What PSU needs from new QB
There are only two Power Five schools, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin, who have more wins in the College Football Playoff era than the Penn State Nittany Lions without making it to the national semifinals.
No team in that category has reached (four) or won (three) as many New Year’s Six games as the Nittany Lions, either.
James Franklin is certainly knocking on the door, but what will it take from his quarterback to earn an invitation to the prestigious CFP party in the final year of the four-team format?
The surprise answer? More of the same.
Ever since Drew Allar threaded the needle on a 25yard pass that slipped through Tyler Warren’s hands in his first career game, Penn State fans have been hyping him as the savior Christian Hackenberg, Trace McSorley and Sean Clifford were intended to be.
Outside of the ridiculous arm strength and accuracy that Allar showed off on that throw in early September, he has something that no other Penn State quarterback has had in the Franklin era: an elite combination of defense, running backs and a trustworthy offensive line that can carry this team to the playoff all by themselves.
This year’s group might not have the pass catchers of 2016 or the top-to-bottom defensive talent of 2019, but the all-around talent, especially in the trenches, far outshines any single-season group under Franklin.
This is a defense that held opponents to just 3.3 yards per rush last season, which ranked 14th in the nation, despite surrendering 418 yards to Michigan in mid
-October. Take out that contest, and the number drops to 2.7 yards per rush. This formidable run defense returns five of the seven starters up front and looks bigger, more athletic and more physical, according to Franklin.
“I think we have a legitimate three deep across the board,” Franklin said at Big Ten media days.
The trenches aren’t just a strength on the defensive side of the ball. Olu Fashanu’s return gives Allar the blindside security he needs to stand in the pocket and go through his progressions without worrying too much about pressure off the edge. After all, Fashanu is a projected top-three NFL draft pick by some outlets.
Three more starters will return to a group that allowed just 21 sacks in 2022, which was a major jump for a group that conceded at least 31 in each full season dating to 2018.
“When I got to Penn State, we were in a much different position,” Franklin said. “I think we only had five scholarship offensive linemen in the program. I think we’re in a much better position now.”
The continuity and chemistry of the big men up front won’t just give Allar the additional time he needs, it will take some of the immense pressure off his shoulders by opening lanes for the true stars of the offense to take over: Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen.
Both Singleton (12) and Allen (10) cleared the previous true freshman record for
rushingtouchdowns at Penn State. They became the first true freshmen teammates to rush for 700 yards each in Big Ten history — 1,061 and 867 yards, respectively. Their lethal combination of power and finesse has the potential to wear down and break through opponents late in the game, similar to how Michigan did en route to the playoff last season.
The key to Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines exorcizing their playoff demons didn’t come from a drastic improvement in the passing game. In fact, when comparing their last two seasons to the two previous, Michigan saw a 25 yards-per-game decrease in passing offense. It came from a change in identity, leaning on the strengths of their roster and not pretending to be a modern, airraid offense handicapped by average quarterback play.
This is the formula for the 2023 Nittany Lions.
In their 11 wins in 2022, the offense averaged 39.5 rushes per game and just 31.5 passing attempts per game.
In the two losses, the team ran the ball just 27.5 times per game in comparison to 38 pass attempts.
As great as it would be for Allar to step onto the field and throw for 300 yards a game, that’s not what this team needs. If anything is going to change for the offense in 2023, it shouldn’t be the production of the quarterback.
It should be the identity of the offense.
The best thing Allar can be in his first season as the starter is, ironically, what the fanbase grew tired of after six seasons: Sean Clifford. Manny Diaz will take care of the defense. A pair of star running backs and a continuously improving offensive line will take care of the offense. Franklin knows it too. Clifford didn’t break almost every Penn State passing record by being mediocre. He commanded the offense, made plays with his legs and came through in big moments. Just look at the final drive of the Purdue game last season.
On the opening night of the season, he flawlessly executed an 80-yard game-winning drive, capped off by an inch-perfect lob pass to Keyvone Lee for the game’s final score. That’s who Allar needs to be.
Filling his role completely won’t be easy for Allar, even if he is a five-star recruit with indisputably better arm talent. Replacing his leadership will be the hardest part, but Fashanu is already seeing it grow from both Allar and Beau Pribula on the practice field.
“They’re natural leaders. When Sean [Clifford] left last year, everyone thought there would be a void in terms of a vocal leader,” Fashanu said. “But both of them are leaders in their own ways. I’m extremely excited for them this year.”
The Nittany Lions don’t need their highly touted sophomore to be like the NFL’s Josh Allen, whom many are comparing him to. They don’t need him to break out like Joe Burrow did for LSU in 2019.
They just need him to be Sean Clifford.