Sunday Column: No QB1? No problem. Battered and Bruised, Penn State Keeps Finding a Way
Sponsor: FTB’s 2024 Penn State football coverage is sponsored by the Sports Medicine specialists at Concierge Medical Associates. Schedule an in-person or remote consultation at: conciergemedical.ai
The scene in Camp Randall, as halftime approached with Penn State trailing Wisconsin by three, went from “Oh, well” to “Oh, (choose your own four-letter expletive)” in a matter of seconds.
The Nittany Lions had been riding that edge they’d been riding for most of the USC game, where they weren’t quite sharp but they weren’t in serious danger, a Ferrari with a sticky second gear. The second half, where the team had done most of its damage this year, awaited.
And then Drew Allar limped off the field.
You could start to see the rest of the dominoes falling—a frustrating loss to an overmatched team. Another promising season slipping into a tailspin. Ta’Quan Roberson flashbacks. Et cetera.
Except the second domino never fell. One half later, the 6-0 Nittany Lions were 7-0. And the gutsy performance by the backup quarterback was only one of the reasons why.
Penn State’s 28-13 triumph, its second impressive road win in the last three weeks, was a study in resilience and persistence and the value of good coaching. Once again, a Tom Allen-led defense was absolutely fantastic in the second half, holding the Badgers to 122 yards and three points and turning the game around with Jaylen Reed’s pick six.
The offense, though, was just as good after halftime (we won’t talk about the special teams), and that was without its stud quarterback, who had been playing brilliant football until tweaking his left knee on a sack on Penn State’s final second-quarter drive. The Nittany Lions rallied around Beau Pribula and he returned the favor, making some clutch throws, picking up some key yards with his feet, and doing enough to let Tyler Warren and Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen carry the day. Andy Kotelnicki turned in another master class. When both of your coordinators are out-foxing their counterparts in the second half, and you have the more talented team, good things are generally going to happen, and Saturday was no exception for the Nittany Lions.
So yes, winning with Allar and Dani Dennis-Sutton and Anthony Donkoh sidelined for long stretches of time was noteworthy by itself, but moreso when you consider that, once again, the Nittany Lions continue to dig themselves out of holes they create for themselves. From Julian Fleming’s record-scratch of a 3rd-down drop on the opening drive to the 12 men on the field penalty that set up the Badgers’ lone touchdown to Vega Ioane’s false start on 4th-and-3 to start the second half, Penn State continued to commit the little mistakes that can wipe out long stretches of quality play, that can turn convincing wins into just-barely wins or, perhaps somewhere down the line, add up to a loss. That they continue to do this means their fans can’t really be comfortable in any game; that they continue to win despite the lack of polish or attention to detail means they’re never going to be out of any game.
So, on to next week, and the game of the season, and more questions than answers. Is Allar going to be healthy enough to play? Is Kotelnicki’s magic enough to carry an offense led by either quarterback (plus Warrencat) to a win? Is Nick Singleton anywhere near 100%? Will the Buckeyes be able to make the Penn State defense pay in the first half before it flips the switch, Lincoln Hawk style, in the second half? If Trump is at the game, will fans be able to get to their seats in time for kickoff?
Are the Buckeyes actually good this year?
I don’t know the answers to any of those. What I do know is that this Penn State team has so far had an answer to every question, whether that’s been in the form of halftime adjustments or gut-check plays or even potentially program-changing injuries. Its ability to cause minor panic in a first half of play, then come out and take control of games after a quick trip to the locker room makes it a fascinating watch each week, and the fact that it’s led by a quarterback in a tight end’s body and a linebacker playing defensive end and an offensive playcaller who continues to draw up one or two plays per week when it looks like the offense is playing 11 on 10 adds plenty of intrigue, too. They don’t make it easy. But they’re 7-0, and a talented team that finds different ways to win is arguably just as dangerous as a talented team that only wins one or two ways—if not moreso.
One play in particular neatly summed up both the night and the Lions’ season to date. After Warren was held short of the end zone on two tries from inside the Badgers’ 3-yard line, Pribula dropped back to pass on 3rd-and-1. Nothing was there, nothing was there, until … Khalil Dinkins cleared the defense on a crossing route, and was wide open to receive an easy toss from the quarterback. It had been there all along.
We just needed to wait for it.
Leave a Comment