After a few days to reflect, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said Wednesday that he wants to address one key point from the Nittany Lions’ 20-13 loss to Ohio State. “We have to stay ahead of the sticks,” Allar said.

Penn State had multiple offensive issues against the Buckeyes, including a fourth-quarter goal-line sequence that produced no points, but Allar took a step back to view the offense from a higher perspective. Penn State went 3-for-11 on third down against Ohio State, a companion to its 1-for-16 performance in a 20-12 loss to the Buckeyes last season. One reason, Allar said, was the team’s performance on early downs.

Penn State gained an average of 3.6 yards on first down and faced an average third-down distance of 6.2 yards, which led to stressful conversion attempts. The Nittany Lions went 1-for-5 for 3 yards passing on third down against Ohio State, and Allar seldom had time to locate receivers, or even receivers who were open. Allar said Penn State will focus on third-down and red-zone situations Wednesday as it prepares to host Washington for the annual Penn State White Out.

“Philsophically as an offense, one way to get everybody in rhythm and get everybody involved in the game is staying out of third-and-long and continuing to stay ahead of the sticks,” Allar said Wednesday on a conference call. “That allows us to get a rhythm, get our players the ball be able to distribute the ball.”

Allar went 12-for-20 for 146 yards against Ohio State, with three of those completions covering 20+ yards. Though Penn State had success completing the passes of 15+ yards it attempted (3-for-5), the offense struggled with mid-range throws, going 1-for-5 on completions of 5-14 yards. Further, just three of Penn State’s 13 completions went to its receivers, who struggled to get open against the Buckeyes’ secondary.

“I have a ton of confidence in that room, with the coaching staff in that room and the players in that room. We don’t have a shortage of talent in that room, for sure,” Allar said. “… Our receivers get a lot of harsh criticism about their performance, but I don’t really find it necessary at all.”

Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s message

Penn State coach James Franklin reflected on his team’s goal-line approach in the fourth quarter against Ohio State, saying that “hindsight is 20/20.” Allar said that Penn State’s offensive players took a group-accountability approach after the game prompted by offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.

“[Kotelnicki said] that he’ll be better for us and we’ll be better for him,” Allar said of Kotelnicki’s message. “It’s group accountability at the end of the day, and that comes from both sides. It comes from the players being accountable for our play on the field and from the coaches in general. It was a good message for us. I have full faith in Coach K. I love being part of the offense Coach K calls and really a part of the whole offensive staff. I’m really excited for the opportunity we have ahead of us this weekend [against Washington], because it’s a really good defense schematically. They’re really sound and challenging in what they do.”

Refreshing the vertical passing game

Penn State had fewer chances to take shots downfield against Ohio State because of the Buckeyes’ pressure and coverage. Allar said that throwing downfield requires more than simply a called play.

“It’s definitely what we want to be a part of as an offense,” Allar said. “We want to be explosive, and obviously a way to be explosive is throwing the ball downfield. But again, we won’t have those opportunities to throw the ball down the field if we’re not staying ahead of the sticks and we’re not in rhythm. It doesn’t make sense just to call shots on first-and-10 on the first play of the drive. We have to get in some sort of rhythm and move the ball and get first downs to have those plays called.”

Penn State hosts Washington at Beaver Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Peacock.

More Penn State Football

Yes, Penn State has been great. But is that good enough?

The College Football Playoff selection committee seems to like Penn State

Penn State decided against sending video of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to the Big Ten for review

Penn State on SI is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.