How Penn State Is Equipping Drew Allar for His First Road Start

James Franklin expects a 'challenging' atmosphere at Illinois. 'We didn't wait until this week to prepare for that.'

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | Penn State heads to Illinois this week to open Big Ten play on the road, for the 13th time in 14 years, after starting the season 2-0 with a pair of comfortable victories. Coach James Franklin held his weekly press conference at Beaver Stadium on Tuesday. Here’s what you might have missed:

Drew Allar's first road start

The Penn State quarterback silenced virtually every question about his abilities as a starter after going a combined 43-for-55 for 529 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in his first two games. He’s also shown some ability to run, gaining 27 yards on a few designed carries against Delaware. Thus, his next test naturally is his first start on the road and against a Big Ten opponent.

Allar already got a taste of the environment last year, appearing in the third quarter of a four-point game against Purdue. He went 2-for-4 for 26 yards in his one drive, including a pretty pass for a potential first down to tight end Tyler Warren that was dropped.

"Like I keep saying with Drew, he's doing all the right things and taking all the necessary steps. We expect it to be a challenging road environment, but we didn't wait until this week to prepare for that," Franklin said. "Whether it's crowd noise or whatever it may be, we've done that all training camp.”

Illinois is planning an "Orange Out" on Saturday, another similarity to the Purdue game that was a "Black Out." Allar saw an "Orange Out" at Auburn last year as well.

"We played on the road a ton last year, and even if I didn't get in the game I was still able to experience what it’s like to be on the road," Allar said. "They have a great fan base and they have a really cool environment at that stadium. And obviously Illinois plays a lot of teams extremely tough, so it’s definitely going to be a challenge for us this week."

Maintaining Fresh Legs

Three offensive linemen were among the double-digit number of true freshmen who played, and performed well, in the Lions' 63-7 drubbing of Delaware. That's a good sign for Penn State's depth but also meant Penn State got a number of key starters some early rest.

Left tackle Olu Fashanu, who missed the final five games of 2022 with an undisclosed injury, played just 32 snaps against Delaware, the fewest of any starting offensive lineman. Sophomore Drew Shelton played 60 snaps after starting during the back half of last season, while true freshman J'ven Williams got 25 snaps. 

"If we can get him out, then we want to get him out," Franklin said of Fashanu. He added that Fashanu is "the best offensive lineman in college football."

Second-year starter, and first-year starting center, Hunter Nourzad, dealing with bumps and bruises, played just 42 snaps Saturday. He was replaced primarily by redshirt junior Nick Dawkins, who’s an intriguing member of the offensive line. Dawkins missed nearly all of last season with injury but was almost voted a captain, Franklin said, despite not being a regular player. He’s the No. 1 backup at center and has also rotated in at guard.

"He's done things the right way since he got on campus. He's one of our more natural charismatic leaders," Franklin said. "He's super smart. He's articulate. I think he's really a team-first guy, so he has kept working and waited for the opportunity to present itself and it has, and he's run with it."

Dual-threat opposing quarterbacks

Penn State struggled occasionally with West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene’s ability to extend plays with his legs in Week 1. Greene took advantage of a heavy man-coverage defense and carried 15 times for 71 yards. Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer could cause similar problems Saturday. The transfer from Ole Miss leads the Fighting Illini in rushing with 139 yards yards and two touchdowns.

"I think we'll be more prepared this week based on going against West Virginia," Franklin said.

Freshman Update

Fifteen true freshmen have played, far more than four Franklin initially green-lit to take the field. The four Franklin named before the season — defensive players King Mack, Zion Tracy, Tony Rojas and Elliot Washington II — have played most significantly and have made impact plays on special teams. However, Franklin hasn't yet adjusted who resides where on the "green, yellow, red" lists. But defensive end Jameial Lyons, currently at "yellow," has played in both games and sparked some intrigue.

"He's obviously shown in practice and in games that he belongs," Franklin said. "Now it's him continuing to learn the package, understanding the defense inside and out, so that maybe he's one of those guys by game five we say, 'Hey, we're going to green light him.’ Or he's a guy we're just going to maximize the four games plus postseason."

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Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59.

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