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Jake Trotter, ESPN Senior Writer
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — The night before last year’s Peach Bowl, Drew Allar met the last Penn State quarterback to go undefeated. Kerry Collins, named honorary captain for the game against Ole Miss, ate dinner with Allar and the team at their hotel.
The Nittany Lions have boasted winning quarterbacks over the years. But since propelling Penn State to a 12-0 record three decades ago, the 6-foot-5 Collins had not encountered a prototypical Penn State passer who reminded him of when he played — until Allar.
“He’s physically imposing,” said Collins, taken with the fifth pick in the 1995 draft by the Carolina Panthers before playing 17 seasons in the NFL. “He’s got an NFL body and skill set. There are other guys that have had tremendous success. But I wouldn’t necessarily say what they had translated into what is needed in the NFL. … Drew has that, a hundred percent.”
Heading into Saturday’s matchup at USC, the fourth-ranked Nittany Lions are off to a 5-0 start for the fourth straight season, the only FBS program to accomplish the feat, according to ESPN Research. But behind Allar and his Collins-like 6-foot-5 frame, Penn State has hopes of breaking through to its first playoff appearance.
To Allar, Collins is a model of all that he and these Nittany Lions can achieve. Walking through the athletic facilities, he sees pictures of Collins daily, a constant reminder of the 1994 team that finished second in the polls behind national champion Nebraska.
“Being able to pick his brain a little bit was really cool,” Allar said. “His biggest message was to take it all in, enjoy it … and just do everything you can to get better and put yourself in position to help your team win.”
Collins has seen Allar go on to do just that.
In many ways, Allar had a banner first season as the starter last year. He passed for 25 touchdowns with only two interceptions for the country’s second-best touchdown-to-interception ratio behind Oregon’s Bo Nix, who now starts for the Denver Broncos.
Yet when it mattered most, Penn State’s offense ultimately lacked punch, especially in losses to Ohio State and Michigan. Allar completed just 18 of his 42 passes against the Buckeyes and threw for only 70 yards against the Wolverines.
Although the Nittany Lions won 10 games, Allar ranked 92nd with just 6.8 yards per passing attempt.
Over the offseason, head coach James Franklin hired offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki from Kansas to help unlock Allar’s big arm.
“You watch him throw, he’s got an ability to throw the ball like very few people,” Franklin said. “He’s got the size to hold up in the pocket from a durability standpoint and then he’s got the ability to step up in the pocket, through an arm tackle, and make a big-time throw.”
With Kotelnicki’s pro-style downfield attack, Allar is now converting those big-time throws. He ranks fifth nationally in QBR (88.8) and fifth with an average of 10.7 yards per attempt.
“I think he’s picked up his confidence,” tight end Tyler Warren said. “Showing confidence not only to himself, but to our offense, as well.”
The offense is playing more confidently as a result. Flanked by the versatile Warren and dynamic running back tandem of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, the Nittany Lions rank 10th in offensive EPA (expected points added).
“He has all the tools to be a good NFL quarterback, … very talented,” said an NFL personnel executive, who praised Allar’s uptick in accuracy. “He’s been allowed to throw it more down the field this year. … the arrow is definitely pointing up.”
Collins became a believer in Allar’s potential just watching him warm up before the Peach Bowl.
“How the ball comes out of his hand, he’s got it,” Collins said. “It’s got a good whip to it, good snap to his arm. All the physical tools are there.”
Collins had all the tools when he arrived at State College. But like Allar, he struggled in showdowns against Ohio State and Michigan in 1993, Penn State’s inaugural year in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions scored just one touchdown in a loss to Michigan. The following week, Collins tossed four interceptions in an Ohio State rout.
Collins said the experience of those two losses prepared the Nittany Lions for their 1994 run.
“All of a sudden, it just clicked,” Collins said. “We had that moxie. We had that attitude that, no matter the situation, we’re going to step up.”
Those star-studded Nittany Lions featured All-America running back Ki-Jana Carter and tight end Kyle Brady, who both became top-10 draft picks, alongside Collins.
In back-to-back games, Penn State knocked off Michigan 31-24 and then blasted Ohio State 63-14; in that win, Collins threw for 256 yards without a turnover.
The Nittany Lions would go on to finish undefeated, coasting past Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
“We had such belief and confidence in who we were and what we were doing, that it was just like, ‘OK, next,'” Collins said. “It didn’t matter what helmet they were wearing, what jersey color. … And from a quarterback standpoint, I had to learn — and I got good at — being unemotional and obviously being ready to play. I used to call it being cold and calculating.”
Collins sees Allar developing a similar demeanor.
“Being around the kid a little bit and just hearing things about him, he’s a serious kid,” Collins said. “He takes it seriously. He wants to do well.”
Two weeks ago for homecoming, Penn State honored the 1994 team. As the offensive coordinator for Summit High School in Spring Hill, Tennessee, Collins couldn’t attend. But others did, including Carter, the honorary captain for the coin toss.
Allar didn’t put up big numbers in a hard-fought 21-7 victory over No. 23 Illinois. But he still engineered the game-clinching touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter.
“He told us in the huddle, we’re going to finish this drive,” Singleton said. “He brings the energy. … shows the type of leader he is.”
Allar said he hopes to one day follow in Collins’ footsteps and become an NFL starter. But at the moment, he’s focused on helping these Nittany Lions reach their potential.
“We have really high aspirations,” he said.
Collins came excruciatingly close to leading Penn State to its third national championship, and first since 1986. In Allar, he sees a passer who can finally push the Nittany Lions back over the top.
“I could see them really hitting their stride and being a problem for people in the playoffs,” he said. “And when it comes time to make those plays that a quarterback needs to make, I believe that Drew can and will do it.”