Collins: Allen 'Looks More Like a Complete RB'

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 Donnie Collins joined us Scranton Times Tribune my friend welcome back thanks for having me Steve I throw a stat sheet in front of you and you didn't see the game compare that stat sheet to the game you watched yeah it's a tough one because I I think James said it best after the game you know every every stat and I I think it's probably the first game all season where they won they hit every one of their goals statistically they they dominated in areas that they always want to statistically Dominate and it just didn't have that feel to it I I I it wasn't the look of the game wasn't dominant but and defense of Penn State they're up 14- nothing and I think that as much as anything else took a lot of the starch out of them you you know it's and and Central Michigan's pretty good I I I don't I don't think they're a bad football team they they played the Sun Bowl last year they won it I believe they did but yeah that's that's the that's the defending Mac Champion co-champion whatever it is so see I I and L Nichols is a quality back I I I I think the quarterback is is pretty solid so I I wasn't surprised they came back but but I I think they they let the they let the uh the foot off the pedal a little bit too early in the game and and and and that's what that's what happened but still it's a convincing win if you look at the statistics and and at the end I think that's that's important to note because that's where a lot of people are going to look at this game down the road a pretty good win right it going into the season you know I was talking with Jack and he said you know what do you think about the the two games Ohio Central Michigan I said Well it's Central Michigan city is a lot better than Ohio this is back in July and it proved out that way but it just seemed like after the 14 nothing lead and this is just me it just seemed like everything was like a half step off what did you what did you think yeah I I thought that and and look and I don't want to you know point out to one play but you know they they throw the pass to William Clifford and they lose the yard and I thought to myself that's early in the game to do that you know maybe you I don't know if they had that pre-planned or what it was but I I I just thought at that point you throwing in that play at on First and 10 at the at your own 10 you lose a yard it kind of It kind of set up you know some a couple of Bad series there and and Central Michigan scored the the two times they had decent field position they scored yeah they they found the end zone and and when they didn't have decent field position they they didn't score they couldn't they really struggled to move the ball so so I I think if you take about 10 minutes out of that game uh you know the Penn State would like to have back I thought they I thought they played pretty well and you know look you can go back and and look at moments in the Auburn game where you know that looks like they played a a perfect game and they they did but a lot of things went their way in that game and some things didn't go their way in this game so so I I think it was I I I think there's just a couple of minutes there you would you would like to to take away but other than that I I think you you're playing a team that could win the match I I thought they did a good job look they won Georg Kent State they won by 17 3922 they won I mean I mean that's I mean that's like check next uh KRON Allen we there's been a lot of talk and justifiably about Nicholas Singleton it's always been hey look KRON Allen don't forget about him okay he had the 111 on Saturday he's the Big 10 freshman of the week what did you think of him yeah I I I I thought this against Auburn now s Singleton obviously a much more Dynamic Athlete than anybody Penn State has on offense where he where he's going to and at any point he touches the ball he he could take it 80 yards for a score and and that's that's extremely valuable but I thought against Auburn Allen looked like maybe more of a complete running back to me I mean that that cut back he made you know on the on the three- yard touchdown run to score I I I thought that's that that would that showed me some vision and some feel for the position that was beyond his years so it really wasn't all that surprising to me that he goes out and has a game like he had on Saturday where he looked like a complete b i I think he's going to get he doesn't have the obviously the Breakaway speed nobody's advertised that that that he does that that Singleton has but you know he wants four yards KRON Allen's Gonna Get You four yards get you five yards he's going to wear defenses down he you that that's a that's what makes this this running game a lot better it's not just necessarily Singleton to me breaking off 50 60 yard runs it's being able to get five yards when in the past they would get they get two or three and and then it's it's a big difference with your running game when when you're you're putting yourself in third and short consistently and and I think that's really been to me the moral of of the of the Penn State story through four games this year they've been in much much more makeable third Downs much more consistently they've