Maybe we’re all overthinking this.
It was just Villanova. It was a 52-6 win. It was 465 yards of offense. It was, had it not been for one of the greatest catches in recent Beaver Stadium history, a shutout.
But it was a comment from James Franklin’s Monday press conference that lingered as Penn State’s offense failed to quell anxiety on a gorgeous day in University Park.
“I do see [Nicholas Singleton] really getting better in a lot of areas,” he said. “but I do think on Saturdays, like we discussed with Drew, I think they’re overthinking some things and trying to play perfect rather than just letting it rip.”
It was another performance from Penn State’s offense, particularly from the quarterback, that has people on edge right now.
But then again, this was the end of non-conference play. For how Penn State has scheduled compared to other contemporaries around the country, this is exactly why Penn State has scheduled compared to other contemporaries around the country.
You’re supposed to work these things out now.
You’re supposed to get things right before they really need to be right – especially in two weeks.
You’re supposed to make mistakes – even if they’re ones third-year starting quarterbacks shouldn’t or even if they’re not his fault at all.
But it’s also all of that, instilling just a dash of uneasiness that pulsed through Beaver Stadium’s alleged 109,516 crowd early in the second half which made it all feel like we’re all overthinking this.
“We got to help him get into a rhythm,” Franklin said of Allar’s performance post-game. “I think the third downs are a big part of that. We got to be better on third down as coaches, Drew has to be better, and all the guys have to be a little bit better. I think we’ll attack it this bye week, but we’re not getting into the rhythm that I think we are capable of getting in.”
The words “Drew has to be better” are a thought that retrospectively buzzed inside Beaver Stadium.
In the first half, Penn State’s most accurate quarterback of all-time was just 12-for-21 — and his effectiveness on the field was just about as unsteady.
On the game’s opening drive, Allar marched the Nittany Lions down the field with a smooth drive, slinging the ball to multiple receivers before Singleton scored on a 4-yard rush.
But on Penn State’s next position, Allar couldn’t find Kaytron Allen for a first down, stalling the drive at midfield.
There were moments of promise from Allar on Saturday – even on that drive that field – as he lobbed a deep ball to Devonte Ross that was impressively ripped out of the transfer’s hands in the back of the end zone.
Even Allar’s touchdown throw to Trebor Peña to complete a 2-minute-drill styled drive was impressive.
But that rhythm never carried over and through. It was there and then it wasn’t — like thoughts of promise and thoughts of concern racing through heads on all corners of the stadium.
An interception on what Franklin said was a misassignment was the afternoon’s low point for the quarterback but other throws – and some dropped passes – didn’t assuage fears for what comes after the non-conference play.
Allar finished the day with 209 passing yards — a very much fine outing. But his passing completion percentage of 55.2 percent was the lowest of the season – and only once since last year’s playoff run began has Allar had a completion percentage above 60 percent (Nevada).
Even localizing the trend to just 2025, Allar’s drop-off in play between the Nevada game to last week’s FIU game was anxiety-inducing. And yes, on Saturday, it felt like it was better than what it was against FIU.
But it wasn’t discernible enough of a difference to sow some hope that all of a sudden, in two weeks – against a tougher opponent – it will be at the level it needs to be.
Penn State’s running game may be able to lessen that burden though. Allen might be the best football of his career right now – and Penn State is moving the ball well when that running clicks. Even Penn State’s offensive line took strides forward compared to its earlier efforts this season, aiding to that cause.
Penn State is averaging 7.06 yards per carry on first down this season. Even with Allen’s long touchdown run against FIU removed, it’s at a 5.88 average — a full yard above the next closest down.
That trend continued on Saturday as Allen picked up 86 yards on 10 carries. It also appeared there was a concerted effort to help Singleton get more game action. After largely splitting carries last week, Singleton carried the ball 20 times on Saturday. Those extra reps were likely designed to help him figure things out after last week’s effort — and it showed. He finished 84 yards and two touchdowns, resulting in a moderate improvement from his FIU performance.
But it’s just that moderate performance on Penn State’s offensive side of the ball that has a tone of tenseness rattling in the air.
What is comforting is that Penn State’s defense gave up just 17 points in the first three games of the season – and only three of those points came with the starters on the field. Even the most anxious of fan would be hard-pressed to find a concern on Penn State’s defense, which played faster against Villanova than it did against FIU. That resulted in a pick-six by Jahmir Joseph.
The pieces seem to be there for Penn State but in this non-conference play, it feels like they’re not properly fitting. The indecisiveness coming from all of those data points — ones that end up on a spreadsheet and ones that linger between the ears — don’t provide instantaneously gratifying answers.
And maybe that’s OK.
It was non-conference play. Pieces don’t have to fit perfectly when you’re outmatching opponents the way Penn State outmatched Nevada, FIU and Villanova. That is the very point of scheduling like this, and in the end, Penn State beat those opponents a combined 132-17.
This was the time for getting things ready. The time for getting things right is in two weeks.
But annoyingly, in between now and then, there’s a bye week to overthink, to overreact, to over-analyze everything Penn State’s put on paper, film and memory banks.
And then in two weeks time under the lights of Beaver Stadium in the midst of a White Out, we will find out if we were really overthinking all of this.
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