Penn State fans already raving about the Drew Allar-Andy Kotelnicki offense

After an offseason of big changes on James Franklin’s coaching staff, Penn State’s offense had to look very different in the first half, and the early returns are excellent. 

After West Virginia put up its second field goal of the game to pull within a touchdown, with just 29 seconds left on the clock, Allar marched the Penn State offense right down the field for another touchdown to Harrison Wallace. The Nittany Lions head into the half with a 20-6 lead and a lot of faith in their former five-star quarterback in Andy Kotelnicki’s offense. 

The throw came after a deep shot to Omari Evans flipped the field and Allar finished his first half of 2024 with 199 yards through the air and two touchdowns. More importantly, those 199 yards came on eight completions. Penn State’s offense was outside the top 100 in the country in passes over 20 yards downfield last season, but through one half, Allar is averaging 24.9 yards per completion and 15.3 yards per attempt. 

Penn State fans and others in the college football media, many of which were down on Allar after his first year as the team’s starting quarterback, are starting to believe that he can carry the team to the College Football Playoff. 

The excitement is understandable and it came after a bit of a slow start on offense. Kotelnicki’s playcalling appeared to get Allar comfortable and unlocked the passing game. 

Needless to say, this has been a big change from the Mike Yurcich offense last season. 

Maybe, Drew Allar was never the problem with the Penn State offense. 

Oh, and it helps that Harrison Wallace III is healthy and looks like a superstar with five catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns, making his career total heading into the game.