Penn State QB Drew Allar weighs in on a key question: Is Nolan Rucci ready to be the guy at right tackle?

Penn State will have a different starting right tackle for its final game of the regular season and, presumably, all of its College Football Playoff games, assuming it beats Maryland on Saturday. Anthony Donkoh is dealing with a long-term injury. That means backup Nolan Rucci is set to take over. He has played some this year as Donkoh has been in and out of the lineup. But now, instead of sometimes being the guy, he is going to be the full-time guy for however long the season lasts. The Pa., native who started his career at Wisconsin ranks better as a run blocker than as a pass blocker, per PFF. There is a clear drop off between him and Donkoh. But, each week, Rucci has improved, and he will need to continue to do so moving forward.

The good news for Penn State and its fans is that starting quarterback Drew Allar feels good about the progress the lineman has made this season. He has certainly bulked up since coming to campus and now is refining the technique side of things, too. Of course, after the game with the Terrapins, he will have three weeks or so to get ready for the biggest stage of his career, assuming the Lions win as a four touchdown favorite and make the 12-team postseason tournament field.

“The biggest thing with Nolan is he’s really well prepared,” Allar said Monday. “He was a plug-and-play tackle if anything happens, and right tackle is where he’s at now. He showed Saturday he’s prepared for his opportunity. And, he’s going to get better throughout practice and game reps.

“He settled in and found his groove [last week as the game progressed], and really, the whole offensive line did. Overall, it’s a big week for them upfront, and I have full confidence and belief that they’ll be on the same page come the game. It’s another opportunity for us to get better this week. It will be a big part for me this week to overemphasize communication this week.”

Penn State Q&A with Drew Allar

Allar covered plenty of other topics during his Tuesday morning chat with reporters. BWI subscribers can read the full Q&A here. Find some highlights below:

On the goals set for him and the rest of the Class of 2022 as recruits and how close the Lions are to accomplishing them:

“I think our goals are pretty similar to every single recruiting class,” Allar said. “Especially when we come here, we come here to win and develop on and off the field. We came here to win games and we’ve done a pretty good job of that through our first three years together. We have a lot of depth. As a team, we’re very close to our goals, but we can’t worry about that right now. It’s about going 1-0 this week and improving on a daily basis.”

How much did it help Allar that he played as a freshman at Penn State?

“I know for me it was pretty important because being a quarterack and getting those reps in was huge for my development and processing,” he said. “We saw a lot of guys play. Abdul had an instant impact, Nick and Kaytron, KJ; guys stepped on the field and started balling out. Some guys played really early and some guys are just coming on the scene now.

“It’s cool to see everyone’s journey unfold. It was super important for me to play early and getting that experience for the first time. All that experience has really paid off this year. I just found myself and know what I have to do and improve on. And I think I’ve done a good job of that. I just have to keep finding ways to get better each week.”

Allar on Lions center Nick Dawkins:

“Being the center, it’s similar to being the QB as far as being on the same page with everybody. He’s really the guy that makes it go up front, communicating the block ID and combos to all four other guys, and I think that really helps us, especially in the run game, but just in general.

“We have to be on the same page because if we’re all on the same page we’ll be right. He’s just a super physical presence up front, just finishing blocks. He’s playing super physical up front and dominating up front.”