Penn State’s game vs. Ohio State is a homecoming for Drew Allar. Will it be a distraction?

Drew Allar is six games into his career as a starter and has faced — and passed — enough tests to prove how valuable he can be to Penn State as its signal caller. Those games, which include wins over West Virginia and a dominant victory over an Iowa team with an elite defense, were all building upon each other as he prepares for his most important tests of the season.

The first of those will take place in Columbus this weekend when he and the Nittany Lions battle Ohio State — a team whose games he grew up going to.

“They’ve got a great fan base, a great atmosphere,” Allar said when he spoke to the media Tuesday morning. “... I think it’s nothing we’re not prepared for. We practice in very loud environments all the time. I’m sure you guys hear the speakers on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I think we’re going to be prepared for it but at the end of the day it’s just going out and executing our jobs and just being sound in our assignments.”

His return to the state he grew up in will provide plenty of potential distractions. He’s already sending any requests for tickets to his parents in an effort to stay focused.

Penn State head coach James Franklin didn’t originally plan to discuss those potential diversions with his young quarterback, but he changed his mind after how many times he was asked about the connection.

“We don’t really do things like that, but I am going to have a conversations with him because I can’t control the things outside of our building,” he said. “But, yeah, I want Drew to do the same thing he’s done all year long. I want him to prepare the same way. I want him to practice the same way. You know, I don’t think he’s a big social media guy, so tune all that stuff out, get better this week through his preparation and performance, which is really no different than any other week.”

Franklin has glowed in the past about his young quarterback’s poise and his ability to stay calm in high pressure situations, something that will be of great benefit in Columbus. But there’s much more to Allar than just his steadiness.

The sophomore is making strides from game to game that could impact just how good Penn State could be by the end of this season.

“He’s being graded mentally as well as physically on every single play,” Franklin said. “He’s done a really good job. Getting more and more comfortable with that every week. I think he’s refining his process of how he watches film, studies the game plan, so I’m very pleased with him.”

Finding explosive run plays

Penn State’s ability to hit on big plays has been a subject of consternation, specifically since the bye week. The Nittany Lions have failed to hit on plays over the top to their receivers and haven’t had their running backs break big gains on the ground. The team’s definition of explosive plays — 12+ yards on runs and 15+ yards on passes — are different than the usual definition, which is 20+ yards, something Franklin said they do to keep in line with current analytic thinking.

Still, the team has not hit on many of those plays either, specifically in the running game. He made note of how sometimes the team’s top running backs, Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton, use their physicality to the point of potentially costing a massive gain down the field, but doesn’t always see that as a detriment.

“Are there times where we’re in open field and we go run the safety over?” Franklin said. “Yeah. But, again, I also think that goes back to the question earlier about identity. You got to embrace who you are like as a player, as a coach, a leader, as a team. You got to embrace who you are. This is who we are right now and we’re doing it well. ... Would you like them sometimes to make them miss? I would say there are examples of them doing the same thing last year and when they lowered the shoulder they punished the guy, bounced off it, and went 60.”

The other aspect Franklin touched on is the tendency for teams to try to take away their rushing attack this season because of the success they had with it last year.

That has led to Penn State seeing more players line up closer to the line of scrimmage to limit the running game. Despite that, the head coach still sees both of his running backs as playing at a high level.

“I still believe what I’ve said before,” Franklin said. “I think people are still playing us different. I think they’re playing us a little bit different than they did last year based on the safeties and the number of people in the box and how they’re fitting the runs, saying that you got two proven commodities, we’re going to make these two guys beat us or not allow these two guys to beat us. Again, when we watch the tape on Sundays we’ve been very pleased with how they’re playing and how they’re running.”

Evaluating the Buckeyes

Saturday’s matchup will include familiar faces on both sidelines for the opposite side. Allar is an Ohio native and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich spent a year under Ohio State head coach Ryan Day as his passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. On the other side will be players like Kyle McCord and Marvin Harrison Jr., who played in high school for Penn State defensive analyst Gabe Infante when he was the head coach at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia.

McCord in particular was recruited by Penn State, giving Franklin plenty of information on the quarterback heading into the matchup.

“Yeah, obviously a big arm,” he said about the OSU quarterback. “He’s a good sized guy. Been in their system for a while, so understands their system. He’s surrounded with a ton of talent, wide receivers, tight ends. ... He’s doing what he needs to do for them to be successful offensively and win games. If you look at his touchdown-to-interception ratio, really good. Really good. So I’m not surprised obviously. ... We had a ton of respect for him out of high school and continue to. We think he’s going to be a challenge for us on Saturday as well.”

Quick hitters

• Franklin said he expects offensive guard JB Nelson back this season, but did not specify when.

• Ohio State LB Tommy Eichenberg is a player Franklin said he has a “coach crush” on and called him the quarterback of the Buckeye defense.

• Franklin compared Marvin Harrison Jr.’s body control to that of former Penn State WR Jahan Dotson, but added that the difference is Harrison is doing what he does at 6-foot-4.