Drew Allar brought the energy at West Virginia. There were arguments with officials, a stiff arm that led to a celebration in the face of the victim and a high intensity that translated to production throughout Penn State’s 34-12 season-opening victory. James Franklin said on Monday that he didn’t know Allar’s demonstrative side was coming, but he sure was glad it happened.
It’s a motor that should come from a third-year veteran, especially as Allar works within the system of new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, which Franklin said has generated a “ton of excitement” before and after Saturday’s blowout. Allar appears to be breaking out of his once-subtle demeanor and is showing signs of maturity.
“He shouldn’t look the same. He shouldn’t behave the same. There should be growth. There should be more confidence. There should be more swagger, because he’s earned that right,” Franklin said. “You know, confidence is something you earn. It’s not something that you give. It’s something you’ve earned. He’s worked really hard, and you see it in his play.”
Here are more updates on the Nittany Lions following Franklin’s weekly press conference. His team will look to win its second game of the year when it hosts Bowling Green on Saturday.
Stats ‘will come’ for Julian Fleming
It was Harrison Wallace III who defined himself as Allar’s leading target against the Mountaineers with a career-high 117 receiving yards and two touchdowns. But there was another receiver — Ohio State transfer Julian Fleming — who played just as many snaps as Wallace and failed to show up on the stat sheet.
Fleming saw the field for 35 snaps, but wasn’t targeted once. His impact, although not in the receiving game, is, however, not to be overlooked. Fleming, who was once one of the most efficient blocking receivers with the Buckeyes, recorded 20 run blocks on Saturday. It’s only a matter of time, Franklin said, before Fleming’s utilized more as a receiving threat.
“There’s a couple times where we tried to get the ball to him, but again, based on coverage, it just didn’t play out that way,” Franklin said. “We definitely want to get him more involved in the game, early in the game. But I think the most important thing is the things that he could control, he controlled. … Obviously, you’d love stats to go with it. Those who will come, we’re confident in that.”
Does the place kicking competition continue?
Franklin wanted to give kicker Sander Sahaydak the opportunity to “start on the right foot” with a 47-yard field-goal attempt at West Virginia. Sahaydak missed, as he did in two attempts last season against the Mountaineers. He never attempted another in 2023. Franklin appears to still believe in Sahaydak, but it’s not likely his starting spot is nailed down after a close preseason competition with Tulsa transfer Chase Meyer and walk-on Ryan Barker.
“We got a ton of confidence in him based on what he did all training camp and what he did all spring ball, and I know he’ll make the next one,” Franklin said.
Abdul Carter ‘accountable’ for penalties in DE debut
Abdul Carter’s first game at defensive end was, more or less, underwhelming. He hardly showed up in the backfield, tallied just one tackle and was called for three penalties — one was a late hit, two were offsides. Nonetheless, Franklin said he thought Carter played “really well” and was “disruptive.”
Carter’s talent is known. He was the team’s lone preseason All-American. Time will ultimately determine whether Carter can take more yards away from his opponents instead of handing them out for free.
“We were able to have some conversations yesterday about the penalties and just the way he approached it, his maturity, his ability to take some constructive criticism and be accountable for it was really, really impressive,” Franklin said. “So, I’m proud of him. I think he’s going to have a big year for us and I think he set himself up for really bright things in his future, as well.”
A clear favorite has emerged at right tackle
The right tackle position had one of the Nittany Lions’ most-talked competitions entering the season. It looks as though Anthony Donkoh will continue to hold down this spot after taking 51 reps at West Virginia. But despite Donkoh’s majority usage in the season opener, Franklin said he’d still like to play Wisconsin transfer Nolan Rucci “more” moving forward.
“We’re really high on Anthony. He’s such a conscientious young man. He’s extremely intelligent, both from a football IQ standpoint, but also in the classroom,” Franklin said. “And he’s very, very athletic. … you can’t have enough guys that are 6-foot-5 plus and 330 pounds and can move like him. And again, the consistency and the intelligence that he has. So, I mean, he’s another guy that I think is just going to get better and better as the year goes on.”
Is Kaden Saunders fully healthy?
Franklin is “hoping” that Kaden Saunders will be back at wide receiver on Saturday after an injury constricted him to solely punt-return duties against the Mountaineers. Saunders, who has dealt with recent “bumps and bruises,” was a game-time decision this past weekend. He was given the green light to play because West Virginia is more of a “hang-time” punting team, meaning Saunders was likely to receive more fair-catch opportunities.
