Will Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen stay in the coaches box moving forward?
Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen moved to the coaches box for the Kent State game. Will he stay there moving forward? Head coach James Franklin said following the win over the Golden Flashes that both he and Allen thought it was worth trying after he called the first two games from the sideline. After giving it a test drive, the duo have settled on how they will handle things for the remainder of the season. And, it is not set in stone.
“Don’t like to say permanent, forever, or always, but I thought it went well,” Franklin said. “He hadn’t been up there for 15 years. We ended up doing it last week, thought there were some more advantages to going up there. We’ll see how this week goes. I could see this being a week-to-week deal where we do whatever is necessary.
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“With the leadership we have on the sideline with coaches and players, we feel good about that aspect, but we’ve also lost some guys. As we play less experienced guys, that could factor into it. But last week, I thought it was positive, and I think Tom did as well. … There’s a lot of ways to do things that work. I think for me, I’m a big believer that, if all things are even, the best place to strictly call the game from is the booth. I think after going up and doing it, it became a viable option for him and us. We’ll take it on a week-to-week basis and ultimately see what’s best for our team and defense.
Back in June, Allen told reporters that his longtime positioning on the sideline when he was both the head coach and defensive coordinator at Indiana was part of the reason why he’d do it from there at Penn State. But, it wasn’t the only reason.
“I’ll be on the field,” Allen said in June. “I’ve done both, and I liked what I could see [in the press box], and I love to be able to just block out all the noise. But, I felt I always lost the emotional connection of the game. I like the flow of the game. I like to be able to get with players face-to-face and feel the emotion, good or bad. And I think that I’m a pretty high-energy guy. I think I’d be a caged tiger in the press box … as a matter of fact, I guarantee you I would be.”
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With that said, Franklin thought things went well against the Golden Flashes with Allen upstairs. Kent State lost two quarterbacks in the contest and ultimately wound up with just 67 yards and no points
“I thought it went really well,” Franklin said Saturday night. I brought it up last week about going up into the box. Tom hadn’t been up there in a long time as a head coach. 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. He didn’t want to do it last week but wanted to do it this week. I don’t know if he’ll be up there next week but it’s something to consider. So, I do think I’m a big believer that, as a play caller, the best place to call the game, just truly call the game is upstairs, if you’re having to manage emotions and the 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.”
Whether or not its the best place every week moving forward will be determined before each game. Which is, admittedly, an odd setup. But, if the Lions continue to play good defense, few will think anything of it.
