Examining how Penn State can create explosive run plays with Andy Kotelnicki

Over the last few months, while learning more about the Kansas offense, I’ve had one question on my mind: Can new Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki craft an explosive running game without the threat of the quarterback option? The most glaring difference in talent from his last few seasons at Kansas to his upcoming campaign at Penn State is at quarterback. Starting quarterback Drew Allar is a vastly different talent than the trio of Jason Bean, Jalon Daniels, and Cole Ballard, all of whom have dual-threat capabilities.  We’ve examined the film this offseason to show different elements of the Kansas run game and illustrate the potential pitfalls of a one-to-one transition of Kotelnicki’s scheme. Today, we’ll zoom out and examine the impact of those players and schemes on the data.  Penn State head coach James Franklin believes in generating explosive plays, which was the top issue for his team last season. That’s why we’ll compare and contrast the two running games from last year to see where the issues might arise and if Kotelnicki can replicate his success at Kansas.