Will Penn State’s offense be ready for conference play?

Penn State’s offense put it together against Kent State recording 718 total yards of offense. Was this game an indicator of what’s to come?

With Illinois coming to Beaver Stadium next, it’ll be a top-20 matchup for the Nittany Lions. It’s conference play now, the stakes get higher, and the pressure to perform only intensifies from here. With a 12-team College Football Playoff, the rankings matter so much more. Currently, Penn State sits at No. 9.

“Comparison is the thief of joy,” James Franklin said in his post-game press conference. “Run your race.”

For Penn State, that’s explosive creativity from every position group. Drew Allar is right when he calls his playmakers “swiss-army knives” - they’re expected to do it all.

Run, block, catch, and in Tyler Warren’s case - throw too. The Nittany Lions become hard to predict because they have playmakers at every position.

Until Penn State’s matchup against Kent State, Allar hardly targeted anyone not named Warren consistently. Leading up to the game there was an urgency within the offense to spread the ball around and Allar made it happen. Ten different players recorded stats through the receiving game.

“We started out a little bit slower than I would have liked, but overall, I thought we took a really good step,” Franklin said.

Andy Kotelnicki’s playbook is creative. Julian Fleming, who had his biggest performance to date with two receptions for 60 yards, said the offense’s goal is to cause stress.

“The amount of stuff that we put on the field and put on the film, you know, every team is going to have to see that and respect that,” the wide receiver said.

Through practice, Kotelnicki has prepared those creative plays through repetition with different looks pre and post-snap. Pairing that with an extensive film review to perfect the play’s timing is what allows the unit to feel comfortable bringing it out on the gridiron.

Right now, Kotelnicki is the one primarily drawing things up but Allar said that although the players haven’t designed their own plays yet, they’ve “discussed it” and the two have “talked about a couple things.”

Nicholas Singleton said the offense has total confidence in its offensive coordinator.

“We’re just trying to buy in, just trying to make explosive plays,” the running back, who rushed for 81 yards and added a receiving touchdown, said.

The Kent State defense is not good. It gave up 400-plus yards of offense to each team it has played. Illinois will be a different test considering its opponents only averaged 300 yards per game.

The Nittany Lions improved on third downs, converting eight of 10 (80%). Last season against Big Ten opponents they only converted 37.2% in those situations.

Whether this performance is a hint or not for what’s to come for Penn State, it won’t be as easy moving forward as the opponents get tougher. Seeing Omari Evans, Liam Clifford and Fleming get into the offensive mix was a good sign.

Clifford and Fleming each recorded a catch for nearly 40 yards and Evans had a third-quarter spark with his 59-yard touchdown.

Allar’s field awareness and comfortability were an offensive bright spot that wasn’t recorded in the stats. He extended plays when facing pressure and connected with receivers downfield to still pick up large gains. Regardless of the opponent, the junior quarterback should be able to read the defensive looks that come his way.

Penn State defeated Illinois 30-13 on the road but this will be the first time the two meet in Happy Valley since the Fighting Illini upset the Nittany Lions in a nine-overtime classic in 2021.

“I do think we’ve done what we need to do up to this point,” Franklin said. “Hasn’t always been perfect, but there’s a lot of places in the country right now that would love to be 1-0 this week and 3-0 over the season.”

Amanda Vogt is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email amandaevogt@gmail.com