How Drew Allar could change the Penn State offense, according to James Franklin

Last week, Penn State head football coach James Franklin spoke with the media for roughly 25 minutes, discussing various topics. However, the main discussion was about sophomore quarterback Drew Allar. The 6-5 passer is in contention for the team’s starting quarterback job and represents the opportunity for an upgrade, notably with his arm strength. 

We illustrated part of Franklin’s comments earlier this week, showing how arm power can change how a defense defends the field. Today we’ll look at the second half of his comments and give you several examples of how accuracy is the key to unlocking the true potential of the position. 

Penn State Hoping Allar is the Complete Package

In the first half of Franklin’s answer about how Allar’s skills can change the offense, he discussed how talented passers threaten the far flat of the formation. But here, he discusses how accuracy combined with arm strength can create explosive plays. 

“Everybody gets excited about arm strength, but you better have accuracy. But when you do have arm strength and accuracy, it creates opportunities for yards after the catch. Because if I’m running the route on you, and I have separation from you, but the ball comes and doesn’t have a whole lot of pace on it. Now while I’m going to catch the ball, you’re closing the distance, and now it’s a catch/tackle. 

Where, if that ball can get to you fast where you still have separation, it creates an opportunity for run after the catch,” Franklin said. 

While Franklin’s pantomimes in front of the microphone were fun, we can better explain his meaning with visuals. We’ll look at two catches from last season and illustrate the difference between a perfectly accurate pass and one that was just off. 

Inches create miles 

Warning: for those that don’t like nit-picking about plays, this won’t be for you. We will break down a successful third-and-ten conversion against Michigan and explain how it could have been a better play. Football is a game of inches, which is the difference between a good play and a potentially great one. 

Penn State is battling against Michigan during the third quarter and driving to answer a 67-yard run by Wolverines running back Donovan Edwards. Clifford steps up in the pocket and delivers a strike to Michtell Tinsley over the middle of the field for a first down on third-and-eight to extend the drive. 

Ultimately, the team turned the ball over on downs when a fourth-and-six pass to Parker Washington fell incomplete. The team didn’t score on this drive, and Michigan blew the game open the next series with a Blake Corum touchdown run. Let’s look closely at this third-and-eight play. You’ll see that Tinsley has to extend out and jump to catch the pass, breaking his stride. 

The result is that Tinsley catches the ball but loses all momentum and is tackled by the safety. However, if this ball is thrown with the pace and timing that Franklin described above, Tinsley can break that tackle and potentially keep running. We’re not saying it’s likely, but it is a possibility. Consistent accuracy allows the receiver to break tackles and make big plays. It maximizes their abilities. 

Don’t believe me? Here’s how that works 

Now, let’s look at a situation where Clifford was on target. We’ll skip the game against Ohio State to see how Clifford influenced Parker Wasington’s touchdown in the first half. 

This slant was perfection from both players. Clifford delivered the ball perfectly on time and in stride. By doing that, Clifford allowed Washington to get his eyes and shoulders upfield without breaking his stride. That momentum, plus Washington’s strength and contact balance, allowed him to spin out of the tackle and break into the open. If the ball was delivered late or too far in any other direction, Washington is a sitting duck, and this is a nasty collision the other way. 

Penn State hoping to elevate from average

As you can see, even a quarterback without elite tools like Clifford can help create explosive catch-and-run plays. It’s not disrespectful to say that, for the most part, Clifford had an average arm and accuracy for college football. Believe it or not, most quarterbacks don’t meet that threshold. With Clifford at the helm, Penn State’s receiver ranked finished fourth or better in yards after the catch from 2019-2022 (excluding 2020), according to PFF.

YearYACBig Ten Rank20191,5133rd20211,8404th20221,7393rd

Again, the skillset of the receivers catching the ball absolutely matters in this situation. But if Penn State can float near the top of the conference with a reasonably accurate and strong quarterback, imagine what they could be with a player with elite talents.

However, there’s the minor issue of Allar proving he’s that dude first.

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