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Penn State football: Is savior too strong a word to use in relation to Nicholas Singleton?

Luke Glusco

By Luke Glusco

Published:

Genuflect before Nicholas Singleton, Penn State fans.

We Are … Not Worthy. What a revelation the true freshman has been.

The top running back recruit in the nation stands responsible for resurrecting a running game, if not a program.

We barely know him. Nick or Nicholas? But we love him already, or at least what he can do on a football field.

The numbers won’t remain this dizzying all season long, but 3 games in, the 6-0, 219-pound Singleton ranks No. 1 in the country in yards per carry (11.13). It took him 1 game to acclimate, and since then he’s averaging 15 yards a pop and more than 150 per game. He leads the nation in runs of 40+ yards with 5. The next closest guys have 2.

Penn State doesn’t go from unranked and doubted to 3-0 and No. 14 in the AP poll without a bunch of other dynamic young players and a core of key veterans collectively finding their groove. But one of these men is not like the others.

Not since the days of Saquon Barkley doing everything for the PSU offense short of walking on water has anyone created such an instant buzz in Nittany Nation.

Barkley acknowledged his fellow Pennsylvania native in succinct fashion:

Penn State, the team that went 17 games without a 100-yard rusher and last year averaged 3.2 yards per carry, now averages 5.5 per attempt and 192.3 per game. The same program that was held to 80 yards on the ground last September at home against Villanova just hung 245 on Auburn in the heart of SEC country.

Singleton couldn’t take any more weight off his linemen’s shoulders without going into Holuba Hall and spotting each of them individually during strength training. I’m guessing Olu Fashanu, Landon Tengwall, Juice Scruggs, Sal Wormley and Caedan Wallace are walking a bit taller across campus today. The new kid made them look good, and they also didn’t allow a single sack in the 41-12 demolition of Auburn. Confidence feeds on itself. Nothing succeeds like success.

Singleton doesn’t need much help. His 44-yard TD vs. Ohio didn’t feature a whole lot of blocking.

He just turned the corner and left the Bobcats grasping for air.

Knowing you have that kind of back can be inspiring. Next thing you know, 302-pound right tackle Wormley motors to the second level to deliver a key block:

The wide receivers threw key blocks on another of his long jaunts, and some beautiful interior work and tight end help sprung him against Auburn:

Sure, Singleton’s 5 long runs for 269 yards skew the numbers, but that’s how dominant running games usually work. Give home run-capable backs such as Singleton and fellow freshman Kaytron Allen enough chances, and they’re going to hit some long balls.

Second-year coordinator Mike Yurcich is adjusting the offense to the personnel, too. Sean Clifford is running less often. The team runs plays from under center more. Sets with 2 and 3 tight ends are becoming the norm. Tight end Brenton Strange at times lines up like a fullback, and gets joined by twin backs for short-yardage Clifford sneaks. Last year against Auburn, Penn State ran the ball 33 times and passed it 33 times. This year, there were 39 runs and 23 passes. (Not to mention 161 more rushing yards.)

“The ability to be more balanced, and take pressure off of the passing game, I think has been important for us,” head coach James Franklin said in a postgame media session Saturday. “We also have some dynamic backs that help create some explosive plays. … As we know, Nick has the ability to go 80.”

It won’t always be this easy. But it might be for the next 2 games, vs. Central Michigan and Northwestern, both at home. By the time Penn State travels to Ann Arbor to face No. 4 Michigan on Oct. 15, Singleton might be the talk of college football.

So far, he’s produced these phenomenal results while getting exactly 10 carries each game. Yurcich and Franklin have kept returning backs Keyvone Lee and Devyn Ford involved in niche roles. Both made huge plays in the opener at Purdue, helping the Lions rally for a 35-31 victory. Without that, Singleton is a statistical anomaly on an unranked team.

Nonetheless, going forward, against the power programs of the B1G East, No. 10 will have to get more touches. Everyone involved seems to understand that.

“His ability to turn the corner, to break tackles … to the point he can go 80 at any time, that has an effect on a defensive coordinator,” Franklin said following Singleton’s 179-yard game against Ohio. “That has an effect on our offense, obviously. … It takes some of the pressure off of the passing game. It helps our offensive line.”

It has restored the faith of a fan base, too. Hallelujah.

Luke Glusco

Luke Glusco is a Penn State graduate and veteran journalist. He covers Penn State and occasionally writes about other Big Ten programs and topics. He also serves as the primary copy editor for Saturday Tradition.