The best thing going for Drew Allar? Its these 'other' Penn State football players

Drew Allar had the kind of Penn State football quarterback day that was not so much expected as understandable.

He's still young (first road start, 19 years old). He's still trying to develop a game-day rapport with his receivers. And his offensive line, on this day, could not handle a rusher (Johnny Newton) who may well be a first-round NFL Draft pick next spring.

Allar will learn and improve from the struggles of completing less than 50 percent of his passes, of never getting his offense in sync against a questionable opponent.

But Penn State still beat the Fighting Illini easily enough.

He will have time to develop through experiences like this because of the most important support a quarterback can get: a deep, game-changing defense.

While nothing looked perfectly acceptable in a Week Three victory in Illinois, Penn State flexed its muscle in a way that many anticipated for the past several months but didn't really see (or need) the past couple of weeks: Dictating and dominating the day with defense.

Illinois and hopeful quarterback Luke Altmyer could have tried to throw the ball all day. You got the feeling it was never going to go better than it did − four interceptions, a pedestrian 163 yards, no touchdowns.

The Lions never so much as smothered Altmyer and the Illini offense so much as forced them into its strength. And then made them repeatedly pay for it.

Penn State football defense: Much more than Kalen King

This may well turn out to be one of the best Penn State defensive backfields, ever, not because of the extraordinary talent and experience of a few but of the abilities of so many. There didn't appear to be much difference in the exemplar coverage and ball-tracking from one safety to another (KJ Winston to Zakee Wheatley to Jaylen Reed), to its line of cornerbacks (Johnny Dixon to Daequan Hardy to Cam Miller.

The last three intercepted passes. The first three roamed the field with intense hitting and tackling.

Of course, All-America candidate corner Kalen King (4 tackles, pass breakup) is part of this, too. It's just that teams rarely even test him anymore.

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And this defense, most importantly, is still growing.

The vastly-experienced Hardy played for the first time this season at Illinois and looked sharp. Defensive tackle Coziah Izzard played for the first time and was, once again, the team's most impactful inside force (2 sacks).

All-star linebacker Abdul Carter was everywhere in pursuit and pressure − even if his stats (3 tackles, interception) still don't provide national attention.

This defense should continue to improve with simple playing experience for its youngest, best talents. Even now, it's performing well enough (allowing only 62 rushing yards vs. Illinois) − even if it has yielded some big plays and hasn't sacked the quarterback as often as hoped.

It's about the best thing for a young QB like Allar.

Best thing for Drew Allar?

Because he doesn't have to press and worry about winning games, not with his guys alone. He can be patient and prudent in his decision-making.

He knows he will get short fields to work with.

He knows he won't have to repeatedly match opponents with touchdowns.

He can develop along with his teammates, from things like dropped passes and injuries (Tre Wallace) to an offensive line still finding its best footing as it breaks in a new guard and a first-time starting center.

The expectations and scrutiny for Allar are intense, buiding right along with his immense talents.

But he won't have to be the best, finely-tuned version, in any way, next Saturday night against Iowa. Or in the three weeks following (at Northwestern, bye, Massachusetts).

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He's a learner and a worker and he may have gotten one of the best lessons possible in finding things so annoyingly difficult at Illinois.

Because his defense still made it easy, in the end.

Those guys should continue doing so, quite possibly at an accelerated rate.

Which puts him in about the best possible place he can be.

Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at  fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Best thing for Drew Allar? These 'other' Penn State football players