Penn State's Nicholas Singleton Injured Against Washington

The Nittany Lions' dynamic running back left the game in the second half and did not return.

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) runs with the ball before being pushed out of bound by Washington Huskies linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala (11) during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State played its best half of the season Saturday night against Washington but lost one of its best players in the second half. Now, the status of running back Nicholas Singleton will be a primary story line as the Nittany Lions chase a potential home game in the College Football Playoff.

Singleton left the game, a 35-6 Penn State victory, early in the third quarter and did not return. Penn State coach James Franklin had no update regarding Singleton's status after the game.

"As you guys know, I don't get into those types of things," Franklin said. "You'll find out when you come out to practice [Wednesday]. I don't have a lot more. ... Typically we don't have a whole lot of [injury] information until the next morning [after a game]. But as you can imagine, I don't get usually get into sharing that information anyway at this stage."

Singleton looked quick and decisive through the first half, in which he rushed six times for 36 yards, including a long carry of 13. The junior running back then opened the second half with his most explosive play of the season, a 97-yard kickoff return that ultimately was called back for holding.

Singleton carried the ball once in the second half, a 9-yard gain on Penn State's second drive, but did not play after that. He was not on the sideline during the fourth quarter and finished the game with 45 yards on seven carries. Singleton also caught three passes for 14 yards.

Singleton, one of Penn State's most dynamic and popular players, has had injury issues this season. He did not play against UCLA, the first game he has missed at Penn State, after sustaining a lower-body injury the week before against Illinois. Singleton was listed as "questionable" for the UCLA game and went through pregame warmups but ultimately did not play. He had played in 30 consecutive games before missing the game against the Bruins.

Singleton returned the following week at USC and hasn't missed a game since, though he still appeared to feel some lingering effects from the injury. The running back didn't have his usual explosion and totaled 90 yards rushing over the past three games. Singleton, however, looked much strong Saturday and generated an exceptional burst on his kickoff return, getting to the right sideline before racing past Washington's coverage to the end zone.

In Singleton's absence, Allen rushed 20 times for 98 yards and scored Penn State's final touchdown of the game. Allen's 1-yard scoring run also helped the running back close the circle on last week's game against Ohio State.

Allen ran the ball three times from inside the 3-yard line against the Buckeyes, gaining just two yards on those attempts. Allen said he began watching that series in the locker room after the game and returned to it several times during the week.

"I’m not going to lie to you, I watched that junk 20 times before I got out here," Allen said. "But it is what it is. We’re onto the next week. I feel like we got better this week. We just have to keep going up, keep progressing."

Asked how much he wanted to score against Washington, Allen smiled.

"Bad, bad, bad. And I got in there," he said. " … I’m not going to be stopped. I can’t be stopped. Not again."

Allen's 20 carries represented his second-highest total of the season, and he was most effective in the first half, gaining 62 yards. Allen said that his approach did not change when Singleton left the game.

"I always have the same mindset," Allen said. "I just know, when I don’t have my brother, I’ve got to do what I need to do so he doesn’t have to be worried about what’s going on."

In Singleton's second-half absence, Penn State turned to a freshman running back for the first time this season. Corey Smith, a 5-10, 189-pound back from Milwaukee, got his first carries with Cam Wallace and Quinton Martin Jr. unavailable. Smith responded, producing Penn State's longest play from scimmage this season.

In the fourth quarter, Smith caught the left edge and demonstrated a burst for 78 yards, setting up Allen's touchdown. Smith finished with 95 yards on five carries in his Nittany Lions debut.

"He's got swag," Allen said of Smith. "I was happy for him. It felt like I did it."

Penn State (8-1) visits Purdue next week for the first of back-to-back road games. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

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Penn State on SI is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.