Sunday Column: Encore of ’94? Not Quite. Not Yet. But This Penn State Team Might Only Be Getting Started
Thirty years ago, one of the greatest offenses in college football completed a legendary comeback as Penn State defeated Illinois.
Three years ago, one of the most forgettable offenses in Nittany Lion history showed its futility again … and again … and again, as Penn State lost to Illinois in nine overtimes, the longest game in college football history.
A group that bore much more resemblance to the 1994 Penn State team that was honored Saturday than the 2021 version needed another fourth-quarter score to put away another scrappy Illinois team, though this one got in its own way more than the Fighting Illini did.
The No. 9 Nittany Lions leaned on their two thoroughbred running backs, a bounce-back defense, and two savvy coordinators who directed those respective units in an uncomfortably comfortable 21-7 win over 19th-ranked Illinois.
Penn State, which had averaged 255 yards on the ground in its first three games, posted 239 on 44 carries against an Illinois defense that had been solid against the run (35th in FBS with 104.2 yards allowed per game coming in). Instead of the occasional home run mixed in with a bunch of groundouts, though, which is what much of the first few games had been for the running game, the Nittany Lions battered the Illini for eight runs of 10 yards or more, staying well ahead of schedule thanks to the tackle-breaking skills of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, an impressive performance from an offensive line that was mostly without injured veteran guard Sal Wormley, and a balanced play-calling performance from Andy Kotelnicki, who blended the power running with just the right amount of passing from Drew Allar and the bull-in-the-china-shop formations that had Tyler Warren taking shotgun snaps. This is an offense that can hurt defenses in multiple ways, and it’s one that might make the Lions’ apparent elephant in the field goal unit not as scary as it probably ought to be.
Meanwhile, the defense once again came wobbling out of the locker room on shaky legs and, just as it had on the opening drive against Bowling Green, offered little resistance as Illinois marched straight down the field to post a quick touchdown after an 11-play, 75-yard drive. And after that? The Nittany Lions allowed only 144 yards on 48 plays over the final 55 minutes, neutering an offense that had been efficient if not terribly dynamic in an impressive win at Nebraska a week earlier. He might not be the king of the first quarter, which may or may not be a problem in the bigger games ahead, but Tom Allen has figured out a way to tilt the figurative field just enough in the second half that his defense is playing downhill for the final two quarters. And don’t look now, but the defensive line is starting to pop—when it stays onside, that is.
The biggest things Penn State has to worry about, besides what the hell it is going to do with Sander Sahaydak, are the little things. The details—the aforementioned offsides penalties, Allar’s box-of-chocolates throwing mechanics when he’s on the move, giving up 30 yards on a 3rd-and-23—are, largely, correctable, and they’ll probably have to be if this team is going to reach its full potential. But the big picture grows more promising each week, not only because this Penn State team has so many ways of beating you, of carving up opponents with the chunk play or a series of medium bites, of succeeding in spite of its mistakes, but because you can tell (Lawrence Fishburne’s Morpheus voice) it’s beginning to believe. Saturday, it bullied a Bret Bielema team that has become known for, if nothing else, its physical style, a style that gave Illinois a win it really had no business getting here three years ago. Allar showcased the decision-making that’s leveled up from last season, and Singleton, Warren and Abdul Carter put some more tasty plays on tape for NFL scouts.
A quick glance up and down the rest of the Big Ten and, more importantly, the rest of Penn State’s schedule shows no truly dominant teams. The current batch of Nittany Lions don’t seem a threat to the 1994 unit. But if they can tighten a few things up, they might be playing the same type of meaningful games late into the season.
If nothing else, they should be able to score touchdowns in overtime.
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