We’re halfway there, folks.

After the win over USC two weeks ago, Penn State football has officially played half of its season and is bowl-eligible after an undefeated start.

With three new coordinators and high expectations, let’s take a look at some talking points through the Nittany Lions’ first six games of the season.

Andy Kotelnicki Is Meeting Expectations

CJ Doebler: After last year’s offensive struggles with Mike Yurcich at the helm, it would’ve been difficult for Kotelnicki to not outperform his predecessor in his first season with the Nittany Lions. So far, this year’s group has been putting up good numbers with no area of the game struggling consistently.

Sure, they’ve leaned on the running backs in some games, leaned on the wide receivers in others, and trusted Tyler Warren to pick up the slack in between, but the offense is doing what it needs to do to win. Kotelnicki’s offense is different, but it’s worked.

Mitch Corcoran: Kotelnicki is meeting expectations. Although I find some of his packages and trick plays annoying, he has been very good so far. Drew Allar is much more accurate and looks more confident, the running game is on a whole other level compared to last year, especially for Singleton, and the wide receivers actually look good.

Also can’t forget to mention how great the offensive line has been after losing three starters to the NFL and the emergence of Tyler Warren. Kotelnicki has been a great hire so far and this is just the beginning.

Nolan Wick: The bar was low given how the Yurcich experiment went, but expectations for Kotelnicki were still high considering his success of turning nothing into something at Kansas. Penn State isn’t blowing everybody out, but it is doing plenty enough to win. All offensive positions are playing well, and I haven’t seen any cause for concern so far.

Joe Lister: In a weird way, I’m not sure anyone set expectations for Kotelnicki. Whatever these “expectations” were, I’m sure he’s meeting them. He’s creative and adding spice to Penn State’s offensive scheme, that’s for certain. I’m still not convinced that he’s the answer Penn State needs in the offensive coordinator position, but he’s certainly an upgrade from Yurcich.

Tom Allen Is Not Meeting Expectations

CJ: While the offense had a lot of growth potential coming into the new year, the defense, which ended last year ranked No. 2 nationally in total defense, was already operating at a high level under Manny Diaz.

Allen has had a tough start with losing veteran safety K.J. Winston to a long-term injury and the defense has suffered from slow starts against both Bowling Green and USC. So far, though, the defense is only giving up 14.5 points per game, one point higher than the 13.5 allowed last season. It was always going to be hard to replicate the success of Diaz, but Allen is close.

Mitch: It isn’t like Allen has been bad, but he hasn’t been Many Diaz. Allen is working with the new in-helmet communication and switching from calling the game from the field to the press box, so that may play a role. There are also new pieces on this defense, especially with Winston’s injury.

Penn State is still top-10 in scoring defense and yards allowed. I think these are just some growing pains and Allen will get things figured out soon.

Nolan: Allen was dealt a bad hand by losing Winston early in the season, and the USC outing was problematic. However, Penn State’s 262.5 allowed yards per game is sixth-best in college football, while its 14.5 points allowed per game is ninth-best. Replacing Diaz was always going to be hard, but Allen is doing a good job considering he’s without Winston, has a young and inexperienced cornerback room, and a new linebacking corps.

Joe: I don’t think anyone expected Allen to be Manny Diaz, but it would’ve been nice for Penn State to play a bit better in the first half. James Franklin will tell you that the defense plays just fine points-wise in the first quarter, but that doesn’t make fans feel any better about all the hair they’ve torn out in the last few games.

In his defense, Allen has put together some incredible second halves, but football is played for 60 minutes, not 30.

Drew Allar Is The Leader The Team Needs

CJ: Allar has definitely been different this season. He became a more vocal leader during the offseason and showed a different side of himself in the season opener against West Virginia. Allar barked at opposing players and showed more emotion after making big plays, something we hadn’t seen a lot of last season.

Allar has garnered a lot of attention from the coaching staff for the steps he’s taken so far, but he needs to build on his second-half performance against USC to continue to be a difference-maker later on in the season.

Mitch: In the offseason and through parts of this season, Allar’s teammates and coaches have talked about how much Allar has grown as a leader and I think it shows on the field too.

The game-tying drive against USC said a lot about Allar’s leadership. He seemed unphased after throwing two previous interceptions and it helped Penn State secure a win. This is not the same Allar we saw last season and his growth as a leader is a big reason why.

Nolan: Allar looks like a much better version of himself. His passing and running skills have gotten significantly better. He appears more confident and poised because he plays with a swagger, which rubs off on his teammates. The second-year starter isn’t usually a difference-maker, but his performance against USC could be a sign of things to come. He’s at worst a good, efficient quarterback, which is enough to help win games for Penn State.

Joe: I’m not 100% convinced on Allar. I think we (I) jumped the gun on crowning Allar the next great quarterback of college football after the West Virginia game. While he looked amazing at the end of the USC game, he could come back against Ohio State and look like he did against, well, Ohio State last year. I think that game will be the real decider of Allar’s abilities.

