MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Quarterback Drew Allar was great in his Penn State starting debut a year ago against West Virginia. The rest of the season was a bit disappointing.
The junior with the big arm expects the Nittany Lions to become more consistent behind a new offensive coordinator.
“I think the biggest thing for us is learning how to bounce back from when things don’t go our way,” Allar said. “Because we’re going to have a bad play, a bad series. But you can’t have bad quarters and halves. And I think we’re doing a really good job of that right now as an offense of just bouncing back faster.”
Allar will look for another solid opener when No. 8 Penn State travels to West Virginia on Saturday for the first time since 1992.
Allar threw for what would become a season-high 325 yards with three touchdowns in last year’s 38-15 win over the Mountaineers. He finished the season with 25 TD passes and only two interceptions but completed less than half of his pass attempts in five games, including losses to Ohio State and Michigan.
This time he’s 10 pounds lighter and coach James Franklin said he is more mobile, leading to speculation that Allar could regularly run with the ball, and not just in scramble mode.
“He’s always been a really good preparation guy,” Franklin said. “When you keep punching the clock and keep doing the right things, you get better. And you gain confidence. You gain experience. And the game starts to slow down for you.”
Edge rushers
After losing defensive ends Adisa Issac and Chop Robinson to the NFL draft, Penn State moved Abdul Carter from linebacker to edge rusher. He was named to the AP preseason all-America team.
On the other side, Dani Dennis-Sutton, an all-Big Ten third team selection last year, repeated an earlier statement he made on social media that he believes he’ll become the best defensive end in the nation.
“I think everybody should have that type of mindset,” he said.
Running wild
West Virginia’s strength on offense is its run game. The Mountaineers were third in the Bowl Subdivision at 229 rushing yards per game with carries split among quarterback Garrett Greene and running backs Jahiem White and CJ Donaldson. All are back this season.
Big weapon
Tyler Warren is listed at tight end, but those who’ll have to defend Penn State’s 6-foot-6, 261-pound senior would be wise not to label him.
Warren enters the season as Penn State’s leading returning receiver and will plug in almost anywhere in new coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s offense. With 13 career touchdowns, he’ll be a familiar target for Allar as the Nittany Lions begin with just two true wideouts who’ve started for the team.
A former star high school quarterback, Warren also will help pave the way for running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Warren might get a carry or two of his own and could even throw a pass if needed.
Franklin said tight ends like Tyler who can run-block and be a threat at wide receiver are rare nationally and can “cause a lot of headaches” for defenses.
An early contribution?
West Virginia wide receiver DayDay Farmer earned high accolades from coach Neal Brown, who says the freshman “is elite with the ball in his hands, so we’ve got to figure out ways how to use him.“
Whether that means getting on the field against the Nittany Lions remains to be seen.
Getting physical
West Virginia focused on a physical preseason camp last year in preparation for Penn State. Although it didn’t translate to a win, Brown is taking that approach again while emphasizing proper techniques and hand placement with his linemen.
“In football, these are legal weapons, your hands,” Brown said. “And you better be able to strike with them.”
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AP freelance writer Travis Johnson contributed to this report.
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