Nicholas Singleton's big plays give Nittany Lions a spark

By Nate Bauer

Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith opened his postgame press conference hitting the major points. His Nittany Lions had just dropped a brutal 27-24 decision to No. 2 Indiana, marked by a last-minute touchdown.

Accordingly, there were dejected players and coaches working through the emotion of another setback in the locker room. This one – the sixth straight for a program that entered the season with national championship aspirations – kept the Nittany Lions winless with only three games left in Big Ten play.

Still, there were positives from which Penn State could grow, he said.

“I thought we did a better job in the second half throwing the ball down the field. I thought it opened up our run game,” Smith said. “We got a long run, and it gave us some opportunities to get back in the game.”

The producer of that long run – a 58-yard carry that transformed a 20-10 deficit in the fourth quarter – Nick Singleton cashed in on the opportunity.

Forcing the issue to throw the ball downfield, a repeated point of emphasis for Smith the past three weeks, Penn State pivoted offensively from a first half in which the offense did not. And though redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer threw an interception on just the second play of the third quarter, the unit’s next two trips onto the field created opportunity for itself by doing so.

Those completions – a 21-yard strike from Grunkemeyer to Trebor Pena and a 22-yarder to true freshman Koby Howard – were enough to soften an Indiana defense that had, to that point in the game, largely stifled the Nittany Lions’ rushing attack.

Asked whether the passing game helped open things up a little more for him, on the heels of his best performance of the season with 71 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and another 22 yards and a touchdown as a receiver, Singleton didn’t hesitate to affirm the dynamic’s dividends.

“It definitely does because everybody is trying to stop the run, stacking the box. He made good throws down the field, opening everything up,” said Singleton. “That’s why I got that long run. Obviously, the offensive line, they helped, too.”

In an otherwise challenging season for Singleton, the effort delivered his longest run of the year in one of the game’s most critical moments. Desperately needing to produce points – having managed just a field goal in the third quarter – the galloping run, cutting back against the grain to slice through Indiana’s defense and into a footrace, was transformative to Penn State’s chances to pull off the upset.

It was also transformative to Singleton himself, though frustration remained that he needed another two carries to plunge into the end zone.

“It felt like old me,” he said. “I wish I finished the touchdown. But at the end, the O-line got me in there. We just got to finish.”

The performance from Singleton also included his second-longest pass reception of the season, weaving 19 yards through traffic to help put the Nittany Lions ahead 24-20 late in the fourth quarter.

Having seen reduced opportunities to make an impact as his production has waned against that of Kaytron Allen this season, Singleton built momentum from his limited looks at Ohio State last week – picking up 28 yards as a pass-catcher and another 18 yards and a touchdown on six carries. That showing inspired more confidence from Smith leading into Saturday’s game.

“He’s really fast and talented. We want to expand upon that,” Smith said this week. “We feel like the first part of the season he wasn’t running the ball the way, or as effectively as, we would like. I thought at the Ohio State game, he started to look like old Nick, and our job is to keep that going, get him back to that.”

Disappointed by the outcome of the latest setback, Singleton acknowledged afterward that his preference is to win – even if it meant a bad game for himself personally. But given the chance to help Penn State this week, the payoff was one he was proud to have delivered.

“We’re always looking for players that make big plays. A player makes a big play, it hypes everybody up – the fans, especially our team, too. And that brings up momentum,” said Singleton. “So, it felt good.”

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