AP File Photo Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki watches warm-ups before the game between Penn State and Ohio State on Nov. 2 in State College, Pennsylvania.
Andy Kotelnicki likes to tinker. That’s just his way.
Penn State’s first-year offensive coordinator is wary of stagnation. No matter how deep the season gets, there’s always time to give the next opponent a little something to think about: a new wrinkle, a new play.
Part of it comes from Kotelnicki’s imagination. How much is left? Well, that’s where soccer addiction comes into play.
“As a staff member, I steal a lot of stuff while I’m accessing film and watching other games that I think will complement what I’m doing.” Kotelnicki said.
And the No. 6 seed Nittany Lions (12-2) have been in good form of late as they prepare to face No. 3 Boise State (12-1) in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve. There is. This year, it also serves as the quarterfinals. Heading into the College Football Playoff.
This was the stage Kotelnicki was in place the moment he left the same position at Kansas and sought a chance to try his hand at a trade in the Big Ten. The soaking process was slow at first, but things started to accelerate as the season progressed.
The Nittany Lions have one of the most unique players in the country in Tyler Warren. Tyler Warren won the Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end and finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting. And they have a self-confessed running back duo in Nick Singleton and Caitron Allen. Best backfield in the country. They also have a quarterback in Drew Ara who efficiently makes up for what they lack with impressive stats.
Penn State is one of the few teams to average over 200 yards passing and 200 yards rushing this season, including Boise State. This balance gives Kotelnicki plenty of flexibility. The same goes for what he called “Purchase” Aller scored 21 touchdowns against seven picks and passed for a career-high 3,021 yards.
“There are very few so-called ‘bad guys’ on our football field.” Kotelnicki said. “He knows what’s going on. He knows his reads. He knows what the defense can do.”
And Allah knows what his teammates are capable of.
One week Allen, Singleton, and Warren are combining for four rushing touchdowns, similar to their breakout performance against Washington on Nov. 9, and the next Allen is combining for 19 rushing touchdowns against Purdue. He has scored 3 touchdowns in 17 games.
It helps that Kotelnicki has an open-door policy that allows for give-and-take with the quarterback. The two meet regularly and Alaa has a lot of input into the game plan, which he believes makes the actual matches themselves sometimes easier than practice.
“When the game comes, it just comes natural to me at that point.” Mr. Aller said. “(Because) I’ve just done that throw so many times that I know what happens.”
But there are no players like Warren in the country, so opponents may not do that. The 6-foot-6 senior does a little bit of everything and does it all well. Warren loves his day job — he should, and he’ll be in the NFL next year — but he’s dangerous no matter where he lines up.
Warren had 92 receptions for 1,095 yards in the Fiesta Bowl. But he also became able to operate the Wildcat formation effectively, rushing for 197 yards and four touchdowns, completing 3 of 6 passes for 35 yards and a score. was recorded.
His star grew to the point where Warren made headlines when he couldn’t get the ball. One of Penn State’s two losses this season was a 20-13 loss to perennial favorite Ohio State, in which Warren took a touch near the goal line during the Nittany Lions’ final possession. I couldn’t get it. Longtime head coach James Franklin has since admitted he made a mistake by not giving Warren a chance.
Warren had a relatively light day by his standards in the first-round win over SMU, but Kotelnicki hasn’t scored since. Then again, the Nittany Lions didn’t need him to be special. Unlike Allen and Singleton, who combined for 160 yards and three scores.
Leaning on the run helped Penn State advance. But the Nittany Lions believe they can win another way against Boise State if that moment is needed. Just as Kotelnicki likes.
For proof of that, just look at the loss to Oregon in the Big Ten title game. The Nittany Lions have not been able to keep up in the shootout in recent years. This time, they forced the undefeated Ducks deep into the fourth quarter and succumbed 45-37.
Aller, Warren and everyone else have become fluent in an offense that felt a bit like a foreign language when Kotelnicki introduced it. Not so much anymore.
“Now we’re all comfortable.” Warren said. “And it’s really fun for us to see how much you can do with just a few tweaks here.”
DETROIT — Tucker Gleason scored one point in overtime and threw for four more as Toledo defeated Pittsburgh 48-46.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers faced a team with Super Bowl aspirations for the third time in 11 days.
