Penn State notebook: No. 4 Nittany Lions prepare for long travel week to face USC

After Penn State defeated UCLA at home Saturday, coach James Franklin pointed out that for the fourth straight season, the Nittany Lions have managed to start the season 5-0.

Penn State (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten), now ranked No. 4, is the only program in the nation to have done so.

That’s an accomplishment worth celebrating, but over that span, Penn State has been unable to sustain the early-season momentum.

Over the last three seasons, after starting out undefeated, the Nittany Lions are a combined 13-11.

“We play in one of the best conferences in all of college football, which is going to create challenges,” Franklin told reporters Monday in State College. “I think we have three teams right now ranked in the top four. That’s what comes with that. You embrace what comes with playing one of the best conferences in all of college football, and those challenges come with it.

“So, we’ve got to do the things that we’ve done to this point to get us to be 5-0. That’s something that we can control. We’ve got to make sure that we’re doing it for the long haul.”

Standing between Penn State and a 6-0 start are the USC Trojans (3-2, 1-2), who dropped from No. 11 to unofficially No. 26 in the country after losing to unranked Minnesota.

The Nittany Lions hit the road this week to face USC on Saturday at L.A. Memorial Coliseum.

Travel challenges

Last week, UCLA navigated the logistical challenge of traveling from Westwood, Calif., to State College.

Soon, it’ll be Penn State’s turn to endure lengthy flights and an extended trip away from home.

The Nittany Lions last faced USC on Jan. 2, 2017, concluding the season with a 52-49 shootout in the Rose Bowl.

Now, thanks to conference realignment, the Nittany Lions will be traveling to southern California more frequently.

Due to a number of factors, State College Regional Airport is insufficient to accommodate Penn State’s travel needs.

As a result, the team must bus to Harrisburg and depart for Los Angeles from the capital’s international airport.

Due to the long travel days, Penn State will depart Thursday.

“We cannot fly out of State College,” Franklin said. “That was a big part of our discussions with the Big Ten when this thing got started. Not only are we one of the most northeast schools, but based on runway length, size of plane, weight of plane, fuel on plane — we can’t get out of here unless we would stop for fuel. So with that, we’ve got to fly out of Harrisburg.”

Singleton eyes return

A surprise absence Saturday against the Bruins was tailback Nick Singleton.

Franklin said after the win that he only found out during pregame warmups of Singleton’s unavailability because of injury.

Though Singleton was absent from practice earlier in the week, he’d made enough progress for Franklin to expect him to play Saturday.

That wasn’t the case, and in Singleton’s absence, Kaytron Allen handled the majority of rushing duties carrying 21 times for 78 yards and a touchdown.

Barring anything unforeseen, Franklin anticipates Singleton to suit up vs. the Trojans.

“As long as we don’t have any setbacks this week, I would anticipate him going, and I also would anticipate him practicing Tuesday and Wednesday, but we’ll see how this whole thing plays out,” Franklin said.

“But, yeah, we’re very confident and I think Nick is very confident talking to him on Sunday, that he will be ready to go.”