Jack Ham: Singleton, Allen Already Playing Like Veterans

your Steve Jones Show podcast is loading now the Steve Jones Show podcast is sponsored by pretty Insurance visit pretty Insurance on Market Street in Sunbury or visit online at pretty insurance.com and with that we bring in my broadcast partner now our 23rd season Together Jack cam Jack thanks so much for doing this really appreciate it it's my pleasure and you're right it was a great weekend for Penn State let's start let's I was asked about this today when I did a segment on serious they talked about the atmosphere down there you made a great comment to me it's something you've said to me before Jack about the difference between college and pros and it was really evident on Saturday as we were watching the pregame uh festivities take place oh without you know Steve without a doubt you know I've been in a lot of way stadiums and uh throughout my playing and and broadcasting career but it was something special down there in at Auburn and the before the game I mean you talk about the crow being really into it I love the fact that we had this series home and home on campus at our own stadiums and uh it was an electric atmosphere and that and it's nothing better than a football team coming down visiting team coming down and quieting a crowd like that and it was a huge win it was a huge win indeed and jack it started up front what did you think about Penn State in the trenches on both sides of the ball well my concern going into the game was whether in fact Auburn could really h run the football against us and uh you know we have not been tested this year you know Purdue doesn't bring that kind of a game and uh we really controlled Ohio last week so to go down and take care of that running game where they wanted to run those two outstanding running backs our defensive line did did a great job and like I said that was the question mark guys guys like Isaac stepping up Robinson who's already played well the entire entire year right now PJ I thought was really got into his Rhythm as well on the defensive line so all those guys contributed ban I thought had an outstanding game as well and you I think you need that kind of play from your defensive line to stop a running game like Auburn has which then brings to the next start that defensive line can then set up a linebacker what kind of day do you think Tyler ellon had oh I think Tyler ellon again when I we talked to him last week Steve I think the fact of the the the experience of going from the first game to the second game he said was invaluable and I think now after this game which like I said was a a running type football team a different type of character offensively uh he was all over the field I think he made good open field tackles a couple of times on bsby who's an outstanding running back and you know what he's playing downhill when you have your front four like that getting into the offensive line not letting that offensive lineman get a push your linebacker playing down here I thought all our linebackers were out sending I thought Jacobs played well also coming off the edge a couple of times getting us sack I mean they all contribute but it if you want to be a good linebacker out there your front four has got to really help you and our front for did a great job against Auburn so let's get to the seven defensive back part Jack because uh when you look at this it's been an important part of what Manny Diaz wants to do and you and I know he's trying to utilize his best Personnel if you're a quarterback at the line of scrimmage you're trying to call out protections who do you identify Jack as Mike who do you identify as an up down guy it just seems like it's a swarm and you don't know where they're coming from unless you have a very sophisticated passing game and maybe Purdue may be one of those kind of teams and did a okay job but you you were confused your offensive line is confused I mean at times we have brown is is ends up being almost like a middle linebacker out there and calling protections for your offensive line it gets to be very very difficult cuz we have people coming from all different Direction you had you know Johnny Dixon coming off Corner Blitz you have Jer Brown I mean look at the game Jer Brown has he caused a fumble and and rushing the quarterback and also had an outstanding interception downfield it was playing almost like a Mike linebacker getting his depth you know reading the quarterback and getting underneath an in route downfield for the interception in in the second half so it causes that kind of seven defense back causes so much confusion and preparation to to against that and I think we'll just get more complicated as the season goes on defensively Sean Clifford and I referred to him I use the word orchestrator for Saturday's game to me he's been like the point guard like Jaylen picket for example for Penn State the point guard it makes everybody around him better and then there are days where he is the best player on the court offensively without passing the ball when I'm looking at Sean I just feel like he's making everybody around him better are you seeing the same thing well I think right now the game he had against Auburn it just seemed everything he it was every very calm for him I mean he's played in enough away stadiums although it was a special atmosphere down at Auburn but he was just to be nothing was going to flutter him and we didn't make it on that fourth down that first series and we didn't get the first down and on the fourth down play that you know all we did is just come back to next series and take this team down the field made a great throw over one of the corners of Tinsley in the corner uh and just dropped the ball in there and the movement in the pocket you know you can see it sometimes especially on replay