Penn State running back Nick Singleton vs. Nevada: 8 carries, 19 yards.
Kaytron Allen: 8 carries, 43 yards.
The Lions’ talented backs each went over 1,000 yards last season. Both are capable of passing Evan Royster, who is Penn State’s career rushing leader with 3,932 yards.
These numbers were produced against Nevada, not Ohio State.
So, should there be cause for concern with the Lions’ running backs and PSU’s offensive line going into Saturday’s game with Florida International at Beaver Stadium?
Minimal, at most. It happens.
Singleton had a few rough days last year: USC (10 carries, 26 yards) and Ohio State (6-15).
So, too, did Allen: West Virginia (10-20), Ohio State (12-27), Purdue (6-20), Minnesota (7-10) and Maryland (13-34).
Penn State coach James Franklin and Singleton agree on what happened to the Lions’ run game vs. the Wolf Pack.
Both say Nevada’s defense jammed the line of scrimmage and dared the Lions’ pass game to make plays to consistently move the ball.
PSU did.
Drew Allar completed 22 of 26 throws for 217 yards and a touchdown. Backup Ethan Grunkemeyer was also effective, going 7 for 9 for 86 yards.
“You just gotta know that every game, the other team’s trying to stop the run game,” Singleton said Saturday after the Nevada game. “We obviously knew that. They kinda did that in the first and second quarter.”
Added Franklin on Monday: “I think if you’re the defensive coordinator at Nevada and you’re coming into Penn State, the proven commodity is what? Nick and ‘Fat’ (Allen) and the running game.
“So, everybody’s model is going to be, we’ve got to do everything we possibly can not to allow the obvious choice to beat us and force the wide receivers, that we have not seen yet a whole lot, and the passing game to beat you.”
Singleton believes a bounce-back is coming soon, likely Saturday.
“We started getting the dirty runs in the third and the fourth (quarters),” said Singleton, who has a pair of 1,000-yard seasons under his belt.
“That’s the main goal: to try and stop the run game. It leads us to the pass game, too.”
The Lions return five offensive linemen with starting experience. They were the five starters against Nevada. PSU also used a pair of guards — TJ Shanahan and Cooper Cousins — in a seven-linemen set on the team’s first series.
“We can do a lot of damage, especially that O-line,” Singleton said. “I feel like (the) O-line is the best O-line in the country.”
