Newfound chemistry helps No. 7 Penn State’s offense thrive against West Virginia

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – After a week of speculation regarding Penn State’s starting quarterback, the answer was revealed 20 minutes before kickoff against West Virginia.

Drew Allar was announced in the starting lineup video, much to the excitement of the Nittany Lion faithful.

Allar’s starting-debut stats speak for themselves: 21-29 for 325 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He became the first quarterback since 2014 to throw for 300 yards in the season opener.

“I think he’s going to have a good year,” James Franklin said. “He can cause problems for a lot of people from my vantage point.”

Despite it being Allar’s first career start, he mentioned he “didn’t have any nerves.”

“We really prepare with everything we have,” Allar said. “We don’t leave any stone unturned and that just leads to the confidence of the whole team.”

Right from the start, Allar put the heat on the Mountaineer defense during the blue and white’s opening drive, taking the Nittany Lions 94 yards in under two minutes.

His early connection with KeAndre Lambert-Smith for the 72-yard touchdown was just a glimpse of how the night would fair. The time the duo put in outside of football translated into the chemistry seen on the field.

“I’m not surprised about the way we were clicking,” Lambert-Smith said. “This is just scratching the surface.”

Lambert-Smith finished with two touchdowns on 123 yards in just four receptions.

The routes-on-air drills that are run in practice are the x-factor to “get the true timing down for the routes,” which is necessary for Allar to build trust with his wide receivers and tight ends.

In instances when the pocket collapsed around Allar, he found Lambert-Smith to make a play. Rather quickly, that rapport developed all off-season was showcased.

Overall, Aller put his mobility on tape and demonstrated poise while battling West Virginia’s heavy cover-zero defense.

“I thought he did a really good job of managing the game from a decision-making standpoint,” Franklin said. “He’s mobile for a big guy [and] does a great job of climbing the pocket, keeping his eyes up.”

Even if Lambert-Smith appears to be the favorite, Allar spread the wealth and connected with eight additional targets. The depth of the team is no secret, and it’s an advantage the Nittany Lions have over opponents.

“You can never have too many weapons,” Allar said. “It’s definitely going to be something that we’re going to take great pride in and help us throughout our future.”

Considering how reliant the blue and white were on the run game last season, having a stronger offensive unit provides versatility to the plays Mike Yurcich calls. This season, the offensive coordinator is up in the booth, so he has a good sense of the coverage the opponents decide to utilize.

“We’re not just a run-heavy team, even though a lot of people might have thought that,” Lambert-Smith said. “We can also be balanced, throw the ball if we need to or do a two-minute drill and move the ball.”

Even with a win that included five touchdowns, Franklin believes each “phase” of the game has some technical work to clean up. In terms of the wide receivers, “there’s a group of guys that we feel good about, but we just need to be more consistent,” he said.

As for Allar’s mindset, he isn’t focused on personal accolades even as the starter. His focus remains on the team and how they can continue to better themselves moving forward.

“I don’t really know what I proved to myself tonight,” Allar said. “All I care about at the end of the day is the win-loss column, and to beat a team like West Virginia at home in that atmosphere that we had tonight is just, it’s really special.”

Amanda Vogt is a second-year studying broadcast journalism. To contact her, email amandaevogt@gmail.com