There were smiles up and down the Penn State sideline after the Nittany Lions shutout Maryland 30-0 Saturday night. Even with the chilly and wet conditions, the 14th-ranked team in the nation put together its strongest all-around performance of the year.
Here are the top performers from Saturday's rout:
Offense: RB Nick Singleton
It seems like any given week, one of Penn State's uber-talented freshman running backs will pop off. Against Maryland, it was Nick Singleton who had the big day.
Singleton gashed the Terrapin defense for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. The two scores came on runs of 45 and 27 yards, both on 4th down plays.
Most impressively, it wasn't all about the speed on Saturday night. Singleton showed great vision and power between the tackles.
The 2021 Gatorade National Player of the Year leads the Nittany Lions with 822 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. Singleton has a chance to be the first Penn State running back to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards since Miles Sanders in 2018.
Defense: DE Chop Robinson
One of the biggest storylines heading into the game was Chop Robinson facing his former team in Maryland, and the sophomore certainly got some sweet revenge.
Robinson made three tackles and collected two sacks against his former quarterback, Taulia Tagovailoa. He currently leads the team with four sacks on the year.
Robinson is just one piece on a Penn State pass rush that has been relentless the past two games, with 13 total sacks against Indiana and Maryland. Next week's matchup against Rutgers should provide favorable conditions for even more sacks.
Special teams: K Jake Pinegar
Redshirt senior Jake Pinegar delivered against the Terrapins with field goals of 50, 46, and 21 yards. He even had a tackle on the kickoff coverage team.
Pinegar improved to 11-of-13 on the season, as well as setting a career-high on the 50-yarder.
There were concerns for Pinegar earlier in the season with two missed kicks and two missed PAT attempts, but he looked comfortable and confident against Maryland.
Honorable mention: P Alex Bacchetta:
It's not often we talk about the backup punter, but during the 30-0 shutout Alex Bacchetta passed his collegiate debut with flying colors.
The freshman punted for a total of 81 yards, downing both of his punts inside the 20-yard line.
Barney Amor has the position under wraps this season, but Bacchetta looks poised to step into the role after Amor graduates.
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