Penn State Football opened practice as usual to the media Wednesday night ahead of the Nittany Lions‘ first road Big Ten game this season on Saturday against the USC Trojans.
The Penn State team will be leaving Thursday instead of Friday due to the additional travel required to get to Los Angeles, and will be working through its usual Friday schedule at SOFI Stadium on Friday ahead of Saturday’s matchup.
The Nittany Lions did receive good news on Wednesday, however, as two key offensive starters returned to practice ahead of the pivotal matchup against the Trojans this week.
Here is what we learned from Penn State’s open practice:
Running Back Nick Singleton
Penn State junior superstar running back Nick Singleton missed his first career game with an injury against UCLA last Saturday.
Singleton was officially listed as “questionable” for the matchup with the Bruins last Saturday and participated in pregame warmups before ultimately being ruled out.
Penn State head coach James Franklin noted after the game that he “thought” Singleton would go against the Bruins after being a limited participant in Penn State’s practice and walkthrough on Thursday and Friday but acknowledged that he knew Singleton would not be 100 percent.
However, on Monday, Franklin discussed his confidence in Singleton returning for the Nittany Lions against the Trojans this week in Penn State’s first Big Ten road test of the season. Franklin noted that “We’re very confident, and I think Nick’s very confident talking to him on Sunday, that he’ll be ready to go.” Franklin continued that he “anticipated” Singleton returning for Penn State’s offense this week as long as he did not suffer any setbacks in practice this week.
Singleton seemed to remain on pace to play against the Trojans this weekend, returning to the practice field for the Nittany Lions Wednesday night.
His value to the Nittany Lions against a porous USC rush defense cannot be understated for the Nittany Lions this week.
Nick Singleton back at practice after not playing against UCLA despite going through warmups and being listed as a starter on the video board pic.twitter.com/i6p3TJvM11
— Lyle Alenstein (@LAlenstein) October 9, 2024
Right Tackle Anthony Donkoh
Redshirt freshman Anthony Donkoh has started all five games at right tackle for the Nittany Lions this season. After converting from offensive guard to offensive tackle last season, Donkoh got the start in the Peach Bowl for the Nittany Lions after opt outs limited Penn State’s roster.
Donkoh took the experience from his first start and ran with it, beating transfer former five-star offensive tackle Nolan Rucci out for the starting job at right tackle this season. Against the UCLA Bruins last week, Donkoh exited the game after appearing to suffer a shoulder injury in pass protection. In Donkoh’s absence, Nolan Rucci handled the right tackle spot for Penn State.
So remember that Nick Singleton chip block last week? This was a similar formation but when the RB misses the chip, it messes with the OT. That’s why this sack happened pic.twitter.com/k6amOUkLTd
— LandonTengwall (@landon_tengwall) October 5, 2024
Donkoh returned to practice as an active participant Wednesday night for the Nittany Lions.
His status for Saturday’s game will be monitored through the rest of the week. At his weekly availability after practice Wednesday, James Franklin said he “anticipates” Donkoh will be available on Saturday against USC.
MORE: Why Penn State’s Offense NEEDS Nick Singleton vs. USC
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