Penn State labeled the most complete Big Ten team by Anthony Herron

Penn State has looked infallible early this season. Further, the talent hasn’t been limited to one position. On Thursday, Big Ten Network commentator Anthony Herron broke down Penn State’s talent in 2023 on the “Andy Staples On3” show.

“Because Drew Allar has been so spotless early on here, it’s tough to presume that we’ll see that level of execution week in and week out because this is his first season as a starting quarterback,” Herron told Staples. “That being said, I think it’s hard to deny what we’ve seen from Penn State.

“They’re playing like the most complete team in the Big Ten through the first couple of weeks of the season. And Drew Allar is a huge part of that reason why.”

If the quarterback is the head of the snake, Penn State bears some serious fangs this season. In two games, Allar has tallied 529 passing yards and four touchdowns while committing zero turnovers. Moreover, Allar is connecting on 78.2% of his pass attempts.

Penn State is a multi-faceted threat

While Allar has been excellent, he is just a piece of the puzzle Penn State’s opponents have struggled to crack.

“Up until last season, there have been several years where Penn State was just so ineffective running the football,” Herron said. “Now, you got a couple of seasons in a row here where you have [Olumuyiwa Fashanu], who was maybe the top offensive tackle in the sport and depth and talent along the offensive line, executing at a really high level with multiple talented running backs.”

Penn State’s offensive line has only allowed one sack this season. The group is experienced, with every starter having at least three seasons of collegiate experience. The elite front five know how to open holes, not that the backfield needs much help.

Can’t overlook Illinois

Led by Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, the Nittany Lions are rushing for 230.5 yards per season, the 15th-most nationally. While Penn State has found no shortage of success early, Herron claims fans will have a better gauge of the team’s future after its matchup with Illinois on Saturday.

“Tahveon Nicholson is a very talented defensive back on the back end. He’s had some key penalties,” Herron said. “Johnny Newton and Keith Randolph had the potential to be the best tandem of defensive linemen not only in the Big Ten, maybe in college football, for the way they looked the last couple of seasons and that hasn’t shown up consistently.

“Randolph was really good in the first game. Newton was really good in their second game. If they can combine that, that gives Illinois a recipe for them controlling the run game and getting after Drew Allar to try to stay in this thing.”

If Drew Allar looks anything like his first two appearances this year, he’ll do just fine. Penn State will take on Illinois at noon ET on Saturday. The game will be broadcast on FOX.