Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1511150
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 3 2 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M was better but threw the first intercep- tion of his career before hurling a 57-yard scoring strike to junior KeAndre Lam- bert-Smith that provided the decisive points in a 33-24 victory. When Allar is in a rhythm, the Nittany Lions can win any game on their schedule. When he isn't, they will struggle. Running Back The Penn State ground game is being stymied by opponents this year. Teams are loading the box and refusing to let sophomores Nicholas Singleton and Kay- tron Allen beat them. Quarterbacks Beau Pribula (31 yards) and Allar (21) have the longest runs of any Nittany Lion players this season. That would have been incom- prehensible before the season started, but it's a reality at the moment. Singleton scored just 1 touchdown in the four games that followed the bye week and topped 60 yards only once in that stretch. Allen scored twice in those four games and turned in back-to-back 80-plus-yard performances against Maryland and Indiana. The classmates are certainly trying to be better, but it's been a tough season so far in terms of posting gaudy numbers. Wide Receiver Penn State has been without No. 2 re- ceiver Harrison "Trey" Wallace III for much of the season due to injuries. His absence has been felt. Before a breakout 6-catch day against Maryland in which he totaled 53 yards and 2 touchdowns, senior Dante Cephas was not trending as someone who could become a key cog in the passing attack. Will he be able to build on that performance? We'll find out over the final weeks of the regular season. Penn State's No. 1 receiver, junior Ke- Andre Lambert-Smith, has been effec- tive but disappears at times. He is far and away the team's leading receiver with 51 catches for 645 yards, but he found the end zone only once in the four games leading up to Penn State's show- down with Michigan on Nov. 11. The Lions need Cephas to sustain his success, and it would help even more to get Wallace back in the mix. Consider- ing he was seen with his right arm in a sling after being hurt against Indiana, it seems unlikely that he'll be back on the field soon. Tight End Juniors Theo Johnson and Tyler War- ren are continuing the Penn State trend of having strong players at this position. Warren is a touchdown machine, espe- cially once the team reaches the red zone. He scored twice in the four games lead- ing up to PSU's matchup against Michi- gan and had 6 touchdowns on the sea- son, tops among the Lions' pass catchers. Johnson, however, is the more ex- plosive player of the two. He scored in consecutive games against Indiana and Maryland and had a total of 4 touch- downs between the bye week and the Michigan game. Redshirt sophomore Khalil Dinkins has found a role, too, spe- cifically on fourth down out of the team's vaunted T-formation offense. We like the way this group is playing. Can it be more consistent? Certainly. But it's playing well. Offensive Line Redshirt junior guard JB Nelson has been in and out of the lineup in recent weeks due to an injury. Redshirt fresh- man Olaivavega Ioane has stepped into his place when called upon and has been as inconsistent as one would ex- pect given his youth. Some moments, he looks the part of a big, powerful of- fensive lineman. In other instances, he appears overmatched. The Lions' offensive line was seen as a strength entering the season. It strug- gled at Ohio State, along with the rest of the offense, but it's been keeping the pocket clean for Allar and giving the backs room to work with more often than not, though that doesn't always produce the desired results. When healthy, the core five plus Io- ane can play with anyone. But it would help if more of the group played closer to the level that senior left tackle Olu- muyiwa Fashanu plays at. No one needs to be a future first-round pick, but a little raise in the level of play could go a long way against the tougher foes on the schedule. ■ Following the bye week, Allar threw for 3 or more touchdowns in three of Penn State's next four games. Against Mary- land, he had his best performance since the Lions' opener versus West Virginia, finishing with 240 yards and 4 touch- downs while completing a season-best 73.5 percent of his passes. That is good Drew. Bad Drew is the version who showed up in a 20-12 loss to Ohio State. He and his receivers were rarely on the same page. Touch throws were infrequent. Allar was 18 of 42 (42.9 percent) for just 191 yards and a single score. Against Indiana, he Through Penn State's first nine games, Kaytron Allen was leading the team in rushing with 573 yards and 4 touchdowns on 119 carries. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL