Andy Kotelnicki knew Tyler Warren was a good tight end soon after Penn State’s James Franklin hired him as offensive coordinator in December.
He didn’t realize until later that Warren could become a cornerstone of what he wanted to do, along with quarterback Drew Allar and running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.
“He’s pretty special,” Kotelnicki said this week on a conference call with reporters. “He’s pretty unique. He’s probably one of a kind. I’m really enjoying trying to find creative ways to get him the football.”
Kotelnicki has been creative across the board. Franklin chose him to increase the Nittany Lions’ number of explosive plays and make life easier for Allar in his second season as the starter.
Through the first half of the regular season, third-ranked Penn State has better averages in total, rushing and passing yards, pass efficiency and third-down conversions.
The Lions have had 30 plays of at least 20 yards in six games, compared to 47 in 13 games last season.
“From a big-play standpoint, I think we’re pretty high up there,” Kotelnicki said. “I feel like we’re reaping the rewards of that investment, that emphasis. We still want to be able to be explosive in every facet. I feel good about where we’re at. We have to continue to emphasize it.”
Kotelnicki’s impact hasn’t been more evident than it was last week in Penn State’s 33-30 overtime win over USC.
On the first drive alone, Warren lined up in the backfield with fellow tight end Khalil Dinkins. He later took a direct snap and pitched it to Singleton.
Then on third-and-1 from the USC 43, Warren put his hands behind center Nick Dawkins as Allar stood in Shotgun formation and turned to the bench imploring for help. As Allar performed his acting job, Warren took the snap and gained 4 yards.
Kotelnicki’s most creative call came on Penn State’s first drive of the third quarter after the Lions picked up a first down at the USC 32. They shifted into an unbalanced line with Allar flanked to the left behind the line of scrimmage and Warren over the ball as an eligible receiver.
As Penn State shifted, Warren put his arms in front of his number and lined up at center. He snapped the ball to Beau Pribula, who threw a lateral to Allar as Warren sprinted down the field. Allar lobbed a strike to Warren, who pulled it down in the end zone.
“It was a product of the staff,” Kotelnicki said, deflecting credit. “Earlier in the season we’ve done unbalanced things with the line. We said we needed to throw a screen off it. Then that morphed into, ‘Well, maybe we can make it a double pass.’
“Then somebody said, ‘Maybe we can hide one of our guys at center.’ It was an evolution of a bunch of different thoughts.”
A former high school quarterback, Warren also threw a 9-yard pass to Allen, his second completion of the season. He’s carried it five times for 38 yards and a touchdown. He leads the Lions with 40 receptions for 513 yards and four scores.
“I was unaware of how football smart he is with everything I’ve put on his plate,” Kotelnicki said. “He’s able to understand and pick up things quickly mostly because he’s an athlete. He’s intelligent, he’s smart and he works at it.
“In doing those things you don’t need to invest as much because of who he is. He is elite.”
Allar is playing with much more confidence than he did last year. He ranks seventh nationally in pass efficiency, completing 70.5% of his passes for 1,492 yards and 11 touchdowns. Although he threw three interceptions against USC, including one on a Hail Mary, he played superbly when the Lions needed him.
He completed 17-of-24 passes for 264 yards and two TDs after halftime and led Penn State back from a 14-point deficit. He connected with Julian Fleming for first downs on fourth-and-7 and fourth-and-10 before finding Singleton alone for a 14-yard game-tying score with 2:53 to go in regulation.
“That last drive was a big-time drive,” Kotelnicki said. “He showed up and made some big-time plays, keeping the drive alive and delivering throws on time. The touchdown to Singleton was a play earlier in the game that he had thrown an interception on.
“I’m just super pleased with his development and growth.”
Kotelnicki’s goal has been to create distortion and stress for opposing defenses. His play-calling will be put to the test next week at Wisconsin in prime time and then against Ohio State and Washington in back-to-back home games.
“I tell our guys all the time that this stuff only gets more important and requires more urgency as you get more into the season,” he said. “It literally is going to get harder every step of the way.”