run the ball pretty decent and you know the offensive line looks a lot better because players behind them are a lot better like and there to me there lot of check marks I can go on the positive side from this game Brenton strange played really well again uh abdil Carter continues to be a big plus chop played well Deni Dennis Sutton got a couple sacks lay you know Curtis Jacobs if you're opposite Joey Porter Jr you're G to get more attention what did you think of Kalin King I thought he's been terrific All Season uh you know I there was a lot of talk oh they didn't throw at him in the first game well sometimes you throw to your strength and and and in the first game you know Charlie Jones is is a strength for produce so there's a lot of Joey Porter coverage here and I really thought that showed off what what Joey Porter can do but but you know in the last couple of games kin King's been been tremendous and I I thought the the fourth fumble was know first of all that's what happens when you complete a pass on the guy he just goes right for the football almost he's tried it every time um so yeah but I I thought that was a tremendous hustle play really sealed the the game for them but but he's in one one coverage you're not going to throw the ball up to I don't care how good the receiver is he's going to win his share of battles so I I think King's been great I think Pro Football Focus and I don't put a whole lot of stock in that had him as the number one quarterback in the country for his performance on on Saturday and and certainly looked pretty good to me and I I I think he's he's a very very solid player all around um but you know the more they throw at him the more you see he's kind of like Porter you know you know not not you know long armed guy but he's got a he's got a real feel for that position and and and and a nose for the ball and and he's just they just don't throw at him a ton but you know they don't throw a porter at ton anymore either you'll notice yeah I noticed that um Penn State you know the Special Teams part I think a lot of people discussed but let's discuss this part because part of it's turnovers takeaways but Penn State's a plus 584 yards on field position right now that's about 146 yards a game a football field and a half I mean Donnie it changes the Dynamics of the game when you're getting that kind of advantage that you by the way are creating yes yeah and I I asked a couple of questions in the beginning of the Season about the the kickoff units and the and the punt punt team because I thought that was a big question mark coming into the year who Jordan Stout wasn't just a good punter he was maybe I I want to say maybe I think he was the best he was the best punter in the country look the guys that got a line drive the ballheads dribbles 25 yards everybody goes oh look at the average I'm like oh jeez look at the net look at a lot of things that that really matter just as as much in puning as anything else but but even on kickoff nobody it been it had been a year since anybody legitimately returned a kick against Stout so I was I thought you know you have a you you don't have that guy anymore what do you have we we don't know now bne Moore has been great yeah he's been far better than anybody could have ever imagined he was going to be and he you know I want say he won them the game on Saturday but he sure he sure made it so they couldn't lose you know he's got the that that punt was fumbled because Barney made a that's fading hard toward the sideline that's a tough play to make y so you so they they get the they get the fumble and the score off of that but then he pins them at the six he pins them early in the game at the the three when they absolutely needed it when that field position was was uh was shaky for them a little bit there that and that and that that you know to to that point to the point you're trying to make the one time all year where they they had a real field position disadvantage Central Michigan scored back-to-back touchdowns yeah so it it makes a huge difference and I think you know James has kind of mentioned a couple times this year that you know the kickoffs aren't as consistently deep as he wants them they aren't as consistently in the direction he wants them and that'll get better those two guys are young they're they're not quite there yet but if Barney's going to punt like this this is this is going to be a a team that can could still continue to dominate field position and I think punting is way more important with field position than kickoffs are it's it's just it's just one of those things where your punter has you know know you could choose one to to to split field position if you have that kind of a punter so yeah I I think he's been a a major Plus for this team and he I think to me he's a he's probably the he's probably been the best hunter in the country this year to me and again I can tick off a long list of positives from Saturday did but again it just had the feel of like just like it just seemed like the last three quarters maybe maybe a quarter to a half step off here quarter to a half step there I mean but they won by 19 uh so now I have to ask you about Aaron judge he played at Scranton wilburg uh um what was he like everybody says he's just a great guy what was he like