MORGANTOWN – It was subtle but it seemed different.
After Drew Allar leveled West Virginia defender Josiah Trotter with a stiff arm to pick up a first down, Allar appeared to do something that I’m not sure we’ve seen from him before. He appeared to talk some smack.
Maybe that is just a part of the newly upgraded Allar.
The new version of Allar has been downloaded and installed, and this version appears to be the one that Penn State and its fans have been waiting for. In what felt like an about face from his at times shy leadership last year, Allar looked poised, confident and downright good in Penn State’s 34-12 win over West Virginia on Saturday afternoon.
Allar’s afternoon could have imploded pretty quickly after a bizarre missed snap created a fumble that led to a turnover inside the Mountaineers half of the field. Even then, we saw more emotion than we’ve maybe ever seen from Allar as he pleaded his case to the officials that WVU was using disconcerting signals.
But after Penn State’s defense scooped up a fumble on the ensuing possession and then stood strong early in the first quarter, the now junior quarterback clicked.
Allar found Harrison Wallace III on a comeback route for a first down for 18 yards. It was a simple throw that last year’s Allar might have been too excited for – and missed impatiently. But the drive, the quarterback and the rest of Penn State’s offense found its groove from there.
That was signaled by the 50-yard touchdown strike from Allar to Wallace – a confident throw that was in stride and down the seam.
Last year’s Allar might make that throw. Or he might not. And that “might not” was the frustrating part of his first year as the starter. There were throws like the one on the first drive of the season last year or a throw to Liam Clifford in Illinois that were ones to make you believe the skillset was there. Then there were the unconfident, shaky days like the one that came against Michigan or Ohio State.
Saturday, there was none of that hesitancy and that’s where the first-down-pointing, smack-talking quarterback’s new operating system seemed to kick in.
The man coding that software update, Andy Kotelnicki, also delivered in a confident way that seemed to reverberate around Penn State’s entire offense this offseason and into Saturday. It’s one game. It’s a Big 12 defense – a conference not known for having the best – but the “there” with this offense is there.
That was typified by Allar’s ability to lead – and heave – Penn State down the field with a massive 55-yard ball to Omari Evans, giving the Nittany Lions a chance to score on a perfectly placed back shoulder toss to Wallace. Beyond the deep ball and confident throws, the entire drive happened with just 32 seconds left in the first half.
Again, Allar doesn’t make that drive last season – or he might. But it felt like there was no “might” on Saturday, only “definite.”
Even in the face of the game taking a not-so-brief two hour-plus halftime thanks to storms in the area, Penn State’s offense, who got the ball in the start of the second half, came out aggressive and alive. There were no rain delay cobwebs and no 2017 Michigan State flashbacks.
Instead, Penn State’s offense looked and played with electricity like the one causing that delay. It was a bit of passion missing last year and its starkness showed its face by the quarterback getting in someone’s face on a first down carry in the fourth quarter.
In addition to that energy, the offense was explosive, something Penn State was so desperately without last year and the main reason why Kotelnicki was brought to Happy Valley. Beyond Allar’s tosses for 55 and 50 yards, Nicholas Singleton’s 114-yard day – 40 of which came on a massive touchdown run to set the tone in the third quarter.
It was a noticeable – albeit early – shift from last year’s tenure under offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. Everything looked to be connected, everything was done with purpose and everything was done at the right moment. All day, Penn State worked on letting Beau Pribula take snaps and usually run for a few yards here or there. But in the fourth quarter, with Pribula back under center, Kotelnicki’s offense got West Virginia to take the bait for a 19-yard touchdown throw to a wide-open Tyler Warren over the middle.
The plan was there and in game one, the plan worked. The software update that Kotelnicki has given this offense is evident.
Most of all, it was evident that software has rewired and unlocked Allar in a new way that should give fans a bit of excitement and belief in how this year is going to go. Stiff arms and smack talk included.
If you’ve enjoyed this content, please subscribe to Stuff Somers Says With Steve on YouTube. Or join our newsletter by entering your email below.