Five players on Penn State offense to know vs. SMU
The SMU Mustangs head to State College this weekend to face Penn State and the Nittany Lions’ 15th-ranked offense. The offense, run by head coach James Franklin and co-coordinators Ja’Juan Seider and Andy Kotelnicki, is potent in its ability to move the ball down the field. Penn State averages 202 rushing yards per game (19th) and 246.5 passing yards per game (41st).
The Nittany Lions have several other key markers of a great offense. The team ranks 49th in the country in time of possession, 15th in third down conversion percentage and fifth in fourth down conversion percentage.
Against Oregon in the Big 10 Conference final, Penn State lost, but still posted 37 points. The team has put up 30 or more points in eight of their 13 matchups this season.
On top of being efficient, the Nittany Lions offense also takes care of the football. They’ve fumbled the ball just four times this year and given up eight interceptions.
The Penn State offense runs through several key players, including one All-American. Here are five players to know before Saturday’s playoff game at Beaver Stadium.
QB Drew Allar
The Nittany Lions are quarterbacked by an experienced veteran in Drew Allar. The third-year starter threw for 2,894 yards with 21 touchdown passes and seven interceptions this season. He finished 25th in the nation in total passing yards, seven spots behind SMU’s Kevin Jennings. The former five-star recruit dramatically improved his completion percentage from 2023 to 2024, going from 59.9% to 69.1% while also boosting his average yardage per pass.
Along with his improved passing stats, the junior QB also rushed for more yards this season than last season. He posted 279 yards on 72 carries with six touchdowns. Opposing defenses brought him down 11 times during the 2024 season.
Allar announced his plans for the future this week, sharing that he would postpone entering the NFL Draft in favor of another season at Penn State.
TE Tyler Warren
Penn State can officially boast having the best tight end in the nation on their roster after Tyler Warren won the John Mackey Award this week. The first-team All-American was Allar’s top target in 2024, posting 1,062 yards and six touchdowns. He had double the number of catches of any other receiver on the team this year with 88.
Warren had four games this season with more than 100 yards and posted a record 224 yards on 17 catches in the team’s overtime win against USC in early October. The Nittany Lions also like to hand off to Warren, letting the 6-foot-6 senior muscle his way through the defense. He has 191 yards on 23 carries with four more scores.
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The Penn State football social media channels shared highlights of Warren’s career after the announcement that he won the Mackey Award this week.
WR Harrison ‘Trey’ Wallace III
The Nittany Lions have plenty of offensive weapons but no receiver better than Trey Wallace. The third-year wideout had his most productive season yet with 39 catches, 638 yards and four touchdowns.
Against Oregon in the conference title game, Wallace had four catches for 59 yards and snagged a key fourth down touchdown that kept Penn State in it late. He’s caught at least three passes in nine games this year.
RB Nick Singleton
James Franklin’s offense relies on more than one great running back carrying the load on game days. Former five-star Nick Singleton is in his third season working alongside fellow back Kaytron Allen. Though not quite as prolific as he was as a freshman, Singleton is averaging 6.4 yards per carry for the Nittany Lions.
The 6-foot-0, 230-pound running back tallied 838 yards on 131 carries with seven touchdowns. He’s very involved in the receiving game as well, putting up 335 yards on 37 catches with five touchdowns – all career highs.
RB Kaytron Allen
Five-foot-11, 230-pound running back Kaytron Allen rushed the ball 42 more times than his counterpart in 2024, but finished just behind him with 822 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He’s averaging 4.8 yards so far this year, which is .4 yards below his averages from 2022 and 2023.
The junior out of Virginia also has 15 catches, 119 receiving yards and two more touchdowns. Both Allen and Singleton broke 100 yards in the conference title game against Oregon, but the former ended up on top with 124 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
