Tag: nicholas singleton

Best photos from Penn State’s College Football Playoff win over SMU

Check out some of the best images from Penn State’s first-round win over SMU in the College Football Playoff.

Penn State made its College Football Playoff debut with a laugher in front of a packed Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The frigid temperatures couldn’t keep the defense from heating up with a pair of defensive touchdowns in the first half to set the tone for a 38-10 victory over SMU in the first round of the playoff.

Noon kickoffs in Happy Valley tend to have mixed reviews, but the crowd was fired up for the historic first College Football Playoff game in Beaver Stadium history. And despite the cold weather, the scene looked fantastic.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s dominating victory over SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff from Beaver Stadium on Saturday.

Penn State will take on Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, which will be the quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff. The Fiesta Bowl is scheduled for Dec. 31 in Glendale, Arizona.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Penn State clobbers SMU in College Football Playoff, 38-10

Penn State will face Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl after a blowing out SMU in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Penn State’s defense set the tone with a pair of pick-sixes against SMU and the offense eventually got things rolling in a one-sided affair in the first College Football Playoff game in Penn State and Beaver Stadium history. Penn State dominated SMU to advance to the quarterfinal round with a 38-10 victory on Saturday afternoon in chilly Happy Valley.

[autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag] will be the answer to a new Penn State football trivia question. It was DeLuca who scored the first touchdown in Penn State playoff history when he jumped in front of a pass from SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings and returned it nearly uncontested for a 23-yard pick-six in the first quarter. With the Penn State offense still working on thawing out, linebacker [autotag]Tony Rojas[/autotag] gave Penn State a second defensive touchdown in the second quarter with 59-yard pick-six as Jennings was under pressure once again by the defensive front of Penn State.

The offense did eventually get things moving with the running game starting to pick up some steam. Touchdown runs by [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] and [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] in the second quarter helped give Penn State a commanding 28-0 lead at halftime. The two running backs ended the day with three combined touchdowns (Allen had a second touchdown run in the fourth quarter to push the Penn State lead to 38-3).

[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] was not particularly sharp but did complete 13 of 22 passes for 127 yards before getting an early rest in the fourth quarter with things comfortably in hand for the Nittany Lions. [autotag]Ethan Grunkemeyer[/autotag] finished the game under center for Penn State, taking advantage of the opportunity to get some live experience following the departure of Beau Pribula by way of the transfer portal earlier in the week.

It was a relatively quiet afternoon for Penn State’s star tight end Tyler Warren. Warren caught four passes for 33 yards and ran once for six yards. Warren also attempted a pass, but it fell incomplete. Expect Warren to have a bigger role in the next round.

Penn State will now head to the Fiesta Bowl for a quarterfinal round matchup with Boise State, champions of the Mountain West Conference. Penn State has never faced Boise State but has enjoyed some storied success in the Fiesta Bowl. Penn State faces Boise State on Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The winner of that game will face the winner of the quarterfinal-round matchup between Georgia and Notre Dame.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Best photos from Penn State’s one-point win at Minnesota

Check out the best images from Penn State’s thriller of a victory over Minnesota.

No win in college football is ever to be considered easy, but this latest one for Penn State was one of the more nerve-racking games of the season for the Nittany Lions. Penn State did manage to come out on top of the Gophers with a 26-25 win that truly tested the mental strength of the program when faced with some adversity.

From injuries left and right on the turf to having to overcome special teams meltdowns and the inability to convert in short-yardage situations, Penn State dug deep to climb back from a 10-0 deficit and a small halftime deficit to improve to 10-1 on the year, and keeping Big Ten title hopes alive and well going into the final week of the regular season.

Here are some of the best photos from Penn State’s one-point victory at Minnesota.

Penn State will close out the regular season at home next week against Maryland. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. Penn State can clinch a spot in the Big Ten championship game with a win over the Terrapins if Ohio State is upset by Michigan next Saturday.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Penn State escapes Minnesota’s upset bid, remains in Big Ten title contention

Penn State avoids massive upset at Minnesota and remains in the Big Ten title hunt going into next week.

It’s OK to breathe a sigh of relief, Penn State fans. The Nittany Lions are 10-1, but it certainly was not pretty on Saturday in a 26-25 victory over Minnesota. But a win is a win, and Penn State has 10 of them in 11 games.

