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Drew Allar continued to settle in as Penn State’s latest multi-year starting quarterback, but the Nittany Lions’ 63-7 victory over Delaware came too easily to clarify issues both academic and perhaps profound.
Where are the home run rushing plays? Do 9 PATs by Alex Felkins mean Sander Sahaydak has lost place-kicking duties until further notice? Does 1 TD run of 66 yards by an FCS opponent denigrate a defense that otherwise held the Blue Hens to 74 yards?
Answers will come over the next 2 weeks, when No. 7 Penn State begins Big Ten play with a trip to Illinois followed by a home White Out night matchup with Iowa.
Player of the Week: Drew Allar
The 19-year-old finished 22-of-26 for 204 yards and a touchdown, and could have posted truly gaudy stats if Penn State hadn’t opted to run the ball over the goal line 6 times. Allar scored 1 of those rushing TDs while carrying 5 times for 27 yards, proving again that he can move better than some want to give him credit for.
If the 2022 5-star recruit maintains something close to this pace and gets his top 10 team to 5-0 by the end of September, Heisman talk will be warranted.
Freshman of the Week: Beau Pribula
Allar’s classmate, redshirt freshman Pribula out of York, Pa., saw backup snaps at quarterback for a 2nd consecutive week and showed passing and running skills that will serve the Lions well should Allar ever have to miss time. Pribula went 3-fot-5 for 22 yards and a touchdown, and ran for 46 yards and a TD on 8 carries.
Biggest surprise: TE Tyler Warren’s 6 catches
Tyler Warren had a breakout game, doubling his previous high for receptions and scoring his 5th receiving TD as a Nittany Lion. The 6-6, 257-pound tight end has periodically shown off his high-end athletic ability over the past 2 seasons, but the former high school quarterback spent those years as the clear No. 3 behind Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson. Now, he may be emerging as a favorite safety valve for Allar, perhaps even ahead of Johnson, who had 2 receptions Saturday after none against West Virginia.
Biggest concern: Nick Singleton’s slow start
While Allar basks in the spotlight, fellow 2022 5-star recruit Nick Singleton looks more like a workhorse than a thoroughbred through 2 games. After busting a bunch of long-gainers and topping 1,000 yards as a true freshman, Singleton turned goal-line duty into 3 touchdowns on Saturday but finished with just 47 yards on 12 carries. His longest run through 2 games is a 14-yarder in last week’s win over West Virginia.
Developing trend: WR1 spot is locked down
For the 2nd consecutive week, KeAndre Lambert-Smith led Penn State in receiving yards, this time snaring 6 passes for 74 yards. Last week, he caught 4 balls for 123 yards and 2 TDs. Meanwhile, transfers Dante Cephas (2-36) and Malik McClain (1-7 after a solid Week 1) made little impact. The program’s leading returning receiver, KLS is stepping up as a 4th-year junior.
Key stat: 0
Penn State has not turned the ball over during its first 2 outings in 2023, an encouraging sign for a team breaking in a new starting quarterback. In fact, Allar remains without a turnover through 12 college appearances.
5 final Week 2 notes …
A week after making only 1 tackle and having his marijuana possession charge become public, Abdul Carter shared the team lead with 4 tackles. It’s a step in the right direction. … The defense racked up 4 sacks and 7 TFL, 1 more in each category than against WVU. Manny Diaz has more tricks up his sleeve, and this is actually a quicker start than a year ago — when PSU led the B1G in both categories. No worries here. … Kaytron Allen had the Lions’ first 100-yard rushing game of the season, going for 103 and a TD on 19 carries. … Minnesota transfer Trey Potts had a 20-yard carry in the fourth quarter, PSU’s longest run of the season. … Fan favorite backup linebacker Dom DeLuca returned Penn State’s first interception of the season 26 yards for his first score as a Nittany Lion.
Quote of the week
“Those guys have bought into the idea that we have two starting tailbacks. We’ll see how that goes week-to-week based on preparation throughout the week. But we’re going to play them both like starter reps.” — James Franklin on Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton.
First impression about Week 3
at Illinois, noon Saturday (Fox): The Lions open Big Ten play on the road for the 8th straight season and 13th time in 14 years, looking to avenge a painful loss to Bret Bielema’s team from 2 years ago.
Penn State is favored, as it was for the 20-18, 9-OT debacle in 2021. But if anything, the Illini (1-1) are more of a legitimate threat this time around, with a stout front 7 on defense and a dual-threat transfer quarterback. Even coming off a loss to Kansas, Illinois is a tough 1st road assignment of 2023.
On the positive side for the Nittany Lions, though, is the fact that the Illini are struggling to replace key pieces from last year’s 8-5 team. With Chase Brown gone from the backfield, Bielema’s offense hasn’t forged much of a running game, with Ole Miss transfer QB Luke Altmyer doing more damage (69.5 ypg) than new feature back Reggie Love III (54.0).
Also, the defense — after losing most of its secondary to the NFL — is giving up 253.5 ypg through the air. If Drew Allar is sharp, this game shouldn’t come down to 2-point tries in bonus time.
Luke Glusco is a Penn State graduate and veteran journalist. He covers Penn State and occasionally writes about other Big Ten programs and topics. He also serves as the primary copy editor for Saturday Tradition.