Penn State who watched Saturday’s 52-6 win over Villanova may have noticed that Nick Singleton received twice the amount of carries that Kaytron Allen did, and may have been confused by it.
After all, Allen had just set a career-high with 144 yards on 16 carries against FIU.
Yet, against Villanova, he got six fewer carries.
Singleton, meanwhile, got 20 carries, which were seven more than he did against FIU and double the amount that Allen received. The fact all this happened days after Coach James Franklin told reporters that Singleton had been struggling with overthinking things on Saturdays made Penn State fans believe that this was no accident.
WAS IT AN ACCIDENT?
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Nick Singleton
Franklin said after the game that Singleton have more carries wasn’t premeditated.
“I know sometimes when the numbers play out that way, it may seem like that or feel like that. It really just has to do with who’s in the game. It’s not like Andy (Kotelnicki), when he’s calling the game, he’s looking to see who the running back is. We got two running backs that we feel really good about, and we just call the game.
“And sometimes you kind of get into a situation where one running back is in and you’ve thrown the ball more, and you got another running back in where you run the ball more; unless we’re constantly tracking that, sometimes those numbers are going to get a little bit out of whack. But it’s nothing that was not a plan coming into the game. It’s just how those drives played out.”
KAYTRON= NO. 1
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.This might change by the end of the season and, hell, could even change by the end of Penn State’s game with Oregon Sept. 27.
But right now, Kaytron Allen is Penn State’s best running back.
Just look at the numbers through three games:
Allen: 273 yards, three touchdowns, eight yards per carry
Singleton: 197 yards, five touchdowns, 4.8 YPC.
There are other elements, such as pass catching, where Singleton is superior.
But right now, Allen is Penn State’s guy.
No. 2 Penn State has a bye week, then takes on No. 4 Oregon Sept. 27 at Beaver Stadium.