where all of a sudden he just biing some time in there moving just a little bit to get the ball downfield a couple times on a Crossing route it just seemed like he was it was everything was moving it was very calm for him out there and he just you know orchestrated and great football game because I think number one that running game has really helped him out so much different for Shawn this year than last year when you're playing against extra defensive backs all the time in a passing game I'm going to get to that in the second but they were on that first series Owen Papo gave him really a WWE shot uh what kind of tone does that set when your quarterback gets up from that like it's nothing oh I think to the the entire football team when he bounces up like that and goes right back you know un fortunately the ball went out of bounds we end up turning it over anyways but the uh I think to the offensive line the running backs I said you know what you know you never talk about your quarterback being a one of the tough guys on a team well showed there early in the game against Auburn and uh like I said he bounced right back up from that and just again nothing was going to phase him in that game what whatever negative things were going to happen and you're gonna have those kind of plays in the game it was not going to affect him on how he plays the rest of the football game and it I I kind of think that the Clifford was even even more determined after that play to have an outstanding game so Jack let's get to the point you made about the running game because obviously what Singleton and Allen have done in conjunction with the offensive line has meant a lot what about Britton strange though in this running game he had the six catches for the career high 80 yards what did you think of his play as a blocker Oh I thought I thought strange had a complete game for a tight end now know the tight ends always like to catch the football they want to go down downfield you know the steam routes and catch the ball but they're really good allaround tight ends need to block and especially in our offensive running game I mean he's in motion before the snap of the football he had a couple of kickout blocks seal blocks he had a pancake block as well in that game and and when he ends up he's normally the key guy who's going to have that running back break it off of his block so he knows how important his his assignment is and I thought he did a great job the six for 80 yards is one thing but I think he took a lot of pride in how well he blocked against that Auburn defense yeah you're right jack I agree with you and for Sean you I mean you're sitting there and with Clifford Allen then you of course get Lee and Ford to go with him but now when he makes a play action fake at any point in the game every single defense has to hesitate for a moment where in the last couple of years he'd make that play action fake and maybe they wouldn't oh see I mean one thing about or pro football whatever the thing that hasn't changed if you can run the football effectively and you have that running game that you can lean on and then with that running game as you said the play action you are holding linebackers you're holding safeties in there and we talked to cliffford after game the running game right now for him it's going to be that much easier for him throwing the football downfield you may see more play action passing on first down when when people are going to concentrate on Singleton or Allen or our running backs are in there having this kind of like we had balance in the r running and passing in the game against Auburn that is that that's going to be pay a lot of dividends down the road for us as we get into the Big 10 schedule obviously there's been Barkley and my Sanders and every time everybody brings us up people leave out journey Brown don't because that was a turning point for Penn State not having him in the in the 2020 season Jack you and I saw Nicholas Singleton and KRON Allen in the spring and we knew just watching them they were A Cut Above but now that we've seen them in practical application in three games what have been your thoughts oh I I'm so impressed not so much I guess we knew all the athletic ability but you see the demeanor of both of these guys these are true freshman but they are they're they're like veterans back there because they're very serious I mean after a long run by Singleton or Allen you don't see a real lot of emot right afterwards it's almost businesslike for these two guys and making play after play and I just really impressed how well they're handling this right now I thought I thought this game at Auburn was going to be a big game for these two freshman because in fact you know on the road SEC school but I think also that Purdue game in the opener really really helped us in getting a lot of those young guys comfortable when they went down to Auburn when you see the burst each has what does that you the offensive line has been doing a good job but what does the burst mean to then allowing everybody to do that job see when you see those guys just get a crease all they need is a crease to get through there and they're into the secondary and they're making somebody Miss I think the offensive line re realizes in their head if I can sustain my block for that Split Second with the talent we have in this backfield behind us I think they're going to go through there and our running game is going to continue to get better and better as as the season goes on uh but they don't need much of a crack either one of those two running backs Singleton obviously has got that top end speed that can take away angles that either linebackers or defensive backs have on him we've seen that now in a couple of weeks and and that's something you can't teach that that's kind of speed like that