Abdul Carter Is A Better Linebacker

CJ: Abdul Carter suffered from a slow start to the season from a statistics perspective, but James Franklin said multiple times that the defensive line was still a very disruptive unit even though it didn’t appear that way on the stat sheet.

Carter got his first sack of the season against Kent State and has registered three since then, including one against USC and two against Illinois. The edge rusher was never worried about his performance, though, and said he stayed patient and waited for the plays to come to him. Carter has been a good addition to the defensive line and alongside Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State’s rush is in good hands.

Mitch: I think Carter will be a better pass rusher in the long run, and he has shown flashes of that this season. Moving from linebacker to pass rusher will always be an adjustment because you are asked to not only play a different role on the defense but to also adjust your size and technique.

However, Carter has shown recently why he is meant to play on the edge. Carter has played well compared to years past. He currently leads the team with four sacks, last year Adisa Isaac was the sack leader with 7.5, and the year before that was Carter, who had 6.5 at linebacker.

The biggest downside I’ve noticed from Carter on the edge was his offsides penalties, but he has seemed to fix that. Carter will be a better edge than a linebacker when it’s all said and done.

Nolan: I initially thought so after a slow start, but Carter looks comfortable at defensive end. He has four sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 27 total tackles — all of which have either surpassed or are on pace to pass his previous career-highs in a season. Carter and Dennis-Sutton make for a menacing pass rush that can be a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. Carter and Dennis-Sutton have chased them around constantly throughout the season, especially recently.

Joe Lister: I like Carter at defensive end. There was definitely a learning curve in those first few games, but he’s made a real impact since he started to get a better feel for the position. It also helps that Penn State has decent depth at the linebacker position. Tyler Elsdon can be a headache at times, but Kobe King, Dom DeLuca, and Tony Rojas are all great in their roles.

The Wide Receivers Are No Longer A Concern

CJ: The wide receivers were the biggest question going into this season, but they’ve been consistent through the first half of the season. Nearly every receiver has had a big game so far this year, and during the game against USC, Penn State had eight players catch passes, showcasing the ability of the passing game. Knowing that any receiver on the roster can get hot at any time can take a lot of pressure off the running game and help unlock more of the offense going into a tough stretch of the season.

Mitch: I don’t think they are as big of a concern. There is still no bonafide No. 1 receiver unless you count Tyler Warren. All the receivers have shown the ability to take over a game this season, which is a good thing. But the room as a whole hasn’t been very consistent.

Against USC, Allar had 391 pass yards and the receivers contributed just 119 of those yards. Nick Singleton had the third-most receiving yards in that game for Penn State.

Overall, the receivers have been much better, but I don’t think they’re one of the top groups in the Big Ten.

Nolan: I was critical of James Franklin’s constant talk about how much better his wide receivers got throughout the offseason, but I’ll happily admit I was proven wrong. They aren’t targeted as much because of Warren’s presence, but they’re all reliable. Each one has proven an ability to make plays when called upon, even though it doesn’t happen every game.

Joe: The wide receivers are absolutely a concern. The position group is less of a issue than it was a year ago, but the lack of a true top wideout still worries me. This group doesn’t have a Jahan Dotson or even a Parker Washington. Until there’s a clear WR1, I’m going to have my hesitations about this group.

Penn State Football Is Still Going 10-2

CJ: 10-2 is not out of the realm of possibility. Along with the tough matchup against Ohio State, the Nittany Lions have a night game against Wisconsin in Madison this Saturday, and that environment is capable of throwing a wrench in Penn State’s game plan.

While there’s a path to 10-2, there’s also a path to 12-0. If the next two games go in the Nittany Lions’ direction, a Big Ten Championship appearance is within reach if Penn State can finish the season with wins against Washington, Minnesota, Purdue, and Maryland.

Mitch: I think it’s unlikely, but I wouldn’t be surprised. This week’s game against Wisconsin will determine if Penn State finishes 10-2, yet again. If the Nittany Lions lose, they will also most likely lose to Ohio State and win out. If they win, then I think they go 11-1.

Nolan: James Franklin will likely lose to Ohio State in two weeks, just like he has the last seven times. A primetime matchup at Camp Randall Stadium this weekend will also be tough. The environment is raucous and the Badgers have been red-hot this month. There’s a real chance the Nittany Lions drop that game, but surviving USC indicates they might be able to handle Wisconsin. Penn State’s toughest matchup after those two is a trip to Minnesota the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and the Golden Gophers have one of the best defenses in the country.

My gut tells me Penn State goes 10-2. There are too many opportunities to slip up, and I’ll believe Penn State does better than 10-2 when I see it.

Joe: Nope. I had Penn State picked to go 10-2 with losses to Ohio State and USC or Wisconsin, but I think Penn State beats Wisconsin on Saturday. This is an 11-1 football team, don’t get me wrong, but disaster has to strike with a really bad loss for this team to go 10-2 again.

That being said, don’t get inflated heads about an 