Penn State football quarterback Drew Allard's performance in the 2024 Blue-White Game was probably about as expected.
The good news is he caught a touchdown pass and 202 passing yards, the latter of which was solid for a spring game and more than he had in six separate games in 2023. Meanwhile, the not-so-good news is that he only completed 15 of his 32 pass attempts.
There were more positives than negatives in Allah's performance. It was decent, that's what he thought.
“There was a lot of good stuff that was on tape, so you're going to see it all over the next few weeks,” Aller said after the game.
Impressive pitching was seen throughout the game. Aller's 30-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Rapley Air in garbage time was another example of his ability as a deep passer. It was one of several passes of 20 yards or more.
Aller himself generally played well, but was adamant there was still work to be done.
“There are still some things that need to be cleared up,” he said. “Especially pre-snap penalties on offense, just getting on the same page and communicating and eliminating them, those are very easy to learn.”
The white team had two false start penalties and Aller threw back several passes. Fortunately for the offense, there's still plenty of time to get things together between now and the regular season opener against West Virginia on Aug. 31.
The group is still adjusting to new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki's scheme. Coach Aller said plans for summer meetings are being discussed with officials to ensure they are on the same page heading into the season.
Aller got several receivers involved in the game. Eight receivers caught passes, with Trey Wallace leading the pack with 72 receiving yards. The number of wideouts he targeted was evidence of healthy chemistry between him and the team.
“I think that's one of the strengths of our receiving room. We have a lot of guys who can plug and play in different positions and make catches,” Aller said. “tray [Wallace] Had a really good day and made some great catches.Kaden [Saunders]I know I missed him on the first deep ball to start the game, but I just beat him a little bit.
“But we had a lot of that during the spring, so I'm not worried about that. But overall, I think we took what the defense gave us well and our receivers did a good job of getting open.” think.”
Aller never hesitated to praise the drawing room and seemed pleased with the chemistry that was taking place. He felt more comfortable with the new plan under Kotelnicki and liked it. It will be interesting to see how this develops between now and the regular season.
“I think I was able to control my offense and my comfort level overall.” [has grown]. I think this offense is a great fit, not just for me, but for the entire offense. We're going to play what the receivers like, what I like, what the running backs, what the offensive line likes and what the tight ends like,” Aller said. “It's different than last year in that regard. I think my comfort level just grew as I practiced throughout the spring.”
