How does Penn State finally beat Ohio State and Michigan?

David Hale, ESPN

• Personnel WriterAug 14, 2024, 07:00 AM ET Close College football reporter.Joined ESPN in 2012.
• Graduate of the University of Delaware.STATE COLLEGE, Pa.– Andy Kotelnicki walks into the Penn State meeting room with his thumb and forefinger pinched a quarter-inch apart, and by now, everyone gets it. “The difference, “Kotelnicki says.Just this much– an eyelash

  , a triviality, a snap during practice, an associate on the weight bench, 3 additional minutes in the film space. That’s the margin between Penn State, the perennial top-10 group knocking on the door of the College Football Playoff, and Penn State, national champs.It’s the refrain that has actually been duplicated again and again this offseason, as Penn State accepts a new offending viewpoint in the very first season of an expanded playoff in hopes that this year may lastly be the year it all comes together.It’s a quarter-inch. It’s a mile. Either way, the greatest question towering above

  this Penn State season, Kotelnicki’s very first as Penn State’s offensive planner, is whether he can help Drew Allar and the Nittany Lions bridge that gap.”That’s a question I ask myself every day,”Kotelnicki said.” I do not understand. I wish that I could state that so confidently, but the truth is football programs and winning games, it’s so hard, and whatever has to be done right. But do I believe we’re doing things the proper way? I know we are. And I want to be part of that change.” Editor’s Picks 2 Associated No place are those little spaces between great and fantastic more apparent than at quarterback. In a particular light, Allar appeared like an emerging star–” elite

  , “as head

  coach James Franklin informed the Centre Daily Times this summer– and in another light, the extreme glare of playing on the most significant stages last season, he looked pedestrian, overwhelmed.Was in 2015 bad? That’s a complicated question to answer, particularly for Allar.In his very first season as Penn State’s beginning QB, he threw 25 goal passes, ran for four more and threw simply two choices. The list of QBs with 25 passing

  goals and two or less interceptions is short: Allar in 2023 and Hendon Hooker, well on his way to a Heisman Prize in 2022 before an injury ended his season that November.This is the data Franklin likes to draw on when pushed about his QB’s 2023 project.” He did some remarkable things, specifically as a first-year starter, “Franklin stated.”However there’s obviously a couple of games on our schedule every year we’ll eventually be evaluated by, and those are the games we’ve

  got to play our finest.”Those games– last season and seemingly every season– are against Ohio State and

  Michigan. In 2023, Penn State went into the fourth quarter against the Buckeyes routing 10-6 but lost 20-12. In 2023, Penn State went into the fourth quarter versus Michigan trailing by a goal however lost 24-15. Allar’s numbers in those two games: 43 %conclusions, 4 yards-per-pass, one conclusion of more than 20 yards.It was an echo of the bigger narrative surrounding Franklin and the Nittany Lions. In Franklin’s period, Penn State is 4-16 versus Michigan and Ohio State, averaging just 21 points per game. Against everyone else, the Nittany Lions are 79-18, balancing

  34 points.The QB1 task is a legacy position at Penn State. Just seven players have actually started a game over the past 14 years, dating to the Joe Paterno

  age, and the blueprint has actually been consistent. Before taking control of the QB1 job last season, Allar invested a year finding out under Sean Clifford, a four-year starter. Clifford invested a year learning under Trace McSorley, a three-year starter.

  McSorley spent a year finding out under Christian Hackenberg, a three-year starter.And yet, it’s like a lot about Penn State– a decade-and-a-half of good quarterbacks who’ve been nearly entirely defined by falling just short of something more.So possibly 2023 was just an extension of a trend that has actually been pushing in the very same instructions for a very long time. Or, possibly, 2023 was a window into what, precisely, is the distinction between Penn State and the Big Ten’s elite.

  “A lot of programs would want to be where we’re at, “Allar stated.”We’re attempting to capture the leading 5%of programs today. We’re in the leading 10%in terms of skill and coaching personnel and total production. We need to just get over that hump.” Andy Kotelnicki has actually developed a”collaboration”with Drew Allar to assist empower his QB. Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports THERE HAS BEEN an ubiquitous buzzword around Penn State this offseason: Explosiveness.It’s so omnipresent that when Kotelnicki was asked how frequently it turned up during his interview process, he laughed. “Obviously, that’s an actually important metric,” he said.” However the real procedure … there was a lot more about dynamics, staff, relationship with players. “Kotelnicki has actually known Franklin for many years. Franklin remembered of Kotelnicki’s offense when Penn State played Buffalo, where Kotelnicki called plays in 2015. That offseason, Kotelnicki and Buffalo head coach Lance Leipold were scheduled to speak at the Pennsylvania State Football Coaches Association center, and it so

  occurred they ran into Franklin in the lobby of their hotel.They talked for about a half-hour before Franklin proffered an invitation to go to Penn State’s facility. The next day, Leipold and Kotelnicki appeared for the tour with Franklin and among his assistants. The foursome strolled the building for 2 1/2 hours, just talking ball, before Kotelnicki excused himself. He was still scheduled to speak at the convention. “And I arrived and go to speak,”Kotelnicki said, “and [Franklin] appears with his whole offending personnel. And he’s simply asking concerns again and once again.

