Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1507572
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 3 41 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M TOP FIVE PLAYERS 1. Drew Allar | QB | So. Through his first two games as starting quar- terback, Allar was everything the Nittany Lions could have hoped for. Against West Virginia and Delaware, he combined to complete 43 of 55 at- tempts (78.2 percent) for 529 yards and 4 touch- downs. Also, 12 games into his collegiate career, he had yet to throw an interception, although there were a couple of near-misses in the 38-15 victory over the Mountaineers. With Sean Clifford off to the NFL after four seasons as its starting quarterback, Penn State needed Allar to be the poised, big-armed offen- sive leader that he showed hints of being during a promising true freshman season in 2022. He's done exactly that. 2. KeAndre Lambert-Smith | WR | Jr. Speaking of players who needed to step up for the Nittany Lions this season, Lambert-Smith showed in the team's first two games that he's ready to be the playmaking wideout he looked to be at the end of the 2022 campaign. Lambert-Smith scored the first points of Penn State's season on a 72-yard reception in the first quarter against West Virginia. He finished that game with 4 catches for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns, and he added 6 catches for 74 yards against Delaware. More performances like that would be ex- tremely helpful in the weeks to come. 3. Kaytron Allen | RB | So. Allen tends to get overshadowed by fellow sophomore running back Nicholas Singleton, but he's essentially a co-starter, and in Penn State's first two games he received 29 carries to Single- ton's 22. Allen was the team's leading rusher heading into its Week 3 visit to Illinois with 154 yards and a robust average of 5.3 yards per carry. 4. Curtis Jacobs | LB | Jr. Jacobs has been so good for so long that he tends to be taken for granted — especially with a guy like sophomore Abdul Carter lining up at the opposite outside linebacker spot. But Jacobs was a force against West Virginia, finishing with a team-high 10 tackles, a sack and a quarterback hurry. 5. JB Nelson | G | R-Jr. Nelson had been competing with redshirt sophomore Landon Tengwall for the starting left guard spot. When Tengwall was forced to medically retire from football in August, Nelson became a starter. The Nittany Lions needed him to hit the ground running against West Virginia, and he did, helping the team pile up 478 yards of total offense. "He's a physical guy," coach James Franklin said. "We talked about it all through training camp. Our defensive line talked about it all through training camp. He's a physical dude who can play guard and tackle, so there's flexibility there." KEY MOMENT The final score made Penn State's game against West Virginia seem more lopsided than it really was. The Lions were up by only a touchdown early in the third quarter when they took posses- sion at their own 44-yard line. Then Allar took over. He completed 4 of 4 passes on the drive and Penn State marched downfield without ever having to face a third- down situation. The 56-yard drive, which ended with a 12-yard touchdown catch by Lambert- Smith, gave the Nittany Lions a 21-7 lead and sent them on their way to a season-opening victory. BEST HIGHLIGHT For sheer aesthetic value, Allar's 72-yard touch- down pass to Lambert-Smith against West Vir- ginia might not be topped all season. The sopho- more quarterback evaded the Mountaineers' pass rush, stepped up and threw a dart on the run, delivering the ball just past the outstretched arms of safety Aubrey Burks and into the hands of Lam- bert-Smith. With Burks on the ground after diving for the ball, Lambert-Smith trotted alone into the end zone for one of the more eye-opening touch- downs of the young college football season. BOLD PREDICTION Penn State will pay the price at some point if it doesn't have a dependable kicker. Redshirt sophomore Sander Sahaydak missed field goal at- tempts of 38 and 34 yards against West Virginia, prompting PSU to turn to senior Alex Felkins. The Columbia transfer nailed a 25-yarder against the Mountaineers and was the starter the following week against Delaware, a game in which Penn State didn't attempt any field goals. The Nittany Lions won their first two games by an average margin of 39.5 points. No matter how good the offense may be, they aren't going to keep that up. At some point, they are going to need a critical field goal in the fourth quarter of a close game. Two games into the season, we don't know if they have someone who can make that kick. — Matt Herb Kaytron Allen was Penn State's top rusher through two games, totaling 154 yards against West Virginia and Delaware for an average of 5.3 yards per carry. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL PENN STATE FOOTBALL SUPERLATIVES G A M E 1 - G A M E 2