How Penn State OC Mike Yurcich has seen Drew Allar develop, emerge as the team’s backup QB
Penn State’s quarterback situation has been the cause of much consternation this season with Sean Clifford leading the offense while Drew Allar lingers as his backup. The latter has received plenty of playing time despite only arriving on campus in January.
His ascent was not expected prior to the season but has now put him in position to take advantage of the opportunities given to him.
“I’m really excited about the whole room in general,” offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said Thursday. “... When you make a decision like that, time is of the essence and the reps are precious. To get the backup prepared properly you have to make certain decisions and go with what you see and how things are evolving and productivity and all of those things. Drew has come a long way since spring.”
Allar’s debut in the Purdue game — the team’s season opener — was unexpected and showed the flashes of what he is as a quarterback.
It wasn’t just the freshman who stood out, however. Clifford’s performance, which was choppy at times, showed the value he brings as a fourth year starter and was emblematic of how he can help the team.
“He threw an interception at a critical part of the game and then comes right back and leads us down to victory in the two-minute drill,” Yurcich said. “And that really epitomizes Sean, his toughness, what he brings to our team. He’s invaluable.”
Clifford’s ability to do the little things has been of his greatest assets to the team and sometimes that can only come with the type of experience he has.
Allar’s brief time on campus makes it more difficult for him to be that player already. But he’s still making plenty of progress. Some of that is happening because of the work he’s putting in to improve off the field, where Yurcich said he’s fitting in with the culture at Penn State.
“He’s a pro,” he said. “... When you get to the meeting rooms, that room is really competitive in the meeting room as well. They’re always trying to get a leg up with the game film and game plan and all that stuff. He’s awesome. He fits in well with our culture.”
Running game performance
The Nittany Lions’ running game has been the other point of concern within the offense but has done its part in flipping the narrative for most of the season. The group struggled mightily last year, failing to have a player run for over 100 yards in any game. That changed quickly this season.
Nick Singleton racked up 179 yards in the team’s second game and immediately followed it up with 124 yards against Auburn. He and Kaytron Allen — who had 111 yards against Central Michigan — have changed the dynamic for the group.
Yurcich said the improvement is welcome and a credit to both the players and running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider.
“They’ve shown improvement and overall a growth has developed with their knowledge of the game of football,” he said. “I think Coach Seider has done a great job of helping those guys evolve, not just as great runners but as great running backs. That involves protections, everything with protections ... just overall improvement.”
Those strides have been helpful in keeping the Penn State offense balanced this season but there’s still room to grow. Some of that is with the running backs, who struggled to hang onto the ball in a rain-soaked game against Northwestern, but part of that is with the offensive line.
That group was part of the reason for last season’s struggles and has also taken a big step forward.
Now it’s about building upon it even further.
“I’m really happy with the way (the offensive line is) playing,” Yurcich said. “Never satisfied, we need to continue to push and to get better in all facets, pass, run. Obviously they’ve made significant strides, I think we’re seeing that. We need to continue to build on that.”
James Franklin’s involvement
Yurcich is at the helm of the offense, but that doesn’t mean head coach James Franklin doesn’t have say in what the team will do on that side of the ball. Franklin served as a Division I offensive coordinator for five seasons before becoming a head coach, so it’s natural that he feels more comfortable giving his input on that side of the ball.
He said that’s where he spend the majority of his time prior to games.
“I bounce back and forth, I spend most of my time with the offense, but I bounce back and forth,” Franklin said. “... I spend more of my time there but it’s more of a sounding board for the offensive coordinator and very rarely is there something that I’m adamant about. ... But very rarely. Typically I’m bringing a guy in and letting him do his job or I wouldn’t have brought him in.”
Yurcich said the head coach is in all of the offensive meetings throughout the week, but that isn’t different from his previous stops at Oklahoma State and Texas.
The head coach gives his input for better and for worse, according to Yurcich, but that’s part of the collaborative process and it applies to all of the offensive coaches.
“He gives great input each game plan,” Yurcich said. “... A lot of supportive input, and stamping out things that maybe he doesn’t particularly care for, which is helpful. You gotta let your ego down and put everything aside and be able to listen to, not just the head coach, but every coach in the room.”
