ICYMI: After losing 5-star commitment Penn State take next step behind 5-star QB commitment
Many casual college football fans looking at Penn State quarterback Drew Allar’s stats from last season would likely conclude that he had an outstanding year.
Allar recorded 25 touchdowns and just two interceptions, completing 59.9% of his passes for 2,631 yards in his first year as a starter.
However, from the perspective of diehard Nittany Lions fans, Allar had his flaws, particularly in crucial losses to Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Michigan, which resulted in a third-place finish in the conference.
In those games, Allar completed just 28 of 64 passes (43.8%) and threw only two touchdowns, as the Nittany Lions were held to 12 and 15 points, respectively, in season-defining defeats.
While the losses were not entirely Allar’s fault, Penn State, ranked No. 8 nationally in the preseason, needs the 6-foot-5 junior to take a step forward in leading first-year coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s offense.
“Offensively, we focus on the three most important stats in a football game: the turnover battle, explosive play battle, and scoring and red-zone conversion rate,” Allar said.
“We did a good job taking care of the ball last year, but we didn’t achieve the level of explosive plays we wanted as an offense.”
A key focus for the Nittany Lions this offseason has been getting the ball into the hands of their most talented players.
Looking at Penn State’s projected starting offense, Allar has no shortage of teammates who can create big plays.
The Nittany Lions return their dynamic running back duo from last year, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who combined for 1,654 rushing yards while sharing carries almost equally (172 for Allen, 171 for Singleton).
Ohio State transfer Julian Fleming leads a wide receivers group that includes players ready to step up, such as Harrison Wallace and Liam Clifford. At tight end, Tyler Warren is back after a junior year with 34 catches for 422 yards.
“I think we’ve done a better job of intentionally trying to be more explosive as an offense in both the run and pass game,” Allar said. “Not every explosive play is going to be a 50-yard throw downfield. It’s about being accurate on short routes to Nick (Singleton) and Kaytron (Allen), allowing them to turn upfield for 15 yards.
“It’s about being accurate on bubble passes and having the receivers block on the perimeter—there’s a lot more to explosive plays than just chucking the ball deep. We’ve got to do everything we can to earn the right to throw downfield.”
This year, defending national champion Michigan is not on Penn State’s schedule, but on Nov. 2, the Nittany Lions will host No. 2-ranked Ohio State in what’s expected to be a heated matchup between College Football Playoff hopefuls.
With the CFP expanding to 12 teams this year, there’s less pressure on Penn State to win that game, which in the past has often been a make-or-break contest for a spot in the four-team field—a goal that has consistently eluded James Franklin’s teams.
Penn State will also face three former Pac-12 teams in their first year in the Big Ten, beginning with UCLA at home on Oct. 5, followed by road games at No. 23 Southern Cal on Oct. 12, and Washington on Nov. 9.
But first, the Nittany Lions will travel to Morgantown for their Aug. 31 season opener against West Virginia.
Last year, Penn State defeated the visiting Mountaineers 38-15, with Allar completing 21 of 29 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns.
With an experienced team that finished 9-4 last year and won the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, coach Neal Brown’s squad will be looking to reverse that result against the Nittany Lions in 2024, this time on their home field.
As kickoff in Morgantown approaches, what Franklin has seen from Allar, one of Penn State’s six captains for 2024, gives him confidence that the 20-year-old is ready to make a significant leap this fall.
“He’s really done everything right,” Franklin told reporters in State College last week. “He’s always been diligent in preparation, spending time in the building, studying the installs, watching a lot of film, and asking insightful questions.
“When you keep putting in the work and doing the right things, you get better, gain confidence, gain experience, and the game starts to slow down for you. … It’s really about total development in every area.”