to deal with and what was he like at scant wolburg oh he he is a he is as personable a guy as and humble you would never now now we didn't think at this point at when when he was here uh it was it was 2016 around there he was here for a couple of Seasons but we didn't think you know he was going to be this kind of player he would we thought you know he he could have 40 home runs just because he's massive we thought he was more of a Ryan Howard guy another guy come through years ago Dave Kingman exactly I thought he'd strike out way too much but but he the way the the one thing I knew about the guy the way he works is is off the charts he he would anybody who had an idea for him uh he he would take it into the cage and try to work with it um if it didn't work he bagged it thanks for your advice but but he he's really gotten very good over the years at cleaning up his weaknesses and he had a bunch of when he was here I I would tell you straight up that when when he was here he was the second best power hitter on the team that Gary Sanchez was way better hitter right than Aaron judge was but judge has really worked himself into into being a a tremendous hitter and and you know he's obviously six foot seven he's built like he's he's Rob gronowski size yeah yeah you know you see Gabe nosu going down to kick that that's an Aaron judge's size that's that's as big as a guy is so um he he's he's got the athleticism but when you stay humble and you work as hard as as a guy like that does and you don't have any Superstar uh what's the word it's Superstar Tendencies is the best way I he do he doesn't have Superstar swager he just he's like one of the guys that's a really good player yeah he's no now I know I he's I i' I've had a lot of discussions with him he's from kind of the area where my wife is from so so we we kind of had a lot of talks about about where he's from he he's just a guy who very from a very small town he loves his hometown he loved his loved his college we went out to a vacation out there a couple years ago and he he's like yeah send me a picture of Fresno State he just he just he he doesn't forget where he came from he doesn't forget his struggles he doesn't he he tries to put his successes away but I I think he's really relishing this and this whole scene and you know not relishing it to the point where he's going to let it go on for six days which he has yeah you know he's I think I think he's really trying hard now and he needs to you know he needs to uh you know kind of I think what what he's going to say when he finally hits this is you just you just tried to get back hitting some line drive but you know tremendous guy and and and I think I think part of the reason people are into this because he'll admit this is not the record I don't think this is the record it's the American League record yeah but I think the reason you're cutting into games if if you're Major League Baseball to show this guy because he's exactly the kind of guy want you would prefer to have this record rather than rather than where it is right now he's he's just he's just a a tremendous tremendous guy and I couldn't be I wouldn't be happier for anybody else in the game to be in this position yeah I mean for people who don't know just for just quick Cliff Notes Aaron judge was adopted one day old adopted when he was about nine you know he's kind of realizing that you know I don't really look like my brother right because I think his brother's a adopted too uh and so they explained to them that you know you're adopted loved it embraced his parents did a great job raising him and he keeps something I don't know if it's in his locker or it's on a bracelet or something it's it's 179 you want to know why he has that that was his batting average his first year with the Yankees he wants to remember what it was like when he started Jeter Jeter was like that too we had Jeter was here for a couple of weeks but but he he his his big his big story to the triaa guys when he was here rehabbing for those couple of weeks was 56 that's how many errors he made first year yeah yeah the great ones don't forget their you as much as they they they don't want them out there they they don't forget their struggles and and I and judge is judges he's he's not as he's not a natural but he has really worked himself into being somebody who who can you know who he's he's always loved the game he had he had football scholarships had more football scholarships and you could Fresno wanted them Notre Dame he said wanted them but uh yeah he he remembers 179 and and that's that's what drives him and and and the great ones the great ones Thrive off their struggles they don't they don't rest on their their successes and he is a great defensive player I mean he works hard at his defense this is not a one trick baseball player he is a really terrific all around player he yeah he didn't go to Staten Island so he never played against the spikes Gary Sanchez did he played against the spikes cuz he was at Staten Island but not judge but I knew you covered him he was there a couple of years I know you know him that's why I wanted to ask especially when he's on the U uh threshold of History Donnie always a pleasure really appreciate you a lot great work as always thanks Steve thanks for having me