 50 rushing attempts going into Week 6. Singleton also ranked 3rd in the Big Ten in all-purpose yards with 558 going into this week.
It remains to be seen if Singleton will return for next Saturday’s showdown at No. 11 USC.