Penn State came out sleeping its way to an early 10-0 deficit in the first half, and it was a constant battle to climb its way to a 23-22 lead in the third quarter. Penn State held a 26-25 lead after the Gophers kicked a field goal on its final possession of the game, and a fake punt and a fourth-and-short conversion on helped Penn State run the remainder of the game’s five minutes and change for a hard-fought victory. The win keeps Penn State in the mix for a spot in the Big Ten championship game and should keep the Nittany Lions for a potential first-round College Football Playoff game in Beaver Stadium.

And it was a roller coaster of emotions to get there.

[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] completed 20 of 27 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown, a 45-yard strike to a wide-open [autotag]Omari Evans[/autotag] in the second quarter. Allar also picked up a short touchdown run in a game where he was under some good pressure throughout the game and let his emotions boil over a bit on the sideline in the heat of the moment. But Allar delivered another gritty performance on the road like he did at USC earlier in the season.

Not surprisingly, tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] was a big reason why Penn State came away with the Governor’s Victory Bell. Warren caught eight passes for 102 yards, including the big fourth-down conversion in the final minute to help Penn State run the clock out for good. Warren was without a touchdown in the game, but he was the game’s leading receiver.

[autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] rushed for a game-high 63 yards and a touchdown and he added six catches for 37 yards. [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] had a quiet day in the box score with three tackles, but he did bring some good pressure off the edge. Minnesota just found ways to avoid letting that pressure bring them down. Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer did throw an interception to [autotag]Dominic DeLuca[/autotag] and had a costly fumble when he just dropped the ball in the backfield, with Carter battling him for the fumble recovery.

Special teams disasters by Penn State have been rare this season, but they cost Penn State 9 points in the first half. A blocked punt out of the end zone led to a quick Minnesota touchdown to go up 17-10, and a blocked extra point just before halftime was returned by Minnesota for two points. Confusion on the field also led to a rushed shanked pooch punt by Warren as Drew Allar appeared to want to call timeout.

But it was the special teams that helped deliver a win in the biggest way. Kicker [autotag]Ryan Barker[/autotag] hit a 32-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to put Penn State up 26-22. After the Gophers had to settle for a field goal to cut the lead to one, Penn State picked up a 32-yard gain on a fake punt run by [autotag]Luke Reynolds[/autotag] from the Penn State 34-yard line to keep the drive moving. Penn State looked like it was going three-and-out on the drive after Minnesota cut the lead to one, so the fake punt was what ended up being the play of the game. But Allar picked up another fourth down conversion with a two-yard run with 2:10 remaining, and Allar’s pass to Warren for an 11-yard gain on 4th and 1 from the Minnesota 14-yard line and 26 seconds remaining was the icing on the cake.

With the win, and with Ohio State beating Indiana earlier in the day, Penn State is still in the running for a spot in the Big Ten championship game going into next week. Penn State will know when it takes the field next week if there is a chance to play for the Big Ten championship for the first time since 2016. If Ohio State loses to Michigan next week in the early kickoff window, then a Penn State win would send the Nittany Lions to the Big Ten championship game to face Oregon.

Penn State will close out the regular season next week at home against Maryland. Next week’s game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff and will air on Big Ten Network.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Penn State steamrolls Purdue to move to 9-1, keep home playoff game hopes looking strong

Tyler Warren and Drew Allar lead Penn State to blow out win over lifeless Purdue to keep home playoff game in reach.

[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] threw three touchdowns and [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] racked up 190 all-purpose yards with two touchdowns scored as Penn State easily took care of Purdue on the road on Saturday afternoon. Penn State’s 49-10 victory over the Boilermakers improved the Nittany Lions to 9-1 with two games remaining in the regular season. The win helps keep Penn State’s Big Ten title hopes alive for now and keeps them in a good position to host a first-round game in the upcoming College Football Playoff.

Penn State’s offense got off to a strong start with two long touchdown drives on their first two offensive series, including the game-opening drive. Allar completed a short touchdown pass to [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] to cap the opening drive of the game with a score and an early lead. On Penn State’s second possession, Allar then completed a pass to Warren for a 15-yard touchdown to go up 14-0. The second touchdown drive of the game covered a span of 93 yards.

[autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] gave Penn State a 21-3 lead in the third quarter with a 10-yard touchdown run immediately following a big gain through the air by Warren on a well-designed play. Warren took the snap and tossed it back to Allar on the right side of the field. Allar then completed a cross-field pass back to Warren, who took off for a big gain down the left sideline.

Purdue had a great shot to cut the early deficit to 14-7 but De’Nylon Morrissette caught a seemingly wide-open pass just outside of the Purdue endzone. It seemed he was confused by his spot on the field as he stood just outside the end zone’s markings where the sideline was painted the same color. Even if he got back inbounds though, he would have been flagged for stepping out of bounds before touching the football. Purdue settled for a field goal, and it would be the only points they put on the board until midway through the fourth quarter with the game well in hand.

The offense had a terrific game, but so did the defense. Not surprisingly, [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] was the center of attention throughout the game with his pressure and speed leading to some big moments. Carter had five tackles, all solo, including two tackles for loss and a QB hurry. But it was a play he made chasing down a Purdue ball carrier that drew a big response from CBS broadcaster Gary Danielson. Carter shed a blocker as he came across the line of field and chased down C.J. Smith, who caught a short screen pass on the other side of the line. Carter brought him down from behind after blazing past the blocker.

With a 35-3 lead late in the third quarter, Penn State began taking out starters and focused on running the clock as much as possible. Beau Pribula enjoyed the moment with a 49-yard touchdown run and a late fourth-quarter touchdown pass of 24 yards to Luke Reynolds for some extra style points for the College Football Playoff selection committee to soak in.

Penn State will be on the road next week when the Nittany Lions visit Minnesota. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. Minnesota had the week off after losing a road game at Rutgers in Week 11. Penn State leads the all-time series with Minnesota 10-6 and won the most recent meeting with the Gophers in 2022, 45-17. But Penn State lost the last time it visited Minnesota in 2019, 31-26.

A win next week in Minnesota and Penn State would wrap up the regular season at home against Maryland knowing it will very likely be playing one more game in Beaver Stadium in December. But a win next week is probably essential to keep that hope going.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Penn State vs. Purdue injury report: Latest updates, news for Week 12

All the latest updates and news on Penn State’s injury report ahead of a Week 12 game vs. Purdue.

After a big primetime victory in front of a whiteout crowd last weekend, Penn State looks to keep the good vibes rolling this week on the road against Purdue, a team with just one win all season. It would seem this would be a good week for the Nittany Lions to take a foot slightly off the gas pedal and rest some key players, but the Nittany Lions are caught in a position where it needs to continue racking up some style points to secure a potential first-round home game in the College Football Playoff while not risking any serious injuries to key players.

Penn State has some key players that have been banged up this season and in recent weeks, so it will be interesting to see how the team approached this afternoon’s Big Ten contest in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Big Ten teams are required to provide an updated player availability report two hours prior to kickoff. The information below will be updated once those reports go live from the Big Ten office.

Penn State injury report

OUT

  • Kevin Winston Jr.
  • Kaden Saunders
  • Cam Wallace
  • Keon Wylie
  • Zuriah Fisher
  • Andrew Rappleyea

Purdue injury report

OUT

  • Botros Alisandro
  • Damarjhe Lewis

QUESTIONABLE

  • Jamarius Dinkins
  • Mo Omonode

Nicholas Singleton injury update

Penn State star running back [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] was taken out of last week’s game in the third quarter and he did not return to action. Singleton suffered what head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] termed a short-term injury, and it is expected Singleton will be available and play Saturday against Purdue. The nature of the injury was undisclosed and Penn State went on to win last week’s game 35-6, so there may have been less of a push to get Singleton back in the game anyway. And even this week, if Singleton is available to go, it would not be shocking if Penn State lightens his workload a bit in a game the Nittany Lions should win handily.

Dani Dennis-Sutton injury update

[autotag]Dani Dennis-Sutton[/autotag] left the Wisconsin game three weeks ago with an injury and has been slowly working his way back to full strength. Dennis-Sutton played just five snaps two weeks ago against Ohio State and doubled that to 10 snaps last week against Washignton after being listed as questionable.

