Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1512721
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 4 3 9 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. Chop Robinson | DE | Jr. After a frightening injury at Ohio State, Robin- son returned to action against Michigan. His pass- rushing prowess helped persuade the Wolverines to rely entirely on their ground game in the second half. The following week against Rutgers, Robinson finished with 5 tackles, including 2 for loss and a sack. Alas, Penn State fans have already have seen the last of Robinson. On Dec. 5, to no one's great surprise, he declared for the NFL Draft and said he will sit out the Peach Bowl. He made a very big impression in a very short period of time, racking up 9.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss in 22 games after transferring from Maryland ahead of the 2022 season. 2. Kaytron Allen | RB | So. Allen finished the regular season as Penn State's leading rusher, totaling 851 yards. His 137 yards against Michigan State were a single-game season-high for PSU. Inexplicably, the Lions hadn't had a single 100-yard performance all season before facing the Spartans, but when Allen broke free for a 50-yard gain in the first quarter in Detroit, it appeared likely that the drought was about to end. By the time it was all over, both he and fellow sophomore running back Nicholas Single- ton had topped the century mark, with Singleton gaining 118 yards on the ground. 3. Drew Allar | QB | So. Allar bounced back nicely from a tough afternoon against Michigan and a game- ending injury versus Rutgers. It was uncer- tain whether he would even start against Michigan State, but not only did he start, he turned in one of his best performances of the season, completing 17 of 26 passes for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Nit- tany Lions' 42-0 romp. Allar finished the regular season with 23 touchdown passes and just 1 interception. 4. Kobe King | LB | R-So. King doesn't get enough attention. Sur- rounded by high-profile defenders like Robinson and sophomore linebacker Abdul Carter, the first-year starter at the Mike position has tended to fly under the radar. But he's played a key role in solidifying Penn State's defense, as evidenced by the team-best 54 tackles he amassed during the regular season, including a 10-tackle performance in Penn State's 27-6 victory over Rutgers. 5. Alex Felkins | PK | Sr. Felkins just kept getting better as the regu- lar season went on. In Penn State's last three games, he converted 5 of 6 attempts, including a 48-yarder against Rutgers to help the Nittany Lions pull away from the stubborn Scarlet Knights in the second half. He heads into Penn State's bowl game having hit 18 of 22 attempts on the season, including 7 of 9 from 40 to 49 yards and 1 of 3 from 50 and beyond. KEY MOMENT When Allar got knocked out of the Rutgers game early in the third quarter, the injury could have sent Penn State into a tailspin. The Lions were leading the Scarlet Knights by just four points at the time, and now they were without their starting quarterback. But redshirt freshman backup Beau Pribula bolted 39 yards on his first snap, and in doing so, he set the tone for the remainder of the game. Penn State leaned heavily on its ground attack the rest of the way, with Pribula rushing 8 times for a game-high 71 yards and 1 touchdown, and the Lions pulled away for a 27-6 victory. BEST HIGHLIGHT It was gratifying for two reasons to see sopho- more receiver Omari Evans haul in a 60-yard completion from Allar in the third quarter against Michigan State. First, Evans had been struggling through a quiet season to that point, having caught just 3 passes for 34 yards in Penn State's first 11 games. His deep reception against the Spartans, on which he tumbled to the turf just short of the end zone, hinted that perhaps he's ready to assume a bigger role going forward. The second reason was that Penn State had struggled to create big plays in the passing game all year long. Its success in the regular-season finale, albeit against a Michigan State squad that was limping to the end of a difficult, injury- plagued campaign, provided something to build on in the weeks and months ahead. BOLD PREDICTION Penn State's starting lineup will look very different in the bowl game than it did against Michigan State. It's too early to say with any degree of certainty which players will join Robinson among the opt-outs, but the sheer number of draft-worthy starters in this year's lineup makes it all but inevita- ble that the Nittany Lions will be impacted. On offense, the list of potential draftees includes tackles Olumuyiwa Fashanu and Caedan Wallace, receiver KeAndre Lam- bert-Smith and tight ends Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren. On defense, potential opt-outs include end Adisa Isaac, linebacker Curtis Jacobs and cornerbacks Kalen King and Johnny Dixon. And those are only the most obvious names. There could also be some surprises. Back in 2017, Saquon Barkley received kudos from Penn State fans for his willing- ness to play in the Nittany Lions' Fiesta Bowl matchup against Washington. He ended up rushing for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns in PSU's 35-28 victory. In the years since, opt-outs have been normalized to the point where it's surpris- ing when a high-profile, draft-eligible player elects to suit up for a game that doesn't fig- ure into the national championship picture. Penn State may well exemplify that trend this year. — Matt Herb Junior defensive end Chop Robinson finished the regular season with 7.5 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL PENN STATE FOOTBALL SUPERLATIVES G A M E 1 0 – G A M E 1 2