Penn State fans are some of the most loyal in the country, but even they have to recognize that their offense is in need of some drastic changes. Last season, the Nittany Lions did not even crack the top 50 in total yards according to the ESPN end of the year rankings. Penn State did score an impressive amount of points, acquiring a grand total of 471 over their 12 game regular season with an average of slightly over 36 per contest, but those stats can be deceiving. Of their 12 regular season games, the Nittany Lions only played two ranked teams.
Where Penn State Needs to Improve
With the exception of only two teams that were ranked in the top 30 offenses in the country, only two failed to break the three thousand total passing yard mark. Penn State did not even break 2800 yards. It was quite clear by season’s end that their passing offense lacked some of the punch needed to bring it to the next level.
Was It Their Pass Protection?
The Nittany Lions ranked 17th in the nation in sacks allowed, giving up a total of 16 during their 2023 campaign. So while pass protection is often cited as a reason for a poor passing game, this is not the case with Penn State. Their protection, which included Big 10 offensive lineman of the year, Olu Fashanu, was certainly up to the task. However, now that Fashanu has moved on to the NFL, there will be a definite need to make up for his absence.
How Good Is Drew Allar?
Drew Allar will return as the Nittany Lion quarterback, and while Sports Illustrated has him ranked as the 8th best returning QB, there are still areas that need marked improvement for Penn State to make a serious run at the college football playoffs. Allar had a respectable QBR ranking of 72.7, but that still put him behind 26 other quarterbacks in 2023.
To put that into perspective, 11 of the top 15 teams in the ranking last year, had a quarterback with a QBR north of 78. So while Allar may have fairly solid numbers, it is a far cry from where he will need to be in order for Penn State to be a serious contender.
Where Allar Needs to Gain Ground
From a throw for score perspective, Allar had a very solid season, passing for over 25 touchdowns. This was against only 2 interceptions. So on the surface, it looks as if he had a very solid sophomore campaign. However, when you look deeper into the numbers, there are areas that show some glaring deficiencies. Allar completed just shy of 59% of his passes. While that is nothing to sneeze at, for him to truly become an elite quarterback, he will need to get closer to 70%.
Though this was probably not under his control given that the PSU coaches still retain play calling responsibilities, Allar threw for just over 2,600 yards. When compared to elite quarterbacks such as Washington’s Michael Penix who threw for nearly 5,000 yards or Dillon Gabriel who will start for Oregon this year, who threw for over 3,600 yards, it is obvious there is some catching up that will have to occur. Penn State has added talent that can help them in this area, grabbing former five-star wide receiver recruit Julian Fleming out of the transfer portal as was reported by Grid Iron Heroics’ Matthew Brown.
Their Schedule Could Help
With the Big 10 absorbing four schools from the now defunct PAC 12, the conference got significantly tougher. The Nittany Lions, depending on how you look at it, have a schedule that can either be very favorable or brutally tough. In their first five games of the year, they should be heavily favored. But that is where the relaxed early season ends and the real test begins.
Their first test will be game 6 where they will head out to Los Angeles to take on USC. That will be followed by maybe their toughest game against Ohio State at home. From there, they will take on Washington at home and then Purdue and Minnesota on the road. They will then return home to face their final regular season opponent, Maryland.
