ATLANTA — Ole Miss defensive coordinator Pete Golding knows the Penn State offense poses a big challenge for he and his defense in Saturday’s Peach Bowl.
This comes despite Penn State operating with interim offensive coordinators. Even with the change in coordinators, the personnel remains essentially the same.
“I think they do a great job of being balanced. I think they stay on course,” Golding told reporters Wednesday at his pre-Peach Bowl presser. “I think the quarterback does a great job of managing the game. I think that (James) Franklin’s system of getting in and out of plays, based on the looks that they’re getting, they do a really good job of.”
The balance comes from a passing game featuring tight ends in Tyler Warren and Theo Johnson who have put up impressive seasons and a two-headed running back rotation in Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton that poses a major challenge for any Penn State opponent.
“Any good running back will tell you the five guys for them, the six or seven guys based on the personnel group on their end help that. I think both of them have really good balance and body control,” Golding said. “I think they have really good contact balance, constant leg drive. I think they’re hard to bring down. I also think they really understand schematically what they’re trying to do.”
At the running back position, it’s difficult to be the whole package, but for Allen and Singleton, they seemingly do it with ease.
“I think they have really good patience and letting blocks set up,” Golding said. “I think they do a good job of reading the second level and knowing when to cut back and knowing when to press certain things. You can tell they’re very well-coached. They’re very veteran in what they do, and they’re really good players. It’s going to be a very, very big challenge.”
It’s not an easy task for defenders to stop Allen and Singleton, but Ole Miss players such as John Saunders, Jr., cousin of former Penn State standout  Jaquan Brisker, are up for the task.
“They’re good backs. They run hard,” Saunders said. “We’ve just got to make sure every play to hit, wrap, and run and drive them back and just game tackle as a team. 11 hats to the ball every play just to make sure to polish off the ball carrier every play.”
