STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Nick Singleton rushed 10 times for 179 yards and two touchdowns and Penn State’s defense dominated Ohio 46-10 on Saturday.
Penn State (2-0) hadn’t had a 100-yard rusher since November 2020, but got big run after big run from Singleton, a freshman who torched the Bobcats for touchdown sprints of 70 and 44 yards in the first and fourth quarters.
In between, quarterbacks Sean Clifford and Drew Allar played clean enough and the Nittany Lion defense bore down to force eight punts, a safety and a turnover on downs.
Ohio (0-2) crossed midfield just three times.
Meanwhile, Penn State’s offense continued to blossom.
Clifford completed 19-of-27 passes for 213 yards, ran for a score and threw for another as Penn State scored on three of its first five possessions.
The sixth-year quarterback capped a 12-play opening drive with a 1-yard scoring plunge before Singleton dashed down the sideline on the Nittany Lions’ second possession to make it 14-0 late in the first quarter. Clifford threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Tinsley in the third before yielding to Allar.
The Nittany Lions didn’t miss a beat with the freshman running the offense, and more than 107,000 fans who packed Beaver Stadium cheered loudly when he entered.
Allar was 6 of 8 for 88 yards with touchdown passes to Omari Evans and Khalil Dinkins early in the third and fourth quarters.
Ohio broke the shutout just before halftime.
Trailing 19-0, Sieh Bangura leaned in from 1-yard out to cap an eight-play, 75-yard drive. But the Bobcats didn’t score again until Nathanial Vakos booted a 21-yard field goal with 6:50 to play.
THE TAKEAWAY
Ohio: Picked to finish in the lower half of the MAC standings by conference coaches, the Bobcats played hard on defense. They sacked Clifford three times in the first half but couldn’t hang with Penn State’s speed.
Penn State: Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich has built a solid foundation in the first two weeks. More importantly, the running game came alive in this one as Singleton looked quick bouncing runs outside. A bonus? Fellow freshman back Kaytron Allen looked capable too with seven touches for 45 yards.
UP NEXT
Ohio: Visits Iowa State on Saturday
Penn State: Visits Auburn on Saturday.