STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen want to break opposing defenses with their combined physicality. So far, the sophomores are off to a good start.
Singleton ran for three touchdowns while Allen added 103 yards and another rushing score as No. 7 Penn State pulled away from Delaware 63-7 on Saturday.
“Let them feel us,” said Singleton, who scored on runs of 2, 5 and 5 yards. “That’s it.”
Penn State (2-0) scored touchdowns on its first four possessions as Singleton and Allen plowed through holes before barreling into the end zone on short bursts to put the game out of reach.
Quarterbacks Drew Allar and Beau Pribula each scored on second-half runs while Tyler Warren caught a touchdown pass as the Nittany Lions wore down the FCS Blue Hens (1-1).
“Those guys have bought in to the idea that we have two starting tailbacks,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “Were going to play them both like starter reps.”
Singleton scored on a 2-yard run on the opening drive and Allen made it 14-0 with a 4-yard run. Singleton scored twice more in the second quarter before Allar hit Warren with a short touchdown pass that gave Penn State a 35-7 halftime lead.
Playing its second ranked FBS opponent in program history, Delaware managed 84 yards in the opening half with 66 of them coming when Marcus Yarns raced through Penn State’s defense for a touchdown run on third-and-1 with 1:05 left in the first quarter.
Delaware crossed midfield once in the second half. The Nittany Lions forced seven punts and two turnovers on 12 possessions on the afternoon.
“We obviously didn’t do a great job of giving ourselves enough manageable third downs to stay on the field on offense,” Delaware coach Ryan Carty said. “And then we couldn’t get off the field and get them in third-and-longs.”
Penn State linebacker Dominic DeLuca returned a Zach Marker interception for a touchdown with 2:43 left in the third.
Omari Evans caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Pribula late in the fourth to cap the scoring.
TOUGH SEQUENCE
The Blue Hens caught a break at midfield midway through the second quarter when they drew Penn State offsides on fourth down. They couldn’t do anything with the fresh set of downs however.
Backup quarterback Zach Marker couldn’t handle a high snap and had to fall on it for a nine-yard loss. One short run and an incomplete pass later, the Blue Hens had to punt it away and wouldn’t cross midfield until their final possession.
TWO QBS
Pribula battled Allar for starting reps in training camp and has drawn comparisons to former Penn State standout Trace McSorley for his running ability.
The redshirt freshman finished 3-for-5 with 22 yards. He added 46 rushing yards on eight carries.
“(Pribula) broke off a couple explosive runs, and then he also made some really nice passes in the weeds out there,” Allar said. “Beau had a really good game today and it’s good to see him get out there.”
THE TAKEAWAY
Delaware: The Blue Hens won last week despite a sloppy, four-turnover performance. They wanted to avoid making the same mistakes again and were mostly able to do so until the second half. They had few answers on offense against against a more talented team.
Penn State: The Nittany Lions went up early and were able to rotate their second- and third-string players in early in the second half. Allar looked good for the second straight week, completing 22 of 26 passes for 204 yards.
UP NEXT
Delaware hosts Saint Francis on Saturday.
Penn State visits Illinois (1-1) on Saturday.
