Takeaways: Drew Allar and his efficiency leads to dominate win over Kent State

Drew Allar continued his great start to the season for the Penn State football team on Saturday against Kent State, finishing 17/21 for 309 yards and 3 touchdowns. He has a 70.7% completion percentage and a 218.3 rating so far this season through 3 games. That is a drastic improvement for the Nittany Lion QB from the 59.9% completion percentage and 136.9 rating in 2023.

The competition will ramp up as the Nittany Lions head into conference play. So far Penn State has played two MAC teams and a West Virginia defense that has looked very porous to start the year. However, there should be reason for optimism because the higher completion percentage is with an average of 12.6 yards per attempt. That is almost double the 6.8 yards per attempt we saw in 2023.

Andy Kotelnicki has Allar throwing more balls downfield and it isn’t just yards after the catch. Drew Allar is getting more air yards so far in 2023 with deep threats Omari Evans and Harrison Wallace III getting open down the field. This upcoming week against Illinois will be the best defense that Allar has faced to date. If he can continue to produce without losing a step it should give hope as the competition continues to ramp up.

Nick Singleton is back to being the No.1 RB

Syndication: Hanover Evening Sun

Nick Singleton had a down year in 2023 after an explosive Freshman season. The Penn State football running back finished with 1,061 yards and 12 touchdowns during his freshman year, good for 6.8 yards per carry. It seemed like he never got going in 2023 finishing with 752 yards and 4.4 yards per carry, and 8 touchdowns. The more alarming stat was the 4.4 yards per carry and long of 24 for the season.

Through 3 games in 2024, Singleton looks like his speedy freshman self again and has 314 yards and two touchdowns.  He has averaged 8.5 yards per carry and already has a 41-yard touchdown. While overall the touchdowns haven’t been there compared to 2022, that in part has been because of the success that the passing game has had in the first three games.

Kaytron Allen has been nothing but consistent in his entire Penn State career averaging 5.2 yards per carry in 2022 and 2023 and is currently at 5.3 for 2024. However, he doesn’t have the big play threat that Singleton does. Allen was the better back in 2023 but Singleton appears to have taken that spot as conference play approaches.

Tyler Warren is the best player on offense

Tyler Warren has quickly become the biggest offensive weapon for Drew Allar this season. The veteran tight end chose to return to Penn State after being a projected draft pick after last season. He leads the Nittany Lions in receptions, yards, and touchdowns to open the season. His 16 receptions are double what top wide receivers Omari Evans and Harrison Wallace III have this year. Warren has not only been a safety valve for quarterback Drew Allar but has made it a habit to gain yards after the catch. Plays that look like a few yards turn into first downs and big plays when the big tight end catches the ball.

Warren has also gotten involved in the wildcat this season. A true testament of getting the ball in your best player’s hands. Against Kent State, Warren logged a 16-yard rush and 17-yard touchdown pass to Nick Singleton in addition to his 5 catches for 50 yards and score. Through three games Warren already has almost half of the catches, yards, and touchdowns he had in 2023. Another sign that the offense as a whole has improved drastically under offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.

The defense settling in but faces a big test

After two weeks of hearing how everyone was concerned about the defensive performance against Bowling Green, Tom Allen got his side of the ball ready to play against Kent State. The Nittany Lions only allowed 67 yards of offense and stifled the Golden Flashes all afternoon. A key part in Penn State’s record-breaking yard differential day.

Now what awaits is an undefeated and confident Illinois offense who just went on the road and took down what was thought to be a good Nebraska team. Quarterback Luke Altmyer has possibly the best start to his career already throwing for 862 yards and 10 touchdowns and no interceptions yet this season. He has done all of this with a 71.4% completion percentage and 8.2 yards per attempt.

The Illini have two great wide receivers Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin who will test the secondary which is already suffering the significant loss of Kevin Winston Jr. this season. Bryant has 20 receptions for 309 yards and 6 touchdowns, while Franklin has tallied 21 catches for 243 yards. If Tom Allen’s defense can find a way to contain the two wide receivers and get pressure on Altmyer they should be successful in stopping the Illini. Penn State also needs to find a way to force turnovers, something that has been streaky so far this season.

Punt Return remains shaky

As punters get better and better it is hard to have an effective returner in today’s game. It seems like the college football world sees more and more fair catches but for Penn State football, there seems to be a lack of a dynamic returner. Kaden Saunders was the primary returner and has had a little success but has also fumbled the ball against Kent State and while the Nittany Lions didn’t lose the possession it has left a sense of nervousness for future games.

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