Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1518105
Site Lines C O M M E N T S F R O M T H E L I O N S D E N A T B L U E W H I T E I L L U S T R A T E D . C O M APRIL 2024/VOL. 39, NO. 8 MANAGING EDITOR Matt Herb CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Stu Coman Cathy Jones Chris Riffer WEBSITE PUBLISHER Sean Fitz WEBSITE EDITOR Nate Bauer STAFF WRITER Greg Pickel RECRUITING REPORTER Ryan Snyder FOOTBALL ANALYST Thomas Frank Carr CONTRIBUTING WRITER Jim Carlson PHOTOGRAPHY Daniel Althouse, Bill Anderson, Steve Manuel, Mark Selders COVER PHOTO Mark Selders/Penn State Athletics DESIGN Jeanette Blankenship Chris Miller F F F PUBLISHER Mark Panus BUSINESS MANAGER Linda Autry CIRCULATION MANAGER Crystal Clayton ADVERTISING SALES Maria Taustine (502) 552-4390 CUSTOMER SERVICE Cathy Jones (800) 421-7751 BLUE WHITE ILLUSTRATED (USPS 742-550) is published monthly, except June, by Coman Publishing Co., a division of On3 Media, Inc., located at 905 W. Main St., Suite 24F, Durham, NC 27701. A one-year (11 issues) subscription is $68.00. First-class, digital and foreign rates available on request. Periodicals postage paid at Durham, NC 27701 and additional mailing offices. Printed by The Papers, Milford, Ind. POSTMASTER: Please send address correc- tions/changes to BLUE WHITE ILLUSTRATED, PO Box 2331, Durham NC 27702-2331. For advertising or subscription information call 1-919-688-0218 or write BLUE WHITE ILLUSTRATED, PO Box 2331, Durham NC 27702. W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M ON THE EVOLUTION OF PENN STATE'S OFFENSE UNDER ANDY KOTELNICKI … The read option only works if you are willing to let your quarterback run. When he is an easy target like Drew Allar, you risk getting him killed. Can it work? Absolutely. But, if you think his cannon right arm is your meal ticket, do you want to? He's not Trace Mc- Sorley or Sean Clifford or Tommy Stevens or Will Levis or even Christian Veilleux. They did run him more [af- ter Mike Yurcich was fired] and it did open things up, [but if] Penn State is going to stick with Allar as QB1, I believe a true read-option needs to take a backseat to an opportunistic QB run scheme — designed draws and misdirection off of fake toss sweeps and the like. — PSUGrad9095 I can't stand this Drew-is-immobile narrative that seems to linger. Drew isn't a burner, but he's mobile when he wants to be. Go back and watch his high school film. And even at times this past year, I think when he was getting more comfortable, you would see him run forward for a first down. Agreed that he needs to slide. I think he wants to use his size to just plow through guys but at the same time isn't comfortable doing that. — CKpsu5220 If Allar can run the read-option five to 10 times a game and keep half of those, it can be effective. I'm not saying it will be an explosive run play, but it can lead to first downs. … Personally, I love power read into the boundary with the QB reading the backside defensive end with wide receiver outlets to the field. It's not that hard to execute. … If they let Allar do that, it would open up the passing game so much more down the field. — bohucon For Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, I hope Kotelnicki dials up a bunch of wheel routes. That pass is always there, and with a Singleton/linebacker mismatch, it should always be open. — pioneerlion83 What is the likelihood that Kotelnicki's offense is more like his time at Buffalo than Kansas? Penn State under James Franklin has always been a run-first team. I have a feeling (hope I'm wrong) we will see a very similar style of play to what we have always seen. Also, an RPO offense with Allar isn't impossible but isn't ideal either. — KED48 ON THE OUTLOOK FOR THE LIONS' WIDE RECEIVER CORPS IN 2024 … Harrison Wallace and Omari Evans staying healthy would make a huge difference to this year's wide receiver group. — SlabTown I think receivers not creating separation is an overused crutch for unknowledgeable people trying to explain why our passing game was weak last year. Sometimes a quarterback throws a receiver open or a receiver makes a catch even when they are well-covered. In games where the passing game was not good, I saw open receivers as well as covered receivers. In Washington's CFP game against Texas, so many of Michael Penix's 430 passing yards were thrown to receivers who did not create separation. Let's stop with the over-generalizations and singular diagnosis of our passing problems. — PhillipintheValley [Players] need to work hard and stay disciplined to achieve success. It's not just about their talent. It's not a mystery that the receivers have been among the most undisciplined units on the team. — Paul Posluvsme We have had some good individual talent over the last 10 years (DaeSean Hamilton, Jahan Dotson, Chris Godwin, KJ Hamler) but we have been pretty mediocre overall at wide receiver. The last four years have been dreadful (like 2000s Paterno era bad). We still aren't all that great, even with Julian Fleming. Hopefully, Andy Kotelnicki can scheme them open like he did at Kansas. — _getmyjive11 4 A P R I L 2 0 2 4 First-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki has been a fiery presence at the Lasch Building practice fields this spring. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER