We still can’t stop watching Nicholas Singleton flatten Illinois’s defense

After a down year in his sophomore campaign, the Nicholas Singleton that Penn State fans fell in love with in 2022, is back. Though Penn State’s 4-0 start, Singleton has run for 408 yards and three touchdowns on 53 carries. He’s averaging a career high 7.7 yards per carry and has only two fewer 15+ yard runs than all of last season. 

Still, some of the junior running back’s biggest moments this year have come in the passing game. Singleton has six catches for 74 yards and two touchdowns, including one thrown by tight end Tyler Warren in Penn State’s 56-0 Week 4 win over Kent State, and in Penn State’s 21-7 win over No. 19 Illinois in Week 5, when Singleton ran for 94 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, his most impressive play was a nine-yard catch. 

Singleton didn’t just flatten the Illinois pass rusher, he also ran through the would-be tackler for a first down on third-and-7. The breakaway speed is the thing that Nittany Lions fans were so excited to see that Singleton had back from his breakout freshman year, but at 6-foot 225 pounds, Singleton can bring some serious physicality to Big Ten play. 

The play is just incredible to watch and even got some love on ESPN’s Get Up. Former NFL center Jeff Saturday broke it down on Wednesday morning during a segment highlighting the best pancake blocks of the week. 

Singleton will give Penn State fans many more highlights this season, but if you love hard-hitting football, there may not be a better one than this.