Is Drew Allar ready for his first road test? James Franklin says ‘yes’

Drew Allar has been pretty close to perfect in his first two starts with the Penn State football team. But there is a new challenge ahead this week, as the Nittany Lions hit the road to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini. Allar was able to play in a few different road games last season but he never officially started a game until the West Virginia matchup. Will Allar be ready for his first road start? James Franklin believes he will be.

Is Drew Allar ready for his first road test? James Franklin says ‘yes’

During his media availability on Tuesday afternoon, Penn State head coach James Franklin discussed the upcoming game against Illinois. A popular topic that came up was this game will be Drew Allar‘s first career road start. We all remember how he performed against Purdue last season on the road, but this will present a new challenge.

James Franklin stated, “…I keep saying with Drew [Allar], he’s doing all the right things and taking all of the necessary steps. We expect it to be a challenging road environment. But we didn’t wait until this week to prepare for that. You know, whether that’s crowd noise or whatever that may be. You know, we’ve done that all training camp.”

Franklin continued, “But again, he’s doing all of the right things in terms of preparation, in terms of watching film, in terms of nutrition, hydration, and sleep. …I do think his game last year at Purdue was helpful. Most importantly, I want to make sure by Friday night when we are going to bed that we have done everything possible to be prepared to play and play well.”

Where is Allar after the first two games of 2023?

After the first two games of the season, Drew Allar has completed 43 of 55 pass attempts for 529 yards and 4 touchdown passes. He has a completion percentage of 78% and continues to impress the Penn State football community. While this upcoming game will present a new challenge for Allar. He has exceeded expectations in Happy Valley early in 2023.

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