‘I just took off’: The story behind Penn State RB Nick Singleton’s memorable Rose Bowl run

PASADENA, Calif. — All Nick Singleton saw was green grass ahead.

“I just took off,” Singleton said before cracking a smile.

It was as simple as that for Penn State’s star true freshman to change the course of the 109th Rose Bowl.

Singleton, who dazzled all season long with his explosive speed, did it again on the game’s most revered stage. The kid from Governor Mifflin broke off an 87-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter of Penn State’s 35-21 win over Utah, bringing back memories of Saquon Barkley and Ki-Jana Carter doing the same in Pasadena.

It’s surreal for Singleton, the Gatorade national player of the year and jewel of Pennsylvania high school football only a year ago, to be in that position on Monday night. After teammates covered coach James Franklin with a cooler full of rose petals, the Nittany Lions celebrated accordingly. Singleton, a reserved and humble person, was the center of attention, posing for photos and receiving hugs every which way.

The attention was warranted. Singleton’s 87-yard run was the third-longest in Rose Bowl history and second-longest by a Penn State player in a bowl game.

It’s one of those plays that, if you witnessed it — in-person, at a bar or on your couch — you’ll never forget it.

Singleton certainly won’t forget the hole that opened for him.

“Our linemen did a great job,” Singleton said, giving credit first to Juice Scruggs, Sal Wormley, Hunter Nourzad, Caedan Wallace and Drew Shelton. Singleton also singled out his tight ends. Brenton Strange mauled his man while Theo Johnson made the key block that gave Singleton enough room to explode into Utah’s second level.

Franklin said the run reminded him of Barkley’s 92-yarder in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl, when he broke free against an aggressive “cover zero” defense. Johnson added that it was a “day-one install” and a “bread and butter play.”

“Sometimes you can get caught up with doing too much,” Johnson said. “But at the end of the day, I did my job. … There’s only one guy that can run and score the touchdown, but you take pride in being one out of 11 who contributes to the play.”

After taking Utah’s defensive end out of the play, Johnson got up off the grass and looked downfield. He could barely see Singleton.

“He was already gone,” Johnson said with a wide smile.

It wasn’t the only touchdown Singleton scored. The true freshman found the end zone out of Penn State’s “T formation” at the tail end of the first quarter, giving the Nittany Lions a 7-0 lead.

Singleton’s two touchdowns gave him 14 total in his inaugural campaign (12 rushing, one receiving and one on a kickoff against Rutgers). He also hit the 1,000-yard mark on his long dash through Utah’s defense.

The former five-star prospect finished the Rose Bowl with 120 yards on seven attempts. But none of them was bigger than the third-and-2 carry with 9:25 to go in the third.

Singleton admitted that when he got to the sidelines his teammates talked about how he made a Saquon type of play, referring to Barkley’s 79-yard highlight-reel score during the Nittany Lions’ 2017 Rose Bowl thriller. It’s a highlight Singleton has seen a lot, as far back as high school and as recently as the past few weeks.

“Especially ever since we got named to the Rose Bowl, you’d just be seeing videos of Saquon making those big runs,” the Shillington native said.

Singleton had his fair share of big runs this year. He entered the Rose Bowl with six runs of 40-plus yards, tied for second among FBS players. So it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that he added a seventh. But to do it in that manner was storybook stuff.

Singleton had a lot of family at the game to see him. His parents, Timmy and Nicole, along with his brothers, aunt, uncle and cousins, were in the Rose Bowl stands. So were thousands of Penn State supporters who traveled from far and wide to be there. And across the country, millions saw what Nick Singleton can do.

“Once I made that cut and I didn’t see anybody, I just felt like I was going,” Singleton said. “I kept running until I got to the end zone.”

And no one was going to catch him.