Kids can play
Penn State freshmen prove they deserve their time in spotlight
PASADENA, Calif. — Nick Singleton peered out the window of the Penn State team bus as it rolled closer and closer Saturday, trying to catch his first glimpse of Rose Bowl Stadium through the drizzle and the clouds.
When the Nittany Lions caravan arrived, Singleton’s eyes lit up.
“It feels unreal,” he said. “I can’t wait to play in it. It looks so nice.”
Maybe as nice as Singleton’s first college season has been.
The Big Ten Freshman of the Year needs 59 yards against Utah in Monday’s Rose Bowl Game to reach 1,000 yards and 136 to break Saquon Barkley’s school record by a freshman.
“Obviously you want to be a 1,000-yard rusher,” Singleton said. “It would mean a lot. But my focus is on winning the game.”
Singleton, the former Gov. Mifflin star, and other freshmen such as fellow running back Kaytron Allen, quarterback Drew Allar and linebacker Abdul Carter were available for the first time at Penn State’s Media Day in a tent outside the stadium.
Singleton and Allen have combined to rush for 1,771 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns and have energized the Lions’ ground game, which sputtered in 2021.
They received much attention during the 30-minute session.
“They deserve it,” running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider said. “This is their first time being in an environment like this, being able to talk to the media. I’m sitting here like a proud dad just watching your two kids getting in front of everybody on a big stage.
“They’re part of the reason why we’re here. They helped carry this team. They played like veterans throughout the year.”
Singleton was a five-star prospect and recognized as the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year as a senior with the Mustangs and as the Maxwell Club’s National High School Offensive Player of the Year.
He enrolled at Penn State last January and quickly impressed coaches, teammates and support staff with his dedication and commitment.
Singleton burst onto the national scene with back-to-back marvelous performances against Ohio and Auburn, rushing for 179 yards and two touchdowns against the Bobcats and for 124 yards and two TDs against the Tigers.
He had a midseason slump, which included losing two fumbles against Northwestern in a rainstorm, before rebounding and finishing strongly.
“You just watch his growth the last six games,” Seider said. “He started to understand how to play between the tackles, the different schemes and how people were defending him. To me, his best football was the last six games we played.
“Sometimes stats don’t always show it, but you think about how defenses started to defend us with Parker (leading receiver Parker Washington) out. We were getting more loaded boxes.”
During one stretch, Allen played better than Singleton and actually started against Ohio State, Indiana and Michigan State. With his patience and vision, he has run for 830 yards and nine touchdowns.
“Nick does certain things that I don’t do,” Allen said. “I learn from him. We both feed off each other. We teach each other when we come out about what we see, what we don’t see and what the defense is doing. It’s great playing with Nick in the backfield.”
The emergence of Singleton and Allen prompted running backs Caziah Holmes and Devyn Ford to leave the team. Keyvone Lee, Penn State’s top rusher the last two seasons, missed the second half of the season with an undisclosed injury.
But he continued to tutor and mentor the freshmen.
“I feel like Kaytron’s game is a little like mine,” said Lee, who expects to play Monday. “Nick’s just fast as hell. I have no parts in that. They’re more boys. They’re coming along.”
Singleton, Allen and Lee will face Utah’s strong rushing defense, which ranks 15th nationally (107.0 yards per game).
“If we win, we can build off it going into next season,” Singleton said. “We have a lot of players coming back. It would be a great win. Sending out the seniors the right way is really important.”
He’s not ready to reflect on the success he’s enjoyed so far.
He has a chance on Monday to cap his freshman season in a special way.
“I felt the (regular) season went well,” Singleton said. “We won 10 games. I felt I did good, but I know I can improve on a lot of stuff. We have to finish this right first.”