Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1529598
3 2 D E C E M 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 C oming off a bye week, Penn State's offense was met with its most dif- ficult stretch of the 2024 season. The Nittany Lions first traveled to Wisconsin on Oct. 26, then took on Ohio State and Washington at Beaver Stadium the next two weeks before easing up again with a trip to West Lafayette, Ind., to face last-place Purdue on Nov. 16. The results were mixed. After junior quarterback Drew Allar was injured late in the first half against the Badgers, PSU pushed through a tough night offensively at Camp Randall Sta- dium, winning 28-13 behind Allar's red- shirt sophomore backup, Beau Pribula. Facing the Buckeyes the following week in one of the most anticipated clashes of the college football season, Allar was healthy enough to start, but the ques- tions that had been lingering about Penn State's offense to that point in the season emerged in full. The Lions were unable to manufacture an offensive touchdown, going 3 of 11 on third down, generating only 270 yards of offense, and coming up empty on two possessions that reached inside the Buckeyes' 5-yard line. The goal-line struggles stung the most. Ohio State intercepted Allar in the end zone in the final seconds of the first half. Then in the fourth quarter, Penn State was stuffed three times from the 3-yard line and wasn't able to complete a fourth- down pass. Bouncing back with dominant wins over the Huskies (35-6) and Boilermakers (49-10), Penn State produced two of its best offensive performances of the sea- son. The Lions cruised to a 28-0 first- half edge against Washington, looking as sharp as they had all season, and they built on their momentum in West Lafay- ette the following weekend. Here's a look at what we learned about the offense heading into the season's last two games. Quarterback Allar didn't beat Ohio State. His 12 completions on 20 attempts went for just 146 yards, and his perfectly placed pass to redshirt junior receiver Harrison Wallace III in the end zone was intercepted. The results didn't match the most optimistic expectations for the junior signal-caller and will remain with him until his next high-profile opportunity. A closer examination of Allar's per- formance, however, showed that it was better than the game's result would indi- cate. Gritty and confident throughout, he made plays for the Nittany Lions against a tough Ohio State defense, picking up 3 first downs with his legs and making several big-time throws. In short, he per- formed well enough to win. Discussing Allar's response to the set- backs — both his injury and the loss to the Buckeyes — coach James Franklin said that the veteran quarterback had dis- played exactly the kind of resilience the team needed. "I don't think he's getting talked about enough. I don't think he gets enough Staying Staying The Course The Course Overcoming its struggles, Penn State's offense has shown resilience this season NAT E BAU E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M Quarterback Drew Allar had completed 71.9 percent of his passes for 2,253 yards and 16 touchdowns through 10 games. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL