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Penn State football is carrying a 7-0 record in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve. The Nittany Lions will aim to remain perfect in the prestigious contest with Drew Allar at quarterback.
Allar walks into State Farm Stadium a 3,000-yard passer for the first time in his career. Boise State stands in the way of him and PSU's undefeated mark in Glendale, Arizona. The Broncos are another with zero losses in this bowl game — winning in all of their matchups in 2007, 2010 and 2014.
Allar brings 50 career touchdowns in tow. The junior surely will need to play mistake free against a fierce BSU defense. He'll also need to find a way to keep Ashton Jeanty off the field.
But Allar isn't the x-factor for Penn State. Another integral offensive star earns that label ahead of the highly-anticipated contest.
Nicholas Singleton, not Drew Allar, is Penn State's x-factor
Allar definitely needs to hit precise targets and avoid landing on the turnover list. But it's Nicholas Singleton who plays the most crucial role in the Phoenix region before 2024 ends.
The running back Singleton is nowhere near the astronomical numbers Jeanty has. Then again, the Heisman Trophy finalist has few RB peers. But Singleton has become his own stud for Penn State's offense.
The 6-foot, 227-pounder is 72 yards away from hitting 1,000 yards. He's scored eight rushing touchdowns. And Singleton has proven to establish himself as his own workhorse when PSU needs it.
Singleton broke off two 100-yard outings to start the season against West Virginia and Bowling Green — hitting 114 and 119 yards respectively. He went nine straight weeks without surpassing 100. However, Oregon felt his next 100-yard performance. Singleton exploded for 105 yards on 10 carries and averaged 10.5 yards a carry against the No. 1 team in the nation. The Ducks still escaped 45-37 to win the Big 10 title.
The native of Shillington, Pennsylvania then wore down SMU with 90 yards on 14 carries to open the College Football Playoffs. He also scored on a short-yardage one-yard run.
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Singleton can help keep Ashton Jeanty off the field
Penn State attacks defenses with balance. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki has blended run and air elements to produce the Big 10's fourth-best offensive unit. Ironically, Kotelnicki's system mirrors past Boise State teams — as he's known to use multiple pre-snap motions and shifts to throw off the defense. That philosophy became a staple of BSU football, including its Fiesta Bowl winning teams.
Still, Kotelnicki's scheme needs the ball control element. That's where Singleton comes into play.
Singleton provides the battering ram aspect to this offense. He handles the inside dirty work next to Penn State's other dynamic RB option Kaytron Allen. The 5-foot-11, 229-pound Allen adds speed to the running game with 892 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
Penn State still needs Singleton to break the spirit of the Broncos' run defense by accelerating between the Lions' offensive tackles. Singleton setting the tone also helps open up the play action attack for Allar.
Jeanty has delivered a season for the ages. But here's what's become noticeable in Boise State's victories: The lack of a stout running game to counter Jeanty and the Broncos. Nine of the Broncos' 12 opponents failed to produce a 100-yard rusher.
Penn State's defense will likely stack the box with eight to nine defenders to slow down Jeanty. Bottling the 2,497-yard rusher becomes a significant personal win for PSU. But the next best defense is Penn State wearing down BSU with its own ground attack. Singleton makes this offense so much better when he's dismantling the heart of a defense. He'll be needed to control the clock and keep Jeanty off the field as much as possible. Which in turn increases Penn State's chances to go 8-0 in the Fiesta Bowl.
