Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 3 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / Q U A R T E R B A C K S / / / / / / / 'It Wasn't Smooth Sailing' A deeper dive into the numbers bears out Franklin's point. Looking only at conference games, Al- lar's statistics change with the narrower focus. His Big Ten-only completion per- centage was 57 percent (eighth), his effi- ciency rating was 10 points lower at 126.2 (sixth), and his average of 6.0 yards per attempt was ninth. The team's results reflected those de- clines. Penn State dropped a 20-12 de- cision at Ohio State and fell 24-15 to Michigan, games in which it languished offensively. Against two of the best de- fenses in the coun- try, Penn State rarely found its highest gear, while games against lesser oppo- nents like Northwestern, Maryland and Michigan State provided opportunities to lean on the team's suffocating defense while piling up points in the process. It was a season in which Allar meticu- lously and successfully avoided trouble while struggling to truly break out. He struck a winning balance, with Penn State finishing 10-3, and he doesn't have any regrets about how he approached his debut campaign. But he also learned some lessons that have proven invaluable in his preparation for Year 2 in charge of the offense. "It was definitely a lot of ups and downs, for sure. It wasn't smooth sail- ing," Allar said. "But I expected it to be like that, especially being a first-time starter. I'd say it was frustrating, but I enjoyed every moment I had throughout the season, even the downs and the highs of it. "It was frustrating just because of how close we really were. I don't think it's known how close we were in a couple of those games. It just comes down to a handful of plays on the offensive side of the ball, if we go out and execute our jobs better. If I just play a little bit more consis- tently in those games, the outcome could have been a lot different, I believe. But it didn't happen like that. So, I've just got to learn from those mistakes that I made and continue to improve on my game." All offseason, Allar has been doing exactly that. Determined to improve his consistency as a passer, he and his fel- low Nittany Lion signal-callers spent the spring working with quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien on their literal founda- tions. Describing his footwork as "a little sloppy at times" last season, Allar noted that an overwhelm- ing majority of his off-target passes stemmed from the same problem. "When I missed throws, nine out of 10 times it was re- lated to my foot- work, whether it was being out of my base or taking unneces- sary movements in the pocket and just missing a throw that should be routine for me," he said. "I feel like [concentrating on footwork] helped me a ton. "When I'm on time and in rhythm and seeing things, I feel really good and con- fident about myself. There's not a throw I can't make out on the field. So, I think it's about tying in that footwork and just staying in rhythm as much as I can with that. And then when I do have to move in the pocket, not being unnecessary and drifting into more pressure, just taking what I need in the pocket to not cause stress on the O-line and cause penalties to pop up. Those are things I've been work- ing on this summer and the spring." Making Progress Allar has gained additional confi- dence through his work with new offen- sive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki this offseason. He's excited about what's in store for the Lions from a play-calling "When I'm on time and in rhythm and seeing things, I feel really good and confident about myself. There's not a throw I can't make out on the field." A L L A R Allar has been focused this offseason on improving his footwork, noting that it was "a little sloppy at times" last year. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL Scholarship Players (4) No. Player Yr. Ht. Wt. 15 Drew Allar Jr. 6-5 238 17 Ethan Grunkemeyer Fr. 6-2 207 9 Beau Pribula R-So. 6-2 207 14 Jaxon Smolik R-Fr. 6-1 204