  “Seven years later on, Kotelnicki was calling plays for Leipold at Kansas, where the set had actually turned one of the worst programs in the country into a scoring device. Franklin was looking for a few of that same magic.Kotelnicki wasn’t right away swayed by the job. He might’ve made about the very same cash at Kansas, he stated–“it wasn’t like ‘The Godfather,’ that I just couldn’t decline “– however he thought back on

  that very first conference with Franklin and thought there was a positioning in their visions for the future.Now Kotelnicki gushes over all the things that tempted him to Happy Valley from his relationship with the

  rest of the personnel to the method to player advancement to the capacity for winning champions that is hardwired into Penn State’s DNA.But there’s still that a person word that keeps turning up. “Andy runs among the most explosive offenses in college football so that was a big part of it,” Franklin stated.”A great deal of the things we felt like we were lacking over the last couple years, we felt those were strengths for Andy. I think it’s an actually great chance for Andy and for Drew and for Penn State.”This was not an area where he required film cutups or deep analysis to describe the distinction between Penn State and its greatest foes. The absence of explosiveness was obvious to anybody who viewed the Nittany Lions last year.While Kotelnicki’s previous offense at Kansas ranked amongst the most explosive systems in the nation, Penn State’s occupied the opposite end

  of the analytical hierarchy.The Nittany Lions ‘offense balanced an explosive play for every 8.2 dropbacks, 102nd nationally, half what Kansas did.Allar balanced 6.96 yards-per-attempt in 2023, great for 123rd nationally, while Kansas ‘QBs balanced much better than 10. Just 8 %of Allar’s tosses were for 20 air backyards or more. Only Clemson QBs had a lower rate. Kansas, on the other hand, tossed deep nearly three times as frequently.”It was aggravating,”said tailback Nick Singleton, who saw his rushing lawns dip from 1,061 as a freshman in 2022 to just 752 last season.”The season we had, it was a learning experience for me. Everyone throughout the whole season was keyed on the running backs, stacking package.”If that was the overarching story,

  the information of Penn State’s losses to both Ohio State and Michigan were all the more galling.In those two games, Penn State had simply 4

  dynamite plays through the air combined– and three were the result of long runs after the catch. Two of the 3 explosive pass bets Ohio State came with the Nittany Lions down 14 with less than 2 minutes to play. The lone explosive pass versus Michigan came just seven minutes into the very first quarter.On 3rd -and fourth-down plays in those 2 games, Penn State tossed beyond the sticks on simply 14 of 25 passes, and Allar finished just three of those balls.That Ohio State and Michigan regularly flustered Allar in the backfield or that receivers often weren’t open downfield played into the concerns, however the big takeaway was easy: Penn State refused to take big shots. “Drew’s got to press the ball down the field a couple of more times, however we likewise need to make a couple of more plays for him,”Franklin stated.”He has plenty of arm strength. That’s not a problem. It’s a combination of aspects.” And yet, the criticism features an asterisk due to the fact that the outcomes were mainly excellent. The 2023 offense was like a stock portfolio loaded with blue chips. It was designed to produce constant returns that, over the long run, would guarantee a comfortable retirement. It was the safe play, and as an outcome, simply four of Allar’s 497 dropbacks or runs ended with a turnover.But danger and reward are so carefully correlated that it was hard to disregard the lack of advantage in this technique, and versus groups like Ohio State and Michigan, the Nittany Lions plainly needed a bit more”get rich fast”and a little less “persevere.”But when Franklin provided the task to Kotelnicki last November, it was clear what the job required.” He said those are the sort of programs we need to beat, “Kotelnicki said,” and truthfully, it was refreshing to hear that. “Kotelnicki took it as a mission statement, and he has actually developed every part of building out his offense at Penn State around winning the big ones. “You’re keeping that big-picture view of, this is why we’re running these type of plays,”he stated.” You’re running them because they’re going to be great versus those teams. To take the next step, this is what it appears like.” Drew Allar tossed only 2 interceptions in 2015. Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire ALLAR WAS WATCHING film the very first time he met his new offending coordinator.This was simply days after bowl matchups were announced, and Allar was critiquing Ole Miss, who the Nittany Lions would fulfill in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Kotelnicki had actually been impressed with Allar when they ‘d spoken on the phone–“a real, authentic man”– but the very first in-person meeting was more of a whirlwind. Kotelnicki was exploring Penn State’s facility, his better half and 2 kids in tow, shaking hands and exchanging hellos, and he only vaguely remembers that preliminary FaceTime with his brand-new quarterback.For Allar, however, it was a revelation.Kotelnicki offered Allar a brief rundown of what he ‘d seen on film from the 2023 season, and he asked Allar what he liked or didn’t like from the strategy. It felt comfortable– an immediate connection, Allar said.”It was such a smooth shift, “Allar said.In 2023, it was hard to find a through line on offense. According to multiple sources close to last year’s group, the offensive struggles frequently resulted in a sense of desperation, and that translated into a philosophy that proved to be a moving target depending on the next challenger. “We were type of all over in 2015, not understanding what we wanted to do and who we could lean on, “tailback Kaytron Allen said.Allar called it”aggravating,”but stated he might notice a shift from their first discussion outside the movie space with his brand-new OC.If Allar was smitten immediately with his brand-new OC, Kotelnicki, too, found an attracting project in his brand-new QB1. In just a few minutes of discussion, he was offered that Allar, more than anything, wished to get better. He wished to be great.That’s what this offseason has actually been about.”You can speak about advancement all you want, about finding out behind someone,”

