Coming into Penn State’s season opener against West Virginia, there were a lot of people out there who were doubting the Nittany Lions and their offense based on what had occurred last year.
From prominent media members to even some in the fanbase, a lot of the reason for skepticism was centered around [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag].
Well, for at least game, he quieted the doubters.
There was always the possibility that he would grow and turn into the five-star type of player he was considered to be coming out of high school, and with new offensive coordinator [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] at the helm, this was his opportunity to prove he can be a high-level quarterback.
Allar was the catalyst for Penn State’s dominant 34-12 victory over West Virginia.
Because of that, he’s our most valuable player from Saturday.
Not only was he efficient, finish the game 11-17 for a 64.7 percent completion percentage, but he also showed his newfound willingness to push the ball down the field by throwing for 216 yards that was filled with multiple explosive plays.
Those are going to be the highlights, and rightfully so considering what was taking place last season, but he did a bunch of little things that made him look like a completely different player than the version from 2023-24.
When the pocket collapsed on him or if there wasn’t a receiver immediately open, Allar didn’t panic. Instead, he moved shifted around his offensive line to buy some more time, or he smartly decided to tuck the ball and run.
He finished with 44 rushing yards on six attempts, some of that coming on pivotal third downs.
Allar looked more mature, confident, and ready to lead this offense, a major component that was missing from his game, and the team as a whole, last season.
Again, how he played on Saturday was always something that was possible, especially when remembering what he did to West Virginia in the opener just last year.
It’s the consistency that was missing for Allar previously, but if this is the new version Penn State is getting at the quarterback position for the entire season, then they will be a College Football Playoff team for the first time, and this won’t be the last time their star quarterback wins the game’s MVP award.