Penn State takes pride in using ‘tush push’ QB sneak

One of the stories of the NFL season so far has been the QB sneak employed by Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles. Call it the “tush push.” Call it the “brotherly shove.” Whatever you want to call it, it’s been unstoppable, and its success has caused a stir across the league.

The play — in which the offensive line does its job and Hurts is helped by teammates across the line to gain — should be banned, some fans and former players have said. Micah Parsons called it a “cheat code” on his podcast recently but doesn’t think it should be outlawed: “We just have to deal with it. … This is football.”

Penn State is hoping the “tush push” stays legal in the college game. Drew Allar and the Nittany Lions have used their own versions to great effect this season.

Penn State has converted 10 of 11 fourth-down tries this year for a 90.1% conversion rate, the third-best in the FBS. Several of those conversions have come via the QB sneak.

The Nittany Lions have done it one of two ways. They’ve lined up in the “T” formation with two running backs and a tight end pushing Allar. And they’ve lined up in a single-back set, motioning a tight end behind Allar to help him move the chains.

When Penn State implemented it against Iowa a few weeks ago, it did the job not once, not twice but three times. The Nittany Lions converted a trio of fourth-and-1s with Allar getting across the line thanks to his 6-foot-5, 242-pound frame, movement off the ball from the line and a friendly push from tight end Tyler Warren.

The first time Penn State tried the sneak in its 31-0 win over Iowa, it picked up 6 yards. That prompted the Joe Moore Award, given to the top offensive line in college football, to recognize Penn State with a weekly honor. It also “set the tone” for the game, Warren said, converting on the second drive of the Whiteout win.

“That play is big. It speaks to the mentality of our offense, just being a tough offense, and it starts with the guys up front. I think it sets the tone for the game when you have a big play like that,” Warren said this week. “… We take a lot of pride in it.”

Running back Trey Potts echoed that sentiment. Potts, filling in for an injured Kaytron Allen, was on the field for three QB sneaks in quick succession at Northwestern.

The Nittany Lions were locked in a tied game when they turned to the “tush push” out of the “T” formation. They tried it on first-and-goal from the 3-yard line and got 1 yard. They handed it off to Nick Singleton on second down for a yard. Then they pushed Allar on back-to-back tries and secured a fourth-down score.

Potts said Big Ten football can be “a gritty game.” It doesn’t get much grittier than three QB sneaks in a four-play span.

“We talk about imposing our will on the other team,” Potts said. “So I think, when we do that and obviously get positive yards, get that crowd love and things like that, it gives our offense an extra edge to keep pushing and keep going.”

Penn State should keep going with the “tush push,” at least for this season. It’s a weapon for an offense that’s been grinding teams down. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

But there is a chance that, if it gets banned in the NFL, the NCAA will do the same.

“I’m going to be interested to see if the rule stays the way it is,” coach James Franklin said a few weeks back. “… For a while, you couldn’t do it. Then they changed it and said you could. It’s going to be interesting if this one stays.

“I think it’s been really good for us, and we’ll continue to invest in it.”

As long as they do, the Nittany Lions will keep moving those chains — and defenses across the Big Ten will continue to get frustrated.