Andy Kotelnicki likes to experiment. It’s part of his approach.
The first-year offensive coordinator at Penn State doesn’t want to become predictable. Even as the season goes on, he always looks for ways to add something new to confuse the next opponent.
Some of these ideas come from Kotelnicki’s creativity, while others come from his love of football.
“As a staff, between access to film and watching other games, you steal a lot of things that you think will complement what you’re doing,” Kotelnicki said.
Now, Penn State (12-2) is getting ready to face Boise State (12-1) in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve, which also serves as a quarterfinal for the College Football Playoff.
This is the stage Kotelnicki was prepared for when he left Kansas to join the Big Ten. While the adjustment was slow at first, the Nittany Lions are now playing their best as the season goes on.
Penn State has standout players like Tyler Warren, the Mackey Award-winning tight end who finished seventh in Heisman voting, and running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who consider themselves the top backfield in the nation.
Quarterback Drew Allar, while not always flashy, has been very efficient.
Penn State is one of the few teams, including Boise State, that has averaged 200 yards both passing and rushing this season. This balance gives Kotelnicki lots of flexibility. Allar has also fully bought into the system, throwing for 3,021 yards, 21 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions.
“We don’t have a lot of what I call ‘my bads’ out on the football field,” Kotelnicki said. “He knows what’s happening. He knows his reads. He knows what the defense is capable of doing.”
Allar also trusts his teammates. One week, Allen, Singleton, and Warren combine for four rushing touchdowns, like in a blowout win over Washington. The next week, Allar goes 17-for-19 with three touchdowns in a win over Purdue.
Kotelnicki maintains an open-door policy with Allar, encouraging regular meetings where Allar can offer feedback on the game plan. Allar feels this makes the actual game easier.
“When the game comes, it’s second nature for me at that point,” Allar said. “I just made that throw over and over and I know what to expect.”
Tyler Warren is a unique player that no one else in college football quite resembles. The 6-foot-6 senior does it all and does it well. He’s heading to the NFL but is dangerous no matter where he plays on the field.
Warren has 92 receptions for 1,095 yards this season. He’s also been effective in the Wildcat formation, rushing for 197 yards, four touchdowns, and even throwing three passes for 35 yards and a touchdown.
Warren has become such a key player that when he doesn’t get the ball, it’s news. In one of Penn State’s two losses this season, against Ohio State, Warren didn’t touch the ball in the final possession, and head coach James Franklin later admitted it was a mistake.
Since then, Kotelnicki has made sure not to make that mistake. In the first-round win over SMU, Warren didn’t do much, but Penn State didn’t need him to. The running backs Allen and Singleton combined for 160 yards and three touchdowns.
Penn State’s run game helped them win, but the Nittany Lions believe they can win another way against Boise State if needed. That’s how Kotelnicki prefers it.
Penn State had trouble keeping up in high-scoring games in the past, but this year, they took the undefeated Oregon Ducks to the fourth quarter in the Big Ten title game before losing 45-37.
Allar, Warren, and the team have become experts in an offense that once felt new. Now they are all comfortable.
“Now we’re all comfortable in it,” Warren said. “And to see how many things we can do just by making one little tweak here, that’s been really fun for us.”
