Penn State fans loved Andy Kotelnicki’s newest trick play for Tyler Warren

First-year Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki has spent much of this season on a tightrope walk between creative and cute as the Nittany Lion’s play-caller. He’s been hailed as a mad scientist for many of his most unique concoctions and he’s still cooking them up in Week 12 as a huge favorite at Purdue. 

Many of Kotelnicki’s most daring play designs have been drawn up to get his best player, tight end Tyler Warren, the football. Earlier in the season against USC, Kotelnicki had Warren snap the ball as the center and catch a touchdown on the same play, so it shouldn’t be surprising that in Week 12 the former high school quarterback threw and caught a pass on the same play. 

Warren threw a lateral back to quarterback Drew Allar and got it right back with a convoy in front of him on his way to the red zone. One play later, running back Nick Singleton punched it in for a score, and Penn State fans, who were frustrated with Kotelnicki for his red zone play calling in the team’s loss to Ohio State, are loving him again. 

No, Penn State shouldn’t need trick plays to beat Purdue, a team that Ohio State easily dispatched 45-0 in Columbus a week ago, but Kotelnicki can never help himself. His bag is deep and with no remaining ranked opponents on Penn State’s schedule, every game is a must-win as a big favorite the rest of the way. 

Kotelnicki can’t save these play calls for the College Football Playoff if his team isn’t playing in it, and if we know anything about the man that FOX play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson has dubbed, “The Big Zamboni” it’s that he’ll never run out of crazy ways to get the football to Tyler Warren.