Nick Singleton scores three touchdowns in first half vs. Delaware

You just had to think that Penn State’s Week 2 matchup with Delaware would be the right kind of game to rely heavily on the running game. And it is safe to say Penn State has done that through one half of play in Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Quarterback Drew Allar has been impressive in his first-half decision-making, but Penn State knew going into this week’s game against the Blue Hens they would be able to rely on the ground attack to take care of business. Four of of Penn State’s five first-half touchdowns came on the ground with Nick Singleton scoring three and Kaytron Allen adding another.

Kaytron Allen extended Penn State’s lead later in the first quarter with a short touchdown run. Allen pushed the Penn State lead to 14-0.

Delaware running back Marcus Yarns got in on the fun for the first, and only score, by the visitors in the first half. Yarns took off on a 3rd-and-1 for a 66-yard scoring run after capitalizing on a big hole left by the Penn State defense. The secondary could not catch up to the speedy Yarns once he got going.

But Penn State responded the way you would expect; with a lengthy touchdown drive capped by Singleton for the second time of the game.

Singleton added a third touchdown before halftime. Singleton’s third touchdown run gave Penn State a 28-7 lead on Delaware.

With Penn State establishing a bit of a comfortable lead, the opportunities for Singleton and Allen may dwindle quickly in the second half as Penn State takes advantage of some opportunities to get some other players on the field. That would help to keep Singleton and Allen a bit more fresh ahead of the Big Ten opener next week.

Allen has rushed for 69 yards on 14 carries. Singleton has 52 yards on 11 attempts. Allar added a fifth touchdown with a pass over the middle late in the first half to give Penn State a 35-7 lead. Expect plenty of backup time from others coming int he second half.

Penn State will play its Big Ten opener next week with a road trip to Illinois. Penn State lost the most recent meeting in the series with the Illini with a 20-18 loss in a 9 overtime game in 2021 in Beaver Stadium. Penn State beat Illinois in a 63-24 rout the last time the Nittany Lions visited Champaign in 2018.

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Story originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire