What’s Next For Penn State’s Offense

So, uh, what’s next?

In the context of the College Football Playoff, Penn State’s season is over.

But there’s still two games left to play. Penn State still has a realistic shot at a 10-win season — an important metric at other schools and for some, not good enough here.

But you’re too grumpy to care about that. Not even firing the offensive coordinator can fix the fact that Penn State’s season is over – in the context of the College Football Playoff.

But like I said, there are still two games left to play. Plus a bowl game. Maybe even a New Year’s Six bowl but that’s probably not good enough for you.

So now what?

When Penn State comes out of the tunnel on Saturday, in the eyes of some, the season will be over but for people like Drew Allar, Ja’Juan Seider, Danny O’Brien and Ty Howle, there’s still something left to prove.

That’s what keeps this week’s game with Rutgers and next week’s trip to Detroit for a clash against Michigan State interesting.

If you care.

In the four-team playoff era, it’s frustrating when your team loses two games. Regardless of your optimism levels, there’s no mistaking that Saturday’s loss to Michigan took the wind out of this season’s sails. Add in the fact it was the final nail in the coffin for those playoff hopes, it eliminates the feeling, passion and hope that this season will be different.

Because on the surface, this season, for Penn State fans, is very much not different. It will likely end with a New Year’s Six – or at worst New Year’s Day – bowl. It will not include a signature win, unless it comes in that bowl game. It will see the same expectations missed yet again. You’ll be frustrated at the head coach and he’ll be frustrated in press conferences when all but one of the questions is about the big decision he just made.

But there are still interesting things to be found if you care to pay attention enough.

All of them, of course, have to do with the offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich firing by James Franklin.

It’s clear that long-time assistant Seider and relatively new, but clearly trusted, Howle will take over the playcalling duties in some shape or fashion.

And that’s an opportunity, it’s safe to assume, the two would very much like to have.

For Howle, it’s a big swing for someone trying to continue to grow his name in coaching circles. He’s already got the best tight end room in the country when it comes to catching touchdown passes thanks to Theo Johnson, Tyler Warren and Khalil Dinkins’ combined 13.

For Seider, it may finally be his time to take the reins to this offense. He’s been open that he’d like to stay at Penn State, and there’s a certain Brent Pry feel to his relationship with Franklin that is hard to put your finger on.

He’s one of the nation’s top recruiters and always appears on coaching carousel lists for Group of 5 head coaching gigs. So why hasn’t he left yet? And why not reward him for sticking around with the promotion if he can prove that he’s worthy of it over this stretch?

Does Franklin need to go make a splash hire at offensive coordinator the way he made a splash hire with Manny Diaz? Not if the results in this three-game stretch prove him otherwise.

Then, there’s the golden boy that is O’Brien, a highly-touted-by-the-head-coach graduate assistant, who has seemed destined to take over the quarterback coaching role the second he stepped foot on campus (for the second time. That first time, we all just thought he was going to be the quarterback because he put a jacket on.)

He, too, can use this time to prove he’s ready for that role.

For those three, they could save Franklin the time, effort and energy by making things interesting on offense, starting this weekend.

They’ve got something to prove here and it’s something that Penn State fans – those that truly do care – should pay close attention to if they care about the future of this program.

But once again, as we have so many times this season, we turn our attention to the quarterback to see how he will respond. We’re witnessing Allar’s first real case of turbulence that isn’t just one play or one loss. This was his-no-good-terrible weekend where he only completed 10 passes for 70 yards against Michigan and had a momentum-turning fumble that was his biggest mistake yet. Then the guy who recruited him the most got fired. That makes his shaky performance in the Horseshoe look like nothing.

When it comes down to it, those calling the plays have to do a good job of getting him into rhythm, but it will fall on Allar to execute and elevate those around him actually playing.

It’s a lot of pressure to put on a 19-year-old first-year starter. But if Penn State fans want him to be all that he can be, then he has to. And if he can grow from this, then, what’s next is going to be important.

He, too, like his coaches, has something to prove.

It may not feel like there’s much opportunity left out there for the Nittany Lions in this 2023 season – especially after last weekend – but for those four people, there’s a very big one.

So that’s what’s next.

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