ESPN College Gameday’s Desmond Howard hasn’t said much about Saturday’s Penn State-Auburn game yet.
But he did mention Penn State’s two most hyped freshmen.
In the shows first 10 minutes, Howard and other Gameday panelists briefly went over today’s biggest college football games. In Howard’s blurb about Penn State-Auburn, he said he wouldn’t be surprised if five-star freshman sensation Drew Allar got in at quarterback for Penn State.
It’s unlikely that Allar will play unless starter Sean Clifford goes down with injury or struggles terribly, but it’s almost certain that fellow five-star Nick Singleton will get the ball.
And Howard wants him to get it often.
“Whosever the quarterback, make sure you hand the ball off to Nick Singleton,” Howard said. “He’s been outstanding so far this season.”
Desmond Howard on College Gameday broadcast: “Make sure you hand off the ball to Nick Singleton.”
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) September 17, 2022
Singleton didn’t do much in his college debut at Purdue, running the ball 10 times for 31 yards. In Penn State’s home opener against Ohio last week, Singleton had the same amount of carries, but gained 179 yards instead of 10, and ran for touchdowns of 70 and 44 yards. Singleton also has a 48-yard run.
Although Howard won a Heisman Trophy at Michigan and fellow Gameday panelist Kirk Herbstreit played quarterback at Ohio State, the Gameday crew has been kind to Penn State over the years.
Herbstreit famously said Penn State had the “best student section in the country” at halftime of its win over Ohio State at Beaver Stadium in 2005. Herbstreit also pick Penn State as his “sleeper”team in late August on the season’s first Gameday episode.
Recently, former Gameday host and current ESPN play-by-play announcer Chris Fowler said Penn State has the best home-field advantage in the Big Ten and the school’s annual White Out is the best environment in college football.
Penn State and Auburn kickoff at 3:30 on CBS.
