Penn State's freshmen make big impact in season's first two games
Early in the third quarter of Penn State’s home opener against Ohio, quarterback Drew Allar dropped back after a play-action fake and lofted deep pass over the middle to Omari Evans. Outrunning cornerback Roman Parodie to the goal line, Evans snared the ball just as he was crossing into the end zone, giving the Nittany Lions a 26-point lead.
For Penn State, which had led its Mid-American Conference opponent by only 12 points deep in the second quarter, Evans’ touchdown offered an indication of how the rest of the afternoon was going to go.
And yet, the most encouraging aspect of the Allar-to-Evans connection may have been that it foreshadowed a lot more than just a lopsided victory over the Bobcats. Both players are members of Penn State’s heralded 2022 recruiting class, and the two true freshmen will have a plenty of opportunities to play pitch-and-catch in the years to come.
Their touchdown, which helped PSU pull away for a 46-10 victory, was just one moment from a game that turned out to be a showcase for the Nittany Lions’ freshman class.
Freshmen post strong numbers
Of Penn State’s 572 total offensive yards against the Bobcats, 286 were supplied by true freshmen. Three of their 6 touchdowns were by true freshmen, and a fourth was by a redshirt freshman.
On defense, true freshman linebacker Abdul Carter was tied for second on the team with 5 stops, and three of Carter’s classmates — cornerback Cam Miller, safety Kevin Winston Jr., defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton — also had at least one tackle apiece.
Penn State was coming off an opener at Purdue in which seven true freshmen got on the field. The Ohio game was more lopsided than the back-and-forth tussle in West Lafayette, and it afforded coach James Franklin and his staff more opportunities to get young players on the field.
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Twelve members of the Lions’ 2022 recruiting class saw action against the Bobcats, including a pair of offensive linemen, Drew Shelton and Vega Ioane.
“It felt like a lot [of freshmen got into the game], which is really important,” Franklin said. “Their roles will continue to grow as they gain experience and confidence. As the season goes on, we’re going to need them. To see some freshmen not only play but make some big plays, pivotal plays in the game, whether it was long runs or touchdown catches or tackles or whatever it was, that will be helpful for us moving forward.”
Quick development
Against Ohio, those freshmen helped give Penn State the offensive jolt it has been looking for since last season. The Lions had seven pass plays of 15 yards or more, and true freshmen were involved in three of them: a 22-yard completion from Sean Clifford to freshman running back Kaytron Allen and touchdown throws of 32 and 28 yards by Allar.
In addition, the Lions had eight rushes of 10 or more yards, with Allen and classmate Nick Singleton accounting for five of them, including touchdown runs of 70 and 44 yards by Singleton.
The quick development of Penn State’s youngest players is of course going to put some pressure on some of the team’s veterans. Asked about those ongoing position battles, Franklin said the team will need everyone in the locker room to fulfill his potential if the Lions are to fulfill theirs.
“Everybody’s role is critical,” he said. “But ultimately, we’ve got to do what’s best for the team.”
