Penn State football is undefeated entering a Week 5 matchup with Northwestern. The sixth-ranked Nittany Lions have been one of the most dominant teams in college football this season, winning all four of their games games by more than two touchdowns. They're coming off their most impressive win so far, too, a 31-0 beatdown of the previously undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes.

Needless to say, Penn State is off to a great start in 2023, well on its way to being undefeated for a highly anticipated clash with the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes on October 23rd. Don't tell James Franklin his team can't get better before then, though. The Nittany Lions' coach knows exactly what he wants to see from quarterback Drew Allar and the offense, beginning Saturday against the Wildcats.

“I think we need to be able to show that we can grind it out to win, which we have,” Franklin said of Penn State's offense, per Audrey Snyder of The Athletic. “But I also think we need to show that we can be explosive to win as well. We’ve done that at times, but probably not as much as we’ve grinded it out, but I would also say that also plays a little bit to how people were playing us. If you look at Iowa last week, they were playing soft on the perimeter and were not going to give up the big play. They were not going to let us throw it over their head.”

Allar has played mistake-free football this season, entering Week 5 completing 67.5% of his throws for 903 yards and eight touchdowns without any interceptions. He's taken just two sacks, too. But Allar is also averaging just 7.2 yards per attempt, tied for 72nd in the country. It's not like the sophomore lacks the arm talent to push the ball down the field, either. Allar was the country's top-ranked quarterback recruit in 2022.

Don't be surprised if Franklin leans into his critique of Penn State's offense against Northwestern, dialing up deep shots against an inferior opponent. Maybe the Nittany Lions can beat the Buckeyes next month without a multi-level passing attack, but winning at The Horseshoe—and vaulting to the front of the national title picture—would certainly be easier if Allar and his receivers can stretch the field vertically.