is very very special and obviously uh he was the festar recruit and that everybody wanted I think you got to give James Franklin a lot of credit in the recruiting process for getting both of these guys guys like Mitchell Tinsley Washington good solid high-end receivers Lambert Smith I don't think people realize he has a catch in 19 straight games we I know he can throw the ball too uh after the pass back to U Deshawn Clifford uh but getting that top end speed you know we didn't see as much of him in a game like this but what do you think an Amari Evans can moving forward yeah I mean this the game at Auburn was not a game where we're trying to get deep downfield so I Amari Evans is a guy which I was really impressed again true freshman who who realizes when he's running a post he's going to make that corner think that he's going to run an out patter he's going to make that one hesitation move to the outside and then break the post that's where that separation comes in and as a true fresher that's kind of a veteran Type move and then it ended up being an easy touchdown pass or Allard to throw the football to him lay it out there because he had that separation from the defensive back you those are kind of things that we're we're getting from freshmen out there and I know freshmen are different today than in day in Years Gone by but they are making those kind of plays out there so again there's a lot of talent I think good chemistry from veteran guys out there like cliffford and Company but uh and all the young guys are kind of meshing together here right now but he's another guy as a true freshman I think in the second half of the season is going to be a big factor as a guy that knows linebacker better than anybody in watching the last two games of Abdul Carter what are you seeing with him oh the playing time when I talked to James Franklin a week ago and he's talking about we just got to get him on the field more because he got out got out because of the targeting call against Purdue but he has an ability and you can't teach us you're in traffic and there's offensive lineman and defensive lineman you're in lot kind of traffic all of a sudden he is able to find the football in that type of traffic make the play and then you see him when he times up the blitz I mean a lot of times when you a quarterback's Cadence he get it gets into a rhythm you can kind of feel that and then one Blitz he came up he timed it up with the with the snap of the football got right up the middle on the on the quarterback I think of his ashard and brought him down he's got that that burst that you need a linebacker doesn't need 40 yard dash speed although he has that as well it's how quick are you in the first 10 yards because that's where you're mostly making plays as as a linebacker and he's going to be a talent that it's going to get better and better for us Jack you and I have watched obviously a lot of games early this season both pro and college and special teams have been a mess in a lot of games that you and I have washed along the way we're looking like what the heck is going on Penn State has been solid there so far you I know that James uh devotes multiple periods a day to special teams what kind of payoff is that especially early in the season well I think the payoff we saw Saturday because this is I know people think it's coach speak but it was offense defense and special teams there on on Saturday I mean Hardy on the as the Gunner going downfield on the outside has made plays all throughout the year and in the game where we thought it was going to be a close game they end to not be but you need your special team to be in Advantage for us their ping has been outstanding we made Auburn go the length of the football field I thought at the end of the half we had a chance to get the ball back and even get more points right before the end of the half because of special teams but that's so far in the first three games the it has been outstanding on on in special teams it which really compliments and sometimes we that's why we get the football with our defense three and out after a great punt we get the ball at the 50 yard line where we cliffland company could do some things as great field position finally Jack with Central Michigan coming in what's been interesting and the fans have not had a chance except in the blue white game to see Bo perula but Bo is a great Prospect and was they've seen Christian Veer but what's interesting is that Drew Aller has played in all three games uh and you know everyone thought maybe it would be Ohio he play but he's played in all three besides practice now watching him in a game what imp presses you about him as a Young quarterback well I think the one play that he got pressure off the edge and we didn't pick it up and and he had a quick release to get the rid of the football downfield for maybe an eight or 10 yard play he didn't Panic on the play he knows he he's got a quick release and got rid of the football and a quarterback like that can make make up for some of the mistakes you may make in on the offensive line in protection we all know about the fact that he's got a strong arm but the the throw for the tight touchdown to Evans in the Ohio game where he didn't drill the football but he laid the ball out there where Evans could go and run underneath it let him catch the football let him be athletic getting to the football and he put gave it put air underneath it he has done that from time to time so far this year and you can just see freshman no question but he has a lot of talent and some experience that that I think that we're going to see more and more of him through brought the course of the Year leave no doubt Jack you are the best thank you so much my friend we'll see you a little bit later in the week all right Steve take care have a good week