Penn State’s victory over UCLA is unremarkable without Nick Singleton [opinion]

Penn State’s 27-11 victory over UCLA Saturday at Beaver Stadium was methodical, workmanlike and unremarkable.

The Nittany Lions defense kept the Bruins out of the end zone until the final seconds.

The offense, however, looked mostly plodding like it did for most of last season, one of the reasons why James Franklin fired Mike Yurcich as offensive coordinator and brought in Andy Kotelnicki.

Penn State had one play longer than 15 yards, except for Liam Clifford’s three catches for 104 yards.

The Lions lacked explosiveness because Nick Singleton, their best weapon, watched from the sideline with a leg injury.

“When one of our best guys isn’t able to play,” Clifford said, “we’re going to miss having him out there.”

They missed Singleton’s 102.0 rushing average, his 7.7 yards per carry, his 139.5 all-purpose yards per game and his five touchdowns. They missed his burst and his power. They missed his ability to score from almost anywhere on the field.

It’s not a coincidence that Penn State was held to season lows in rushing yards (85) and total yards (322) without Singleton available for the first time in his career.

“Obviously not having a guy like Nick Singleton is significant,” Franklin said. “But it was a tremendous opportunity for Kaytron (Allen) to get a few more touches. It also was a great opportunity to get Quinton (Martin Jr.) in there. Overall we handled it well.”

Not true. The Lions averaged just 2.8 yards per rush and didn’t have a run longer than 11 yards. Without Singleton, they don’t have a consistent home-run threat on offense. His presence alone creates room for his teammates in the passing game and running game.

It explains why Franklin and the Penn State medical staff decided not to play Singleton against UCLA. The Lions need him as healthy as possible Saturday at USC and then Wisconsin, Ohio State and Washington, a four-game stretch that will largely define their season.

“It was like losing my dog, man,” said Allen, Singleton’s backfield mate and roommate. “It was just different not having my dog out there. I was sad not having my brother out there with me.”

Allen tied a career high with 21 carries, scored on a short run and gained 78 yards, just 3.7 per attempt. He’s a fine back who has great vision and patience, but he doesn’t have the burst or the pass-catching ability that Singleton has.

He can be a huge factor against USC, which allowed Minnesota to rush for 193 yards Saturday night in a 24-17 upset loss and which ranks 87rh nationally against the run.

“He’s going to be straight,” Allen said. “He’s going to be good. I know he’s going to be ready next week.”

Penn State’s offense didn’t click on all cylinders against UCLA and didn’t have to against the overmatched Bruins.

The Lions need to be at their best in their next four games, and that means having a healthy Nick Singleton available. They lacked his playmaking ability against the Bruins, which made the game and their offensive performance mostly forgettable.

“Yeah, he wanted to be out there (against UCLA),” Allen said. “You can definitely see it in his eyes. Both of us love football so much. Once somebody takes away the thing that you love to do, it’s hard. Mentally, it’s hard.”

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