Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1526526
6 O C T O B E R 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 O ne year ago, I went into Penn State's season opener against West Virginia with a plan: Don't fall for it. Having studied the Mountaineers and their per- ceived shortcomings, I predicted a blow- out win for the Nittany Lions. The team didn't match the point differential that was forecast, but it still wasn't close. Drew Allar, a sophomore at the time who was making his first career start at quarterback, was awesome. Receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith was awesome, too. It was a special night in Happy Val- ley. But I didn't listen to my instinct. All summer long, I had preached on BlueWhiteIllustrated.com that Allar would light up the Mountaineers, but I had also cautioned not to take that performance as an indicator that he was the one. A week later, I penned a column for the magazine stating that, in fact, he could be the one. The excitement of the win, and more specifically the way the Lions were so dominant against a nonconference opponent with a pulse, flipped that switch quickly. For someone who had spent 18 years trying to be even-keeled about Penn State football, it was out of character. A few months later, I was proven mostly wrong. The Nittany Lions were a very good team in 2023. They just weren't elite. It was a lesson learned. As luck would have it, I was presented with a similar situation this year. The Nittany Lions were headed to a fired-up Morgantown, where there had been a groundswell of support for the home team in the days leading up to the game. Vegas even jumped on the bandwagon, dropping the line to just over a touch- down after starting as a 12-point spread in favor of the visitors. Then, Penn State beat the country roads out of the Mountaineers once again. The game was nationally televised in FOX's marquee "Big Noon Kickoff" spot. A weather delay of more than two hours didn't dampen anything for the Lions, who rolled to a 34-12 win on Aug. 31. Contrary to last year, they actually beat my point differential by five. It was once again largely on the back of Allar. He was terrific, completing 11 of 17 passes for 216 yards and 3 scores. Junior running back Nicholas Singleton returned to form with two big runs, red- shirt junior receiver Harrison Wallace III emerged as a bona fide No. 1 target, and the Nittany Lions' defense dictated the afternoon. That was just about enough to break out the Kool-Aid and Google when the first round of the newly expanded playoff would take place. But that earlier lesson, combined with an extra week before the printing date for the magazine, gave me pause. It also gave me a chance to watch the Nittany Lions' home opener against Bowling Green and remember that college football, as great and ever-changing as it is, remains beautifully imperfect. The No. 8 team in the country was amply outplayed in its first half in Bea- ver Stadium this fall. The Nittany Lions managed to recover, largely on the back of Allar, Singleton and some strong de- fensive adjustments at the half, but there was enough there to take a step back from the high of the week prior. Oddly enough, for the first time in a while, it is the Penn State defense that's under the microscope. Bowling Green quarterback Connor Bazelak comple- mented an excellent gameplan with one of the more surgical performances from an opposing quarterback in Happy Val- ley, at least in the first half. Penn State was knocked on its heels by the favorite in the Mid-American Conference and managed to escape with a one-score win (as a 34.5-point favorite). My lesson went back to not getting ahead of myself, and it's something that the Nittany Lions should embrace com- ing out of this win as well. Penn State is once again a very good football team, but there are holes to fill and challenges that will need to be addressed in the bye week and beyond. Mere hours after PSU was able to exhale, fellow playoff contender Notre Dame took any attention off the Nittany Lions' shoulders with its own lesson learned. Another MAC favorite, Northern Illinois, went to South Bend and beat the Fighting Irish, 16-14, in the upset of the year so far. Penn State has some time to make corrections because of the Sept. 14 bye. The Lions will adjust their gameplan, get healthy and play around with different combinations to aid what seems like in- evitable depth issues at a few positions. Other adjustments will be more on the mental side. The Nittany Lions prob- ably know they were fortunate to fend off Bowling Green on a day when they weren't at their best. They also have an example of the margins that will deter- mine how much of a success the 2024 season will be. If the lesson is heard, the ship can still reach its original destination. An early- season wake-up call — one that ended with a PSU win — could prove to be a pivotal part of how far this team can sail in 2024. ■ In his two games against West Virginia, Drew Allar completed 69.6 percent of his passes for 541 yards, with 6 touchdowns and no interceptions. PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT PSU's Hot Start Was No Mirage, But Much Work Remains JUDGMENT CALL O P I N I O N SEAN FITZ SEAN.FITZ@ON3.COM