It is no secret that Penn State’s running game was in dire need of an overhaul after last season’s disappointing 7-6 finish. The Nittany Lions averaged just 3.2 yards per carry and proved their inability to positively impact a game on the ground. This was clearly a point of emphasis for James Franklin and his staff because they recruited stud freshman, Nick Singleton, to rectify this glaring issue.
Singleton has been as good as advertised through the first three games with 334 rushing yards and four touchdowns on just 30 carries so far. He was particularly dominant in the previous two blowout wins over Ohio and Auburn on the road. The true freshman running back averaged an incredible 15.5 yards per carry over those two games which included five rushes of 40-plus yards. For reference, Penn State recorded only two rushes of 40-plus yards through 13 games as a team last season. On top of that, Singleton broke the Nittany Lions’ 17-game streak without a 100-yard rusher against Ohio before doing it a second time against Auburn.
The Happy Valley built a reputation over the last few years for being the home to some great running backs such as Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders, but have since been unable to reclaim that status. Nick Singleton is the next guy up and has the potential to put them back in the category of an elite rushing team. The Pennsylvania native already has his foot on the gas and he will only continue to grow stronger, faster, and better as time goes on.
Although three games is a small sample size, Nick Singleton is leading a rushing resurgence for Penn State that is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
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