Penn State’s season is just over two weeks away and that means the smell of hot dogs, RV exhaust and sunscreen are not far around the corner. There are plenty of things to look forward to each and every season, but here are at least 10 to consider heading into a 7:30 kick on Sept. 2 against West Virginia.
Something New at QB: Sean Clifford managed to get in the last laugh with a fantastic Rose Bowl performance but his career reached a point when fans were ready for whoever was next at the position even as Clifford navigated through two different 10+ win seasons. No matter how you unpack Clifford’s legacy it’s safe to say that everyone – Clifford included – is excited to see the start of the Drew Allar era – even if Allar has yet to be named the starter as of Friday morning. New quarterbacks open new doors of optimism and excitement, time will tell if Allar can walk through those doors.
T-Formation: Hell yea, Penn State’s answer to short yardage situation was to bring out one of the oldest formations in the book and then proceed to be very good at it. It’s not quite the Philadelphia Eagles and the QB sneak but Penn State has brought a fun wrinkle back to the game. Here is to more fun stuff out of the T.
Nick Singleton/Kaytron Allen: The Fatman and Gatorade combo, Allen and Singleton might be the best 1-2 punch in college football. Allen was the better of the two backs for no small part of last season and Singleton still managed to put up impressive numbers to outpace Saquon Barkley’s freshmen efforts. A home run threat on every play, Singleton will look to be a household name while Allen will look to put bruises on would-be tacklers. This group will have to rely on a potentially very good offensive line, but should get the job done either way. It’ll be fun to watch.
Kalen King/Abdul Carter: These two are among the best in the nation at their respective positions [Corner and linebacker] and both have All-American aspirations. If Singleton gives Penn State something of a Barkley on offense, then Carter gives Penn State a Micah Parsons on defense. For his part King could turn out to be even better than now former teammate Joey Porter Jr which is a scary prospect. Some players are good but not overly exciting to watch, both Carter and King could make for must-watch TV when Penn State doesn’t have the ball.
Year Two Under Diaz: For as good as Penn State’s defense was last year under defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, understanding and familiarity in both directions should only mean good things for the quality of this group in Year 2. It’s hard to imagine this unit being much better than it was in 2022 but that’s not out of the question. Penn State will have to score points to win big games, but this defense ought to give the Nittany Lion offense plenty of support with some younger faces in big roles on the offensive side of the ball.
One Last Bit Of Normal: While the Big Ten came out on the right side of the latest round of conference expansion, there’s little question that the conference will never be the same. A new schedule will be released at some point in the future but prior to the additions of Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten, Penn State wasn’t slated to face Michigan in 2024. The Nittany Lions have never played the Wolverines on an annual basis but the expansion of the Big Ten does mean some meetings will happen less often than before. That’s not the end of the world but it does mean 2023 marks basically the last time the Big Ten will look anything like the traditional Big Ten as fans have come to know it.
Fourth Downs: If Penn State can’t figure out a reliable punting situation that might result in even more fourth-down attempts. In 2022 the Nittany Lions went for it on fourth down 30 times, the 26th most in the nation – only three times went for it over 39 times. Penn State will still have to punt and kick field goals if it wants to win big games, but if that situation doesn’t shake out in a positive light then it might be time to roll a different set of risky dice. That’s not the worst thing in the world if you like some aggressive play calling.
Breakouts: Tony Rojas, Omari Evan, Trey Wallace the list goes on and on, but nothing is more fun than figuring out who is going to go from a depth player to a guy impacting the entire course of the season and the future of the program. Sometimes it’s obvious like freshman linebacker Tony Rojas turning heads in camp or other times it’s a quiet guy like Jahan Dotson turning into one of the best receivers in America. The key here is who can do it all season long? Anyone can have a good game or two, but who can breakout for good?
Actual Animosity: At the end of the day Penn State doesn’t have much in the way or real rivalry hatred for Ohio State or Michigan. There is a lot of mutual respect to go around and not a ton in the way of real animosity between the programs saves a thrown PB&J sandwich in Michigan’s tunnel. All of that being said the Iowa game in 2021 and the perception that Penn State players were faking injuries sparked an unusually pointed war of words between James Franklin and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz who are now No. 2 and No. 1 respectively in Big Ten coaching tenures. It’s hard to know what kind of game to expect out of these two highly defensive teams, but the chance to have some actual fist-shaking and cross-field glaring will be fun in what should be a Top 25 matchup.
New Voices: Beaver Stadium will have two new voices this season after a changing of the guard. Nobody really gets excited about the voice of someone reading a health insurance commercial during timeouts, but it will mark a new chapter in the general vibe of Beaver Stadium on Saturdays. That’s interesting if nothing else.
