Penn State's emerging offense has its sights set on Wisconsin's top-10 secondary

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar and tight end Tyler Warren were enjoying their career games the last time they set foot on a football field.

Junior gunslinger Allar completed 30 of 43 passes for 391 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in Penn State's 33-30 overtime win over USC two weeks ago. His completions, attempts, yards and interceptions were all career highs.

Having three turnovers doesn't sound like a career game, but it was Allar's reaction to the interceptions that stood out.

“Keep shooting no matter what,” Allar said. “Some things aren't going to go the way you want them to, but it's just a matter of how you recover and I think as an overall offense we did a great job of getting back on our feet in the second half. “

After 30 minutes in Los Angeles, the Blue and White trailed 20-6 and their former five-star quarterback was 12-for-18 with 124 yards and an interception.

It was a scene all too familiar to Penn State fans. James Franklin's team once again seemed unprepared in a big game, Allar and the offense were stifled, and another 10-2 season outside the College Football Playoff bubble was in sight. Nothing has changed. They were the same old Nittany Lions.

Then suddenly everything changed.

On the first drive of the second half, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki played a one-two pass to Warren. Warren hit the ball to backup quarterback Beau Pribula, who swung a pass down the sideline for Allar and passed it to Warren in the end zone to cut the deficit to 20-13.

“We were positive and there was no negativity in the locker room,” Warren said. “We knew how crucial that drive was…Being able to set that tone motivated the entire team.”

Warren finished the game with a record-tying 17 receptions for 224 yards and a touchdown. His 17 catches set an FBS record and broke the Penn State record for most receptions in a game. His 224 yards broke the Big Ten record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a game.

Penn State tied the game on its next possession with a Kaytron Allen touchdown. The Trojans reclaimed the lead and with 5:56 to play, the Nittany Lions needed a touchdown to stay alive. Allar and the offense did just that.

Allar and Ohio State transfer Julian Fleming connected on two fourth-down conversions to keep the game alive, and Allar found Nicholas Singleton out of the backfield for the game-winning touchdown.

“The touchdown to Singleton was a play early in the game where he had thrown an interception,” Kotelnicki said. “So for him to come back and for us to go back to him, I think shows our belief in him and our ability to continue, grow, develop and execute when it was called again at the end of the game.”

Safety Jaylen Reed grabbed USC quarterback Miller Moss with less than a minute left in regulation to force overtime. The Trojans missed the go-ahead field goal in the extra frame, and former walk-on kicker Ryan Barker scored the game-winning goal for the overtime win.

It's been nearly two weeks since that exciting finish at the Coliseum, and Penn State has spent the bye week preparing for another road challenge: the Wisconsin Badgers.

It's been a season of ups and downs for Wisconsin. After a 2-0 start, the Badgers lost starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to a season-ending knee injury in their 42-10 loss to Alabama. A week later, Braedyn Locke transferred to Miami and Wisconsin fell to USC 38-21.

Since then, however, Locke and the Badgers have rattled off three straight wins against Big Ten opponents, outscoring all three opponents by a combined 117-16.

“I think they played their best football the last three weeks,” Franklin said in his press conference Monday. “They’re really getting into the swing of things. I just watch them on tape, how clean they play, how hard they play. It’s impressive to see.”

Perhaps the most impressive part of the winning streak was the defense. The Badgers allowed 232 yards per game and forced four turnovers during the three-game winning streak.

This season, Wisconsin's defense boasts the 18th-best scoring defense, allowing 295.7 total yards (14th) and 155.9 passing yards per game (seventh).

The seventh-ranked pass defense is led by safety Hunter Wohler, the Badgers' leading tackler a season ago, and cornerback Ricardo Hallman, the nation's interceptions leader in 2023.

“They are the defensive backs of the Big Ten. They’re good at what they do,” Fleming said. “They’re physical, they’re ballplayers. So we definitely have to give it our all this weekend.”

The biggest threat to the Badgers’ secondary is Warren. The Nittany Lions have used Warren at tight end, wide receiver, quarterback, fullback and center. Of the senior's six total touchdowns, he has four receiving, one rushing and one passing touchdowns.

“[Warren] “He’s a very special player, a very special teammate, and having a guy like that on our team that we can rely on no matter what happens is super good for us,” Allar said. “We know we can rely on him. and obviously he’s one of the best playmakers we have on our team.”

Although Allar and Warren had the upper hand against the Trojans, the Badgers' defense will likely disrupt that connection. However, if Wisconsin's game involves stopping the pass, Allen and Singleton could be primed for big performances against the Badgers' 62nd-ranked run defense.

Penn State's offensive identity has been fluid this season as Franklin has tailored the offensive game plan to how opposing defenses play.

USC stopped the run, holding Singleton and Allen to a season-low 82 combined rushing yards, but this presented an opportunity for Allar and Warren to take the lead.

Against No. 19 Illinois nearly a month ago, it was the opposite. The Fighting Illini's strong secondary slowed Penn State's passing attack, holding Allar to 135 yards and no touchdowns, but Allen and Singleton combined for 196 yards and two touchdowns.

“We have to do everything we can to win, and that’s going to be different every week, and that’s going to look different every week,” Franklin said. “What we do offensively and what the game plan is is influenced by how the defense decides the game plan.”

Allar and Warren may have grabbed headlines in Penn State's last game, but will Wisconsin's top-10 secondary disrupt the Nittany Lions' connection and undefeated season? No matter what the Badgers defense presents, Franklin is confident his offense is ready.

“Most teams go into the game with the firm belief that they won’t give up. Whether it will be a double team [Warren] or whether the box is loaded to stop the run,” Franklin said. “If we go out to play Wisconsin and they have nine players in the box, we’re still going to run the ball because that’s what we’re committed to.”

How to watch Penn State vs. Wisconsin:

• When: Saturday, October 26th
• Where: Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin
• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET (Pregame coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. ET)
• Regard: NBC, peacock

About the author

Mitch Corcoran is a senior at Penn State University and has been a contributor to Onward State, the student blog, since his freshman year. At Onward State, Mitch is an associate editor and has covered multiple varsity sports since spring 2024, including participating in football and men's volleyball beats.