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Seven months ago, Penn State quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien was asked where he wanted Drew Allar to improve in 2024.
One of the first areas that O’Brien mentioned was Allar’s leadership, how he wanted him to be more vocal and a steadying influence on his teammates.
Allar has a more commanding presence at quarterback for fourth-ranked Penn State (5-1, 8-1), which travels to Purdue (0-6, 1-8) for a Big Ten game Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (TV-CBS) at Ross-Ade Stadium. He’s more demonstrative than he was last season.
“That’s always who he’s been,” O’Brien said Thursday. “He’s wearing it on his sleeve a little bit more. He’s always been an elite worker. He lives in the building. He puts so much time into it.
“Now you’re just seeing those emotions come out publicly. A lot of that is his comfort with the guys and the trust he has in them and they have in him. It’s been kind of cool to see.”
A junior from Medina, Ohio, Allar ranks eighth nationally in pass efficiency. He’s improved his completion percentage and his passing yards per game, per attempt and per completion.
He’s completed 70.3% of his throws for 2,006 yards and 13 touchdowns with five interceptions.
After missing the second half of a win last month at Wisconsin with a knee injury, Allar went 12-for-20 for 146 yards with an interception in a 20-13 loss to Ohio State. He bounced back last week by going 20-for-28 for 220 yards and one TD in a 35-6 blowout of Washington.
“It’s just his mental toughness,” O’Brien said. “We talked about it all offseason and during the year each week. There are going to be times in every game when things don’t go the way that we planned.
“It’s not whether that happens or not; it’s how we respond to it that’s going to define us. I’m very proud of how he’s responded to each of those…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/penn-state-qb-coach-says-044700886.html
Author : Reading Eagle, Pa.
Publish date : 2024-11-15 04:47:00
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