Collins: If Allen, Singleton Get Better, Offense May be One of Best in Country

your Steve Jones Show podcast is loading now the Steve Jones Show podcast is sponsored by Sunberry Motors North Fourth Street in Sunberry and Sunbury Motors Kia routs 11 and 15 in hwarf Donnie Collins joins us Grand Times Tribune Donnie to you and your wonderful family Happy Thanksgiving same to you safe happy to be with you on the day of the butt fumble I know how about that the anniversary of it uh and just brings back such fun memories all right well today was a fun press conference uh the most fun ever yeah I mean uh you know and and it wasn't like questions weren't answered but it was just I just thought it was fun I mean that's how I looked at it yeah I would say loose is the word I would use I mean I mean obviously it's uh not taking nothing for granted I'm sure but you know James is feeling good about his football team very thankful for a lot of things there was a lot of Thanksgiving talk uh so I want to start with with the seniors on the team because you've covered every step of the way with them what do you think they have meant not just to the program as Leaders but the fact that they have also been in this particular year stayed with the program yeah I mean that's that's no small thing now obviously when you got a when you got a guy who sticks around your program for five six years that that means something that means more than just I got the play it means means I like the culture I was a driver here I I did a you I this it was a benefit to me to to be here with these coaches for for as long as I have been and and and look I mean you hear all the time well you know Clifford could you know he you he's been here six years if he you know if he he should have been gone by now but you know guys like that have meant a lot to this team me they they've been here during really good times 2019 was a really great season for Penn State uh you know and Clifford's a quarterback then and 2022 was shaping up to be a really terrific season for Penn State and Clifford's back but in between there were there were some downtimes and you know you need those guys and that kind of leadership and and that consistency and mental toughness to get you through those those times when you're developing program and I think in a lot of ways it is that kind of a developing program now now you're starting to see the you know the light at the end of the tunnel uh obviously with some of the with some of the freshmen they have and the way they've been playing in recent weeks but you get there without guys like Sean Clifford and and Jer Brown and PJ muster and and Jonathan Southerland and and that that type of player so I I think when James said today he's going to be emotional on Saturday to you know with with it being their last game at at at Beaver Stadium I I think it is for for a lot of reasons not just because you're you're saying goodbye to the kids who've been around a while but kids who've meant something meant a lot no question um so what have you seen from this team down the stret stretch that has impressed you uh they haven't given up I mean they they they I I I think really it comes after the Michigan game and and that was ugly and at that point in the year obviously nobody really knew what could come but but we've known for a couple of years now that losses have turned into losses with this team and things have spiraled uh last year against Iowa they they lose that game wasn't wasn't the end of their season by a mile but then they they go out a couple weeks later Play Pretty poorly and and lose and that's their season and then they they never recover from it well this year they they didn't let that happen even against Ohio State I thought they played really hard I thought they were the better team for 51 minutes I think a lot of people agree with that and and certainly in their other games they were dominant um you know James at the end of the Michigan game said a lot about you about how we need to get bigger and stronger and the and the trenches and I think they may have taken that to to hard they may have taken that personally because they've been the bigger stronger tougher team in the trenches pretty much the the rest of the season so I I think what what's impressed me most is you know and people are going to say all the Freshman running backs and and and I agree with that and you know they've they've done a lot on defense Manny Diaz is has has helped them out a lot in that in that area this month you they they've gotten better and better but I really think it's the mental toughness of the team to to look at it and say hey we've lost two games our season is qu the goals we had coming in the season quote unquote finished but they've really played hard and and and and I you I believe this team when they sometimes it's just words when you hear oh we want to finish as strong as we can but I believe these guys you know when when Sean Clifford says after the after the ruter game that you know we we just we just got together and decided we were going to we wer were we were going to leave this team the the very best way we possibly could and I think they're trending toward that and I think that takes a measure of mental toughness and Leadership that they may not have had the last couple of years you mentioned getting bigger I think part of that is Kai isard because he's really the guy that is in between size-wise of PJ muster and AEM Beaman what do his presence meant in your opinion yeah he's made a bigger impact than I I thought and I I knew he had a a good season last year I thought he was a pretty decent player coming in when when muster got hurt last year but he's made a really big impact he's rushed the pass through one of those guys who I I thought you know he's he's going to be a going to be a run stuffer whatever you get from him you you know on passing Downs you get from him but he's been a really good two-way play he's a guy who could play every down to me now I think he's he's he's one of those guys who's developed and you know sometimes you just he's not one of the the name on the Marquee kind of guys yep he's one of those guys who who good teams have and he's been I I just think he's been been tremendous the last couple of games and he and credit to him he's been better than I thought he was I I did not think he was this kind of player even last year but he's taking big strides and you know next year I think you could legitimately expect them to be even better next year yeah that's the big guy James is talking about getting bigger up front well he's one of them moving forward you referenced The Freshman running backs the last couple of years I think people felt well if they only had a running game now you're now as you watch it in reality what are you seeing with those two young running backs with an offensive line that has had some moving Parts it's amazing how much better the offensive line Looks when your running backs are that good yeah it's yeah and I think I think that the offens it's pretty much the same guys I mean juice I think is playing a position where he probably they' probably been better off if they could have used juice at Center and I think nor had something s being back has given him something so I don't want to you know pin it all on uh you on on the running backs being better but but yeah they're certainly better than than what they've had and and more gifted I think I think it's a little bit different with both of them with with Allen you know you knew he had the vision and you knew he had the toughness but did he have the speed well he's shown he has the speed and with Singleton you knew he had the Speed but does he have you know could he go out there and and and you know after high school where nobody ever really even got with you know close enough to tackle him could he could he run between the tackles and I think really when this team started playing pretty well is when Singleton figured out some things about running between the tackles he you know he he went he watched film he clearly started to get a get more of a feel for the position than just being a sprinter and he's getting on on games where he had three yards early in the season now he's getting seven he's doing it pretty consistently he's seeing that extra cut or he's not taking that extra cut and just and just p forward for a couple of extra yards he's making the right decisions in recent weeks and now I think even in since November I think it's getting harder to you really can't wouldn't necessarily know which one of them was in the game and I and I think that's a that's not necessarily the way I thought that was going to go in the beginning of the season because I thought they were pretty complimentary pieces but they're both obviously tremendous tremendous talents and and yeah if Penn State could run the ball like this in in a couple years the the offense is probably going to be one of the best in the Big 10 if not in the country because because of because of the the talent these two guys have I and and especially out of that out of that T formation package where you're going on fourth and one you're you have to you have to worry about Singleton breaking however many Breaking touchdown runs out of that because he's he's so fast but I think I think Allen could do it too I I've really been impressed by how they've kind of adjusted in season and become more like the other how do you view the loss of Parker Washington yeah it's I think you know injuries happen and you don't obviously want to lose your your best receiver he was he was the best receiver by a mile on this team at this stage of their career I I think he he was starting to become a factor that more of a I don't want to say datson because that's not fair but a a factor like datson could have been you know at times where where you know you needed a play you were going to him and he was going to get open but you know I I think as James said today it does present some opportunities and it is the end of the year uh you don't ever want to lose that kind of guy but but if you're going to see what you got make it you know make it be at the at the end of the year when really guys like you know Trey Wallace and and uh and Omari Evans aren't freshman anymore they they they should be quite a bit better I I asked uh I asked Taylor St last week about Amari Evans and he gave a he gave a really wonderful answer during his press conference about how you know this is a guy who played quarterback in high school and and there are some body movements and some subtleties to a position that you don't know unless you've played it but now he's played it and he's starting to get it I I think either on Saturday or in the bowl game you're going to see a lot more out ofari Evans than we've seen so far but you don't get those opportunities if if Parker Washington doesn't get hurt hurt and obviously and I think unfortunately we lost on there