  Allar stated, “however experience for me is the most significant thing. You acquire more perspective on the important things you require to be on top of, communication with the coaching staff, if you like or don’t like things and being open and honest with them.”This was, undoubtedly, an issue

  last season. Allar mores than happy to take his share of the blame. He did what was asked of him, and for the most part, he kept his mouth shut.That was a mistake.”It was me just not being vocal enough, “he said.”[ QB coach] Danny [O’Brien] made it clear, if he loves something but I do not like it, tell him. It will not harm his feelings.’We need you to enjoy all 65 or 75 plays we bring into each game.’Being open and honest, it’s not injuring anybody’s feelings if I do not like a play. “And now, it’s”a partnership, “Kotelnicki stated.

  It’s an offense with a structured approach and an objective to empower its QB. Kotelnicki typically describes” the octagon”– the 8 standard plays that Penn State will run in every game but will run with different motions and sets and personnel groupings developed to streamline Allar’s job and complicate the defense’s.

  “The energy within that offense, his game plan– I’ve liked it,”stated safety Kevin Winston Jr. “He’s shown us numerous appearances I have actually never ever seen my whole time playing. It’s crazy to see that.” Kaytron Allen states the Nittany Lions will be able

  to make a various statement this season. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports ALLEN IS A follower in visualization. To attain an objective, he requires to see it in his mind initially, picture each little detail.

  He has actually felt the weight of a conference trophy in his hands. He has actually wiped the confetti from his hair. It’s so close. “I can physically feel myself in that minute, “he stated. “I understand it’s going to be insane, winning the Huge 10, winning a championship game. It can get done.”This is where Penn State is now. The margin between what’s on the field today and

  the feel of that trophy in Allen’s hands– that’s the distinction Kotelnicki keeps talking about.It’s an easy sell, however it also speaks to the fragile nature of Penn State’s perch near– however not at– the top of college football. The Nittany Lions win all the games they’re expected to win, but to raise that bar means taking some risks.It could be a boon. Or it could undermine all that’s gotten Penn State to the brink of a title, sending a program tumbling backward. “We remain in a place that has truly high expectations and requirements, “Franklin said.”

  We accept those. If you win 10 or 11 games on a constant basis, individuals are pissed. There’s few locations that are like that, however we embrace it. Being able to play in those moments and those games is something we look forward to. “Nobody at Penn State wishes to define success only in terms of Ohio State and Michigan, but they all understand the refrain, too.

The program has actually invested much of the previous 20 years living on the doorstep of a title, however the Big 10’s power couple has kept the Nittany Lions at bay. “It’s absolutely discouraging not beating those 2 groups due to the fact that it constantly boils down to them 2,” Allen said.”But this year, I seem like it’s going to be a different declaration.”This year, Michigan doesn’t appear on Penn State’s schedule for the first time because 2012, though if the Nittany Lions get their dream, they might face off in a potential Big Ten championship. Instead, the schedule includes newbies UCLA, USC and Washington– all teams likely to challenge Penn State’s capability to move the football in portions and score points in droves.Penn State has moved its investments into a portfolio with much more development capacity.

That’s amazing. It threatens, too. This isn’t a strategy without risks.But the Nittany Lions have actually lived on the brink of a championship long enough. It’s time to take threats, to cross that chasm between what’s been good enough and what’s required to win all of it, and see what awaits on the other side.Kotelnicki isn’t trying to bridge that space alone. He’s just trying to show his guys the blueprint for how to build their own bridge.” We’re arriving, “Allar stated.” We simply require to do more than we ever have before to get where we wish to go. I don’t have any doubt in my mind we’ll put the work in to get there.”