Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541276
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 5 3 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Still, Kotelnicki wanted to add another layer of complexity to his offensive run plays. Without the read option, what did he turn to? With a passing quarterback, he paired the concept with more run- pass options; 10 of the team's 43 outside zone attempts came with an RPO tag through the game against Oregon before the team began to pivot away. Ten more attempts included tempo, which proved disastrous. The result is that Penn State's bread- a n d - b u t te r o f fe n s ive r u n sc h e m e dropped to 4.1 yards per carry with Allar under center full-time. It Starts With The Run There's a harsh reality about the Penn State offensive line. The Nittany Lions' scheme, which incorporated read option at a 29.6 per- cent rate for every run concept last year, needed that element to be successful. This year, the offensive line has been asked to block straight up on 37.8 percent of its snaps, which resulted in 5.5 yards per carry — but not the gashing 2.7 yards before contact on average that the Lions generated in the 2024 regular season. When you factor in the playoffs, Penn State averaged 6.0 yards per carry on op- tion plays. Through the game against Oregon —