Penn State and head coach James Franklin are nonetheless trying to break by way of into the Faculty Soccer Playoff, and it was fairly clear what they wanted to repair coming into the 2024 season to lastly get there.
Their offense.
Particularly, they wanted to capitalize on quarterback Drew Allar’s pure means and large arm and repair what was one of many least explosive passing video games in the whole nation in 2023.
They took a giant step towards that by bringing in one of the modern offensive minds in faculty soccer by hiring Andy Kotelnicki to be their new offensive coordinator.
If their 34-12 Week 1 win over West Virginia on Saturday is any indication, they undoubtedly appear to be heading in the right direction.
Penn State’s offense regarded prefer it was able to doing something it needed all day, whereas Allar himself regarded like a totally completely different passer. Whereas his 2023 stat line was spectacular by way of touchdowns (25) and defending the soccer (solely two interceptions), the Nittany Lions nearly by no means requested him or let him take possibilities downfield. They have been close to the underside of the nation by way of downfield passes, and the offensive limitations actually held them again towards elite competitors and stored them out of the playoff dialogue.
Allar solely accomplished 11 out of 17 passes on the day, however these 11 completions accounted for 216 yards and three touchdowns.
That’s over 12 yards per completion, a quantity that he topped simply 4 occasions in a recreation in the course of the 2023 season.
Penn State has an elite protection and excellent talent place gamers all around the offense. If it will probably benefit from Allar’s bodily instruments and open the downfield passing recreation it’d give it an opportunity to beat the Ohio States and Michigans of the convention. That’s the solely hurdle the Nittany Lions should clear to get their playoff spot.
This may need solely been one recreation towards a run-of-the-mill crew with a mean protection, but it surely was nonetheless an encouraging begin. Not simply by way of the outcomes, but additionally the method behind that consequence.
