Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1507572
6 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he lack of a preseason in college football means that everyone — coaches, players, fans — gets dropped into the fire at this time every year. There's no easing into it. There's no room for nuance, especially if you're Penn State and opening with a Power Five opponent for the fourth consecu- tive season. Even for teams with high expecta- tions, like the College Football Playoff aspirations that the Nittany Lions pos- sess, there has to be a formula. No team will be on-point for 12 weeks in a row. College football's wonderfully wacky sense of humor won't allow for it. Peak too soon? There's a grueling slide awaiting in October and Novem- ber. Trouble getting started? Behind the eight ball you go for the remainder of the schedule (Clemson and LSU say hi). James Franklin's 1-0 mentality isn't built to keep players in their blinders for three months. It's built to sway with the bridge as the winds blow. It's also put in place to keep expecta- tions in check. They won't talk about it, but Penn State's players know full well they are going to Columbus on Oct. 21 with what will likely be their season in the balance. They could also rattle off that Nov. 11 means that Michigan is coming to town. Those two games have shaped Penn State's seasons in past years, and 2023 is no different. Well, not much different. Penn State was arguably the most impressive of the three in a limited early-season sample size. That's hap- pened before, and it's a largely irrel- evant statement in September, but it is worth monitoring. Every college football team is going to have its issues. Penn State is no dif- ferent, but this year the question marks seem more specific. That's a good thing. That means that the general is- sues that have traditionally plagued this team in the past are less prevalent. It's also a signal that the position that holds the key to the next step for the Nittany Lions is solidified. Penn State has a quarterback, and he's dif- ferent. Sure, the Lions have had success at the position through the years. But they haven't had this quarterback, at least not in this era. It's not a shot at Trace McSorley or Sean Clifford to suggest that there's something different about sophomore Drew Allar. Through two weeks, he had actually lived up to the hype that had been building all offseason. Allar not only exceeded expectations, he did it in ways that even made his head coach choose his words carefully. "He's just steady Eddie. He never gets too high, never gets too low," Franklin said after Penn State's 63-7 win over Delaware. "You can pat him on the back. You can scream at him. He's just steady Eddie and it's [a mat- ter of] preparation on a daily basis, on a weekly basis. Obviously, it's a small sample size. "Last year, I thought he prepared as if he was the starter, and he's taking it to another level this year. He's doing a great job of managing the game, the clock, situational football, all those things. … I've been impressed with him." It's been tough not to be impressed with Allar so far. He completed 43 of 55 passes in his first two games, racking up 529 yards and 4 touchdowns along the way. But the way the ball comes out of his hand, the way that it gets to the receiver in a hurry — it's different. Even his receivers think so. "Some people just have got that little extra thing to it where you see him throwing it and you can see it's differ- ent," said junior tight end Tyler War- ren, who caught 6 passes from Allar against Delaware. "He's definitely been good, and he's getting better, which I'm excited about." Allar's arm has brought Penn State's offense up to speed quickly. It was ex- pected that the Nittany Lions would ease him into the mix, buoyed by a strong running game and an experi- enced offensive line. So far, however, the name of the game has been balance. Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich hasn't been afraid to lean on Allar if the Nittany Lions needed it. West Virginia schemed around mak- ing Allar beat them. It's something that the Lions will get used to seeing, but every NFL-level throw that he makes will force defenses to second-guess that strategy. "I think the defensive coordinators moving forward, you're in a tough, tough spot," Franklin said. "You've got two running backs who can be chal- lenging, and you've got a quarterback who has shown he can make the throws and make the plays. "So now, there's enough evidence out there that as a defensive coordina- tor, you're questioning, what is our model for beating Penn State in terms of their offense?" ■ Coach James Franklin has praised Allar 's composed demeanor. "He never gets too high, never gets too low," Franklin said of the sophomore quarterback. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL Drew Allar Adds A New Dimension To PSU's Offense JUDGMENT CALL O P I N I O N SEAN FITZ SEAN.FITZ@ON3.COM