Todd Blackledge talks Penn State, Drew Allar's play ahead of Wisconsin tilt: Newsstand
Penn State news, notes, and updates for Oct. 24 include Todd Blackledge on the Lions’ ceiling and quarterback Drew Allar, headlines of the day, and more. It’s time to dive into Thursday’s top tweets and headlines about the Nittany Lions and college athletics.
Penn State tweets of the day
Penn State letterman Todd Blackledge will be on the call for NBC on Saturday when it airs the No. 3 Nittany Lions’ matchup with Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium. Before that, he joined ESPN’s Greg McElroy on the Always College Football topics to discuss head coach James Franklin’s team ahead of the 7:30 p.m. ET kick.
“I think Drew is a different quarterback,” Blackledge said of the team’s second-year starting quarterback as transcribed by On3. “I think last year — he had good numbers last year but I think in a lot of ways he was playing not to lose a game. Not taking chances, not pushing the ball downfield. I think this year he’s been much more aggressive. He’s playing with a lot more freedom under Andy Kotelnicki. He’s actually thrown more interceptions this year, already, than he did all of last year, which is fine because I think he’s making more big plays too.”
The former Nittany Lion went on to discuss the PSU defense.
“I think their defense is still really talented,” Blackledge said. “Their numbers aren’t the same as they were last year under Manny Diaz in terms of sacks and tackles for loss and those kinds of things,” Blackledge said. “They had a couple bad halves. They had a bad first half against Bowling Green at home, early. They had a bad first half against USC in their last time out, but other than that they’ve played really solid defense and they’ve got all kinds of talent. So, their defensive front is still affecting the quarterback in significant ways. It’s just not showing up in as many sacks at this point in the season.”
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Headlines of the day
The secret to Penn State’s superior defensive play after halftime? ‘Phenomenal’ third quarters: Flounders, PennLive
How does Penn State feel about its injury situation ahead of Wisconsin?: Pickel, BWI
How Red-Hot Wisconsin Is Preparing for Penn State: Mader, SI
What did we learn from Penn State practice on Wednesday? Offense keeps intensity but lightens workload: Carr, BWI
James Franklin declines comment on Jameial Lyons, Kaveion Keys charges, readies for Wisconsin: Hill, Daily Collegian
Which young players made the most of Penn State’s bye week?: Fitz, BWI
Mike Rhoades Anticipating Bright Future for Penn State Basketball: ‘We’re Going to Win’: Engle, Statecollege.com
2026 Top 100 CB Victor Singleton updates his recruitment with more visits on the calendar: Simmons, On3
Quote of the day
“I think initially, obviously you lose your starting quarterback, it’s a tough situation, but I think as the weeks have gone on, he’s gotten more and more confident doing some really nice things and making some nice plays.
“I do think they’re doing a good job, too, of really relying on the run game and then mixing the pass in, probably more so than what they were doing before, and I think it really started to create an identity around them. But I think as each week goes on, he’s playing better and better. And obviously, the most important stat for a quarterback is wins, and he’s done a nice job with that in the last three weeks.”
–PSU coach James Franklin on Wisconsin QB Braedyn Locke, who replaced injured starter Tyler Van Dyke earlier this year.