Coziah Izzard injury update

[autotag]Coziah Izzard[/autotag] was banged up two weeks ago against Ohio State and was listed as questionable for last week’s game against Washington. Izzard did not play in the game.

Penn State faces Purdue at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+. The Nittany Lions are a four-touchdown favorite.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Penn State bounces back with a commanding 35-6 White Out win over Washington

Penn State channels White Out atmosphere into an impressive win against Washington

After losing to Ohio State last weekend in a game where Penn State had every chance to win, the Nittany Lions needed a White Out-inspired game. They got just that Saturday evening against Washington, as Penn State took down the Huskies, 35-6. It was an impressive showing from a Penn State team that looked ready to put the Ohio State loss behind them.

Penn State’s offense started tremendously, scoring a touchdown on all four first-half drives. The Nittany Lion defense also came out to play, grabbing an interception on Washington’s third drive and making quarterback Will Rogers feel all sorts of pressure.

The Husky offense was limited to just two second-half field goals. [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] was a massive factor in disrupting Washington’s offense, recording two sacks and four tackles for a loss.

Two of PSU’s first four drives were scored courtesy of [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag], who lined up in the backfield on both two-yard touchdown runs. Warren was just part of Penn State’s impressive ground attack that broke down the Washington defensive front. [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag], [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag] and [autotag]Corey Smith[/autotag] all contributed to the running game, rushing for 266 yards as an offense. Smith saw his first extended action in a game this season and broke away for a 78-yard run on Penn State’s final drive.

[autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] was back to his efficient self, hitting on 20 of his 28 pass attempts for 220 yards and a touchdown. Allar was on point, throwing to his receivers over the middle, going through his progressions and being decisive. [autotag]Harrison Wallace[/autotag] was the biggest beneficiary, hauling in five catches for 84 yards.

Penn State ended the half with an impressive two-minute drive down the field, resulting in a two-yard Julian Fleming touchdown grab, the first touchdown by a Penn State wide receiver in Big Ten play. Kaytron Allen would add Penn State’s only second-half score with under five minutes to go in the game to completely ice away the game.

Despite switching quarterbacks in the second half, Washington could never overcome Penn State’s red-hot first half. The Nittany Lions will likely improve their standing within the next College Football Playoff rankings, with a couple of top 5 teams losing this weekend.

Penn State will be on the road next week to take on the Purdue. The Boilermakers were shut out 45-0 against Ohio State this weekend. Penn State and Purdue will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.

Follow Charlie Strella on X, Threads, and Instagram.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Wisconsin punter out-rushed Penn State star running back in first half of Badgers vs. Nittany Lions

Wisconsin punter out-rushes Penn State star running back in first half

Wisconsin punter Atticus Bertrams had one of the highlights of the first half of the Badgers’ premier matchup with No. 3 Penn State. He took a fake punt on 4th-9 of Wisconsin’s opening drive for a 15-yard gain, continuing a drive that ended in a Nathanial Vakos record-setting field goal.

That opening score was a big moment in a first half that ended with Wisconsin leading 10-7. The Badgers’ defense hung tough with the Nittany Lions’ top-ranked offense — not allowing much consistent offense aside from a 90-yard touchdown drive late in the first quarter.

One stat accurately portrays Wisconsin’s performance through one half and the game’s tight margin. Bertrams (one carry, 15 rushing yards) out-rushed Penn State star running back Nicholas Singleton (five carries, nine rushing yards).

Singleton also tallied three receptions, 37 receiving yards and Penn State’s lone touchdown — so it’s not as if Bertrams bested his overall production.

But the Badgers have performed well against Singleton and Penn State’s lethal rushing attack through one half. I’m sure defensive coordinator Mike Tressel is pleased with the stat sheet listing Wisconsin’s punter ahead of Penn State’s star running back on the rushing yard leaderboard.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

Trio of Penn State’s finest named mid-season All-Americans by Senior Bowl

The Senior Bowl highlighted these three Penn State standouts as midseason All-Americans.

Three of Penn State’s top players are spending their off week receiving some national attention for their performances on the field. The Reese’s Senior Bowl announced its midseason All-Americans this week, and it included three Penn State football players; tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag], running back [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag], and safety [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag].

