Penn State coordinator Tom Allen called the defense from the coaches box Saturday; will he stay there?
STATE COLLEGE — Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen joked with reporters earlier this year that he would feel like a caged animal if forced to call a game from the press box. There were no cages or animals inside of Beaver Stadium on Saturday. But, the first-year member of head coach James Franklin’s staff was indeed upstairs for the first time this season. Whether or not it was a test balloon or something that will remain after Saturday’s 56-0 win over Kent State remains to be seen. But, it’s at least under consideration.
“I thought it went really well,” Lions coach James Franklin said. “I brought it up last week about going up into the box. Tom has been up there a long time as head coach, and I just think some of the things that he’s done as a head coach, he doesn’t need to do here anymore as a defensive coordinator, and he thought about it. Ultimately it was his decision. Didn’t want to do it last week, but wanted to do it this week, and I don’t know if he’ll be up there next week, but, but it’s something to consider. It’s something to consider.”
Whether it was the change or the opponent, the Penn State defense shined
Penn State allowed just 67 yards of total offense. Its one of the fewest number of yards given up in Nittany Lion history. The Golden Flashes lost their starting quarterback on their first drive and then lost the backup a short while later. So, that and a massive skill differential obviously played a huge role in the final outcome. But, despite all of that, Allen’s unit was sound when the regulars were in and also when the backups were in. The only blemish on the day was not forcing a turnover. And, if that’s the only thing to complain about, then it was a pretty good day.
As for Allen’s future game day positioning, Franklin said he would get into that more at next Monday’s news conference. If it played a role in solving the communication issues that plagued the Lions against Bowling Green, it’s likely, but not guaranteed, to stick moving forward.
“I’m a big believer that as a play caller, the best place to call the game, just truly call the game, is upstairs,” Franklin said. “If you’re having to manage emotions and leadership on the sideline; we got a ton of really good coaches. So, in terms of just calling the game, I think it’s the best place to do it.
“There’s some other things that I’ll get into maybe later on [Monday] with you guys. But, I thought it was really good. And then we’ll have some discussions this week and see if it makes sense for our next game.”
Penn State returns to action next Saturday in a primetime matchup with Illinois at Beaver Stadium.
