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The many sides of Drew Allar were on display in Beaver Stadium once again on a crazy Saturday White Out night.

For three quarters, there was Frustrating Drew, the one we’ve seen in too many big games to count, holding the ball too long, missing open receivers and, though certainly not the only issue in an offense that looked like it couldn’t advance the ball on a decent high school team, not doing much of anything to elevate it out of that rut, either.

Then, for the briefest of moments—four plays to be exact—we saw Franchise Drew, the guy whose performance matched his stratospheric potential. A perfect strike to his tight end, Luke Reynolds, for 9 yards. Then, after a long run by Kaytron Allen, another strike, to Trebor Pena, for 12 more. And finally a gorgeous rainbow over the entire Oregon defense to Devonte Ross for Penn State’s first touchdown. You remembered why this kid will likely hear his name called on the first day of next spring’s draft, and while most of you was celebrating, the rest of you got mad all over again wondering where this version has been for the last four years.

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Every so often, there comes a crucial inflection point so fraught with meaning and pregnant with possibility, mere contemplation of its monumental consequence can bring the beholder to the brink of insanity. Such is the state of affairs for much of Penn State’s fan base leading up to the third-ranked Nittany Lions’ clash with Oregon under the lights at the White Out. With so much on the line, and every criticism of coach and quarterback in the biggest games ringing in their ears, Chris and Kevin air their hopes, fears, and frustrations about one game that could very well shatter or cement every narrative that has dogged this program for a decade, sorting through the jangled nerves, rankled senses, and shattered confidence brought on by a decade of perpetual failures in moment of truth. All the while, Brandon and Mailman marvel at grotesque spectacle of their tortured thinking.

If you need to share in the self-administered coping mechanisms to soothe your mania and hasten the long hours until game day (and GameDay), then join us and ease your troubled heart and mind. However, if you count yourself among the rational and well-adjusted, why then you can just kick back and join Mike the Mailman and Noble in their bemusement at the curious madness of Horne and Buchignani.

Either way, we can think of worse ways to count down the minutes to what promises to be among the most consequential evenings in Beaver Stadium history.

HOSTED BY: Brandon Noble, Mike “The Mailman” Herr, Kevin Horne, Chris Buchignani

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Tre Wallace has averaged 86 yards through his first four games as a receiver for Ole Miss. He averaged 31 yards in 39 games as a Nittany Lion. Beau Pribula has thrown for 962 yards through his first four games at Missouri, which is 538 more yards than he logged through 24 games as a part-time Penn State quarterback.

Both of these former Lions are statistically out-pacing their current Penn State counterparts, which begs the question as the Lions prepare for one of their biggest regular-season games in years: Is there a fundamental flaw in Penn State’s offensive system?

To answer this question, which has been brought up more often than you would expect for a team ranked No. 2 and averaging a solid if not eye-popping 437 yards of offense per game, we must consider parts and wholes. The best football teams at any level of the game typically have better parts, on average, than their competitors, but the truly special teams can maximize the individual talents by getting them to blend into a synchronized, consistent whole.

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There’s a shortage of folks who can seamlessly code switch between profane tirades over football minutiae and waxing poetic about the magic of the Nittany Valley, and the cast of this progrum oversamples that population to an absurd degree. With Noble again sleeping off old age this week, Mailman, Horne, and Buchignani are left to fill another hour-ish of nominally Penn State football-related #content, so kick back, relax, and enjoy the start to Penn State’s bye week with the mix tape of eulogizing a Happy Valley icon, deep reflection on what it means to be a Penn Stater, and bitching about the insanity of the AP Poll that you didn’t know you needed.

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