Beating Wolverines

would make things better

A lot of people are really down on Penn State right now, and the team has shown the past two weeks that it’s clearly not as good as many people thought.

But a win over Michigan next week would change everything.

Having that tremendous opportunity ahead is the best thing I can say about the season right now. Because regardless of the loss to Ohio State, there is still a path to the College Football Playoff, if the Nittany Lions can find a way to upset the Wolverines.

Will that happen? I doubt it. Not trying to be a Debbie Downer, but to me, Michigan is much better than Ohio State, and thereby much better than Penn State.

But the game is at Beaver Stadium, and the Lions do have a strong defense. So they will have a chance. And then if they win, a goofy tiebreaker will come into play to decide whether they can get into the Big Ten title game and possibly even the CFP. That’s the glass is half full aspect.

The glass is half empty component centers around quarterback Drew Allar and the fact that he has not been developed very well so far by James Franklin and Mike Yurcich.

Penn State’s hopes of beating Ohio State rested heavily on Allar, and he failed badly, starting 10-for-30 and finishing 18-of-42 while looking awful on third down.

Yes, the wide receivers aren’t very good. Yes, the offensive line hasn’t played up to expectations. Yes, the running game has regressed.

But Allar has a lot of issues himself that cannot be overlooked. His footwork is not good, he doesn’t handle pressure well, he fails to identify guys running open, he’s not accurate on tough throws, he doesn’t use the middle of the field and he’s not a good runner.

Franklin spent time during his press conference Tuesday discussing the latter, and how having a QB who can take off and run can deliver explosive plays and change the way defenses play you.

Allar is a pure pocket passer. Franklin works best with a mobile quarterback. There seems to be a good chance that, because of that dynamic, Allar may never become the kind of college quarterback so many fans are hoping for and expecting.

It’s far too early to gauge exactly what will happen with Allar. Maybe he’ll suddenly realize he needs to take off and run more, as Trace McSorley did midway through the 2016 season.

Or, maybe the receivers will make great strides down the stretch and Yurcich will design plays that help Allar showcase his passing skills all over the field.

Maybe all of that can still happen.

But it had better happen in a hurry if Allar and the offense are going to be ready for the gigantic challenge that awaits next week against Michigan.

Cory Giger covers Penn State for DK Pittsburgh Sports and hosts “Sports Central” weekdays from 4 to 5 p.m. on 96.1 Hank FM.