Early in his Monday presser, Penn State coach James Franklin was asked about the status of RB Nick Singleton.
He doesnโt usually provide updates on players whose status is in question, but in this case, he did give an update, and it was an encouraging one.
Franklin said that, barring any setbacks, he expects Singleton to play in Saturdayโs showdown at USC.
This shouldnโt come as a surprise. Franklin said after Saturdayโs 27-11 win against UCLA that he expected Singleton to play up until Saturday, when he ended up not going in what the coach described as a โlast-minute decision.โ
Singleton is one of Penn Stateโs best players.
Through four games, Singletonโs rushed for 408 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 7.2 yards per carry. Heโs been effective in the passing game, catching six balls for 82 yards and two scores, and, as we saw Saturday night.
This led to more or a workload for Kaytorn Allen (21 carries, 78 yards, TD) and true freshman Quinton Martin, who became the teamโs RB2 for the day.
Not having Singleton hurt but Franklin was pleased with the offense ย adjusted ย in the teamโs 27-11 win.
โObviously, not having a guy like Nick Singleton is significant,โ Franklin said, โbut it was a tremendous opportunity for Kaytron to get a few more touches. It was also a great opportunity to get Quinton in there. Really, really good opportunity for those guys, and I think we handled it well.โ
USCโs run defense is one of the teamโs weak points. Only Purdueโ which is 1-4โ has a worse run defense. So, yes, it could be a day for the Penn State RBs to feast.
