Penn State Football: biggest surprises from the first five games of the 2022 season

The freshman running backs

It’s not necessarily how good the duo of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen have been that’s surprising, but it’s how quickly they’ve gotten acclimated to the college game and have become the focal point of the offense.

I would not have expected them to be the clear-cut first and second options at running back until mid to late October, but they made it known by week three that it was their show.

Each of these backs have been as advertised.

Singleton has been dynamic, explosive, and is a threat to score from anywhere on the field. Allen is a complete back that has yet to be stopped for a loss, always fights for extra yards, and is an effective downhill runner.

It’s hard to imagine a running back duo that would be able to complement each other as well as these two.

Nick Singleton is averaging 7.3 yards per carry (second best in the Big Ten), and Kaytron Allen is averaging 5.3. The duo has also accounted for eight total rushing touchdowns through just five games after the Nittany Lions got just six total rushing touchdowns out of their running backs all of last season.

Plus, after Penn State had gone since November of 2020 without having a 100-yard rusher, Singleton has done it twice and Allen once. They have also each been awarded Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors: Singleton in weeks two and three, and Allen in week four.

Aside from a few ball-security blemishes against Northwestern that I trust they’ll get cleaned up, these true freshmen have been remarkable.

If they can continue to have success running the ball, this offense will have success and give Penn State Football a great chance to beat anyone on their schedule.