Singleton has rushed for a team-high 434 yards and has scored three rushing touchdowns this season. He has also added 113 receiving yards and 3 receiving touchdowns to his stat sheet so far this season. He also pulled off those numbers in five games after missing the home game against UCLA two weeks ago. Singleton is second on the team in total yards from scrimmage with 547 yards and leads the team with six all-purpose touchdowns.

The only player with more yards from scrimmage this season for Penn State has been Warren, who has 551 total yards from scrimmage. Warren leads the Nittany Lions with 513 receiving yards after a massive day catching the football in an overtime win at USC last weekend. Warren accounted for 224 receiving yards against the Trojans, which is the second-most in a single game in program history, and he tied the FBS record for most receptions in a single game by a tight end (17).

Reed is Penn State’s leading tackler so far this season with 39 total tackles, with 20 solo tackles, and 19 assists. Reed also has 1.5 sacks and one interception. Reed has also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble this season.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBKj_6yubWY/

Penn State is off this week but will return to action in Week 9 with a road game at Wisconsin. That game has been designated for a primetime matchup on NBC.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Penn State rallies for thrilling overtime victory at USC!

Ryan Barker’s game-winning field goal keeps Penn State undefeated after overtime thriller in Los Angeles.

The last time Penn State traveled to California for a football game, it came up on the losing end of a Rose Bowl classic when USC kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired. On Saturday, the Nittany Lions were in another classic ending against USC, but this time it was the Nittany Lions celebrating a game-winning field goal. [autotag]Ryan Barker[/autotag]’s 36-yard field goal in overtime lift Penn State over USC, 33-30, to improve to 6-0.

Behind a record day from tight end [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag], Penn State battled all afternoon and dug out of a double-digit deficit in the first half to find a way out of the Los Angeles Coliseum with a memorable win. Warren set a FBS record for the most receptions ina. game by a tight end with 17, and he ended the day with the second-most receiving yards

Penn State trailed the Trojans 20-6 at halftime but asserted some control after halftime. Penn State scored two touchdowns in the second quarter to tie the game at 20-20 thanks in large part to the effort by Warren, but Penn State trailed by three heading into the fourth quarter after USC managed to regain the lead shortly after Allar’s second interception of the day, this one off a tipped pass. Despite great field position, USC may have left points on the board after a solid defensive stand by Penn State to limit the damage as best it could.

Penn State put together a 72-yard drive to start the fourth quarter but had to settle for a Ryan Barker field goal from the three-yard line. That was when USC came up with a potentially backbreaking drive.

USC marched right down the field on the Penn State defense with big runs from Woody Marks, and Miller Moss completed a pass over the middle to Kyron Hudson for a five-yard touchdown pass to put the Trojans up 30-23 with just under six minutes to play. But that was more than enough time for Penn State to come up with an answer.

Drew Allar led one of the best drives of his career by driving Penn State down the field without a pass completion to Warren. Instead to was [autotag]Julian Fleming[/autotag] coming up with big catches in the clutch as Penn State converted two fourth-down plays to keep the chains moving, one for a 16-yard gain and another for a 17-yard gain. Allar capped the drive with a touchdown pass to [autotag]Nicholas Singleton[/autotag], who returned to the field after missing last week’s game against UCLA.

Jaylen Reed picked off a pass from USC quarterback Miller Moss in the final seconds of the fourth quarter to prevent USC from setting up for a potentially game-winning field goal attempt, and Penn State was left with a few seconds to try and manufacture a deep shot to the end zone before overtime. Allar’s deep pass was picked off on the final play of regulation for his third interception of the game, which doubled his career total for interceptions.

After winning the coin toss and electing to go on defense, Penn State’s defense forced USC to try a field goal on the opening possession. USC missed a 45-yard attempt after the defense held strong, and got away with a couple of questionable missed interference calls in pass defense. Knowing a field goal would win it, Penn State didn’t try to do too much on its possession and just focused on putting the ball in a good spot for Barker, who connected on the game-winning field goal from 36 yards out.

Penn State will be off next week. The Nittany Lions will be back on the road in Big Ten play in two weeks when it visits Wisconsin. The Badgers routed Rutgers in New Jersey earlier on Saturday.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.