Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1512721
1 4 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Drew Allar Has Played Be er Than You Think RYAN SNYDER: Heading into his first season as Penn State's starting quarterback, expectations for Allar were higher than they realistically should have been. That's what happens when you're a five-star prospect at a school that's been de- prived of elite players at the game's most important position. But despite all the flaws that hindered Penn State's offense in the regular season, the sophomore signal-caller still fin- ished with an overall grade of 90.1 according to Pro Football Focus. Among Big Ten quarterbacks, only Michigan's J.J. Mc- Carthy graded out better. When you broaden the comparison to include other Power Five quarterbacks, Allar's passing grade ranked No. 10 nationally out of 67 quarterbacks who threw the ball at least 200 times. Just for comparison, Sean Clifford finished with an 81.3 grade last year, which is solid, but would have ranked somewhere in the middle of the Power Five this season. Penn State's issues on offense this year weren't because of Allar. It's no secret that the wide receivers struggled to create separation. We should have known it would be a major issue when receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield was fired just two days before the transfer portal closed last January. That move said a lot. Struggles in the run game only made it more difficult at times. If some other quarterback had been leading the way this year, he might well have forced more throws, leading to ad- ditional turnovers. With Allar taking most of the snaps, Penn State threw just 1 interception in 12 games. That's a remarkable stat. Sure, he will have to play better in next year's marquee games. But I also believe that if he hadn't been the one leading this offense, Penn State could easily have had more than two losses heading into the postseason. Adisa Isaac Set A Ferocious Tone For PSU's Defense GREG PICKEL: Does it feel a bit strange to anyone else that there is not one clear and obvious answer to this question on a 10-2 team? It does to me. But that also makes it a great topic for debate. One could choose any number of standout players and have a leg to stand on. For me, the choice is Isaac. No, I'm not picking the redshirt senior over his fellow star defensive end Chop Robinson, both of whom earned first-team All-Big Ten accolades, simply be- cause of how they compare on the stat sheet. Isaac was disrup- tive in many ways that do not show up on paper. Throughout the regular season, he forced offenses to go about their busi- ness differently. It's worth noting that the Penn State defense would not have been as good in so many different areas if Isaac did not have his best season as a Nittany Lion, taking advantage of opportuni- ties that he created for himself, as well as ones that Robinson sent his way. Isaac was simply terrific during the regular season. There was not one game in which he failed to make some kind of im- pact play. The stats — 35 total tackles, including 15 for loss and a team-high 7.5 sacks — are impressive. He's tied for second in the Big Ten in both of those negative-yardage categories. But even beyond the statistical productivity, his high level of play and tremendous leadership, neither of which can be quantified, pushed this defense to new heights in 2023. That's why he's my pick as the MVP of this year's Nittany Lion foot- ball team. Who Has Been Penn State's Football MVP During The 2023 Season? Point – Counterpoint Drew Allar completed 61.1 percent of his passing attempts for 2,336 yards during the regular season. His efficiency rating of 138.3 ranks fourth among Big Ten quarterbacks. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL Defensive end Adisa Isaac was tied for second in the Big Ten during the regular season in both sacks (7.5) and tackles for loss (15). PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL