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.