MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The curtain lifted on the 2024 season, and Penn State’s new-look offense under coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and quarterback Drew Allar met the moment. Not even a 2 hour, 19-minute lightning delay could put a damper on No. 8 Penn State’s 34-12 win at West Virginia. Here are my initial takeaways:
Kotelnicki wasn’t afraid to be creative
The new OC regularly mixed up Penn State’s personnel, and with 457 total yards, it was clear this is a new and improved offense. Kotelnicki has said since he was hired that he has no hesitation getting as many players involved in the game plan as he can. The best players are going to have some sort of role. He said this summer that backup quarterback Beau Pribula would have a role, and indeed he saw the field often, even doing so on the opening drive.
Just how creative was Kotelnicki? Consider that in the first half alone, Penn State:
• Had both quarterbacks Allar and Pribula on the field at the same time
• Put running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen on the field together
• Opened the game in 12 personnel (two tight ends) with Tyler Warren and Andrew Rappleyea
• Used a speed-option pitch from Pribula to Singleton that gained 6 yards and picked up a first down
• Had offensive lineman Vega Ioane — all 6 feet 4, 348 pounds of him — go in motion on a run play
• Lined Singleton up and had him take a snap out of the Wildcat
• Attempted a 2-point conversion (it was unsuccessful) by having Pribula roll out and throw to tight end Joey Schlaffer
• Huddled —this might not seem creative, but for a program that hasn’t done so often in previous years, this was a change
Penn State had 248 yards of total offense in the first half alone, with 199 of them coming through the air.
Allar on point against the Mountaineers
Now, let me remind you that Allar and the Penn State offense also looked sharp last year in the season-opening win against West Virginia. The unit will need to deliver consistently to prove that Penn State has turned the corner, but we haven’t seen Allar look like this before. Yes, the play calling was different, but he also was much more athletic and explosive.
For perspective: Through 13 starts last season Allar had five completions of 50-plus yards. He had two in the first half Saturday. Allar finished 11-of-17 passing for 216 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. His poise appeared noticeably different. He looked calm and even made plays with his legs — something coach James Franklin said they’d need. Allar added 44 rushing yards, including a pair of 10-yard rushes and a 15-yard quarterback keeper.
Two significant moments stood out to me that speak to Allar’s development. Despite his overall calm, when Allar fumbled on the opening drive, he was irate. (We’ll seek clarity postgame on what happened.) He lit into the officials. Allar, now a team captain, has not reacted like that before. He’s usually mild-mannered, and he spent the offseason working on being more vocal — and he was suddenly ticked off. Perhaps the Penn State defense fed off the quarterback’s energy? On the ensuing play, defensive end Abdul Carter drilled WVU quarterback Garrett Greene and forced a fumble that was recovered by safety Jaylen Reed.
With 32 seconds left in the first half and Penn State up 13-6, the Nittany Lions took over at the West Virginia 35-yard line. With one timeout remaining, Penn State last season wouldn’t have tried to push the ball down the field. Instead, after a Singleton run went for no gain, Penn State didn’t settle with just running out the clock.
Allar uncorked a deep ball along the Penn State sideline and connected with Omari Evans. The 55-yard completion set up a beauty of a touchdown — an 18-yard completion from Allar to Harrison Wallace III.
WHAT A THROW. WHAT A CATCH 🙌@PennStateFball scores right before half! 🔥#FOXFieldPass pic.twitter.com/ehAdf00XoL
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 31, 2024
Wallace looks like Penn State’s best wide receiver
This was my thought headed into the season, and Saturday solidified that. After dealing with injuries last season, Penn State needs Wallace to be a big-time playmaker. He came into the stadium clutching a football as he took a pregame walk around the field with Evans. Wallace said this summer he didn’t need a breakout performance to be confident. He believed this type of game was coming. The way Penn State’s coaches and teammates talked this preseason, they felt it coming, too.
In the first half, Wallace was targeted a team-high eight times. He had five receptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Penn State started two wide receivers: Liam Clifford and Wallace. However, their willingness to rotate was evident as Julian Fleming and Evans also played roles.
The defense looks legit (and more observations):
• The Penn State defense again looks legit. One of the best defenses in the country last season didn’t miss a beat under new coordinator Tom Allen. Carter, expected to play defensive end and outside linebacker, largely rushed Greene. A group of NFL scouts watched Carter closely during pre-game warmups, which should be the norm all season. He physically looks different than everyone else on the field. Carter didn’t stuff the stat sheet, but the numbers hardly tell the story of what all he can do.
• Safety Jaylen Reed was all over the field in the first half. Reed, Zakee Wheatley and KJ Winston started as Penn State quickly went to the three-safety look that it’s expected to use a lot this season. At cornerback, A.J. Harris and Jalen Kimber started. This secondary is deep, and it rolled through the rotation, too.
• Anthony Donkoh was the starting right tackle, and he held the spot for the entire first half. Nolan Rucci came in during the third quarter when Penn State used a sixth lineman. Penn State used Rucci in this capacity and also did so with freshman Cooper Cousins, who was the sixth offensive lineman on a few occasions, too.
(Photo of Penn State QB Drew Allar: Mark Alberti / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
