Even Andy Kotelnicki can’t cover up Penn State’s lack of talent at wide receiver

Coming out of Penn State’s Week 1 34-12 win over West Virginia in Morgantown, the story was about how new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki rejuvenated the Nittany Lions offense and junior quarterback Drew Allar. Now, after a Week 2 34-27 win over Bowling Green at Beaver Stadium, there will be plenty of concerns about Tom Allen’s defense, but those shouldn’t overshadow the lack of talent on Kotelnicki’s offense. 

Kotelnicki is known as an innovative play-caller who relies on his quarterback’s athleticism and creates explosive plays with motions and unique formations. Those explosives still existed in Week 2, but they mostly came on the ground. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen both finished with over 100 yards, Singleton racking up 119 on 13 carries and Allen posting 101 yards on 14 carries, but through the air, only two Penn State wide receivers caught passes for the second-straight week. 

Aside from replacing Mike Yurcich with Kotelnicki this offseason, James Franklin retooled his wide receiver room, watching KeAndre Lambert-Smith leave for Auburn and Dante Cephas depart for Kansas State. Penn State added Julian Fleming from Ohio State and elevated Harrison Wallace III and Omari Evans to starring roles. 

In Week 2, Evans caught two passes for 34 yards and a touchdown and Fleming made one grab for three yards. Evans also dropped a sure first-down on a 3rd-and-18 on Penn State’s second offensive drive, and in the third quarter, Evans took points off the board with a blatant offensive pass-interference that negated what would have been a 45-yard touchdown grab. Those were arguably Allar’s two best throws and the latter drive ended in an interception. 

Allar played another impressive game, finishing with 204 yards and two touchdowns on 13/20 passing with one interception and a rushing touchdown, but Allar was forced to rush seven times and hold onto the ball much longer than Kotelnicki would prefer with receivers struggling to get separation against a MAC defense. Tight end Tyler Warren accounted for 146 yards through the air on eight catches and running back Nick Singleton caught the other touchdown pass that gave Penn State the lead for good. 

The Nittany Lions have put up 34 points in back-to-back wins and in Week 2 averaged 7.7 yards per play with 234 yards on the ground. The team’s best playmakers are in the backfield with Singleton and Allen, but their newfound efficiency doesn’t mask the unsolvable issues at wide receiver. 

Kotelnicki has proven himself, at Kansas and through two games at Penn State as an elite offensive play-caller, but even Kotelnicki hasn’t found a way to create a consistent passing game without reliable playmakers on the outside. 

Against West Virginia, Wallace gave Nittany Lions fans hope with five catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns. He is who Allar needs to be WR1, but if he was kept off the stat sheet by Bowling Green, how will Kotelnciki get the ball into his hands against Big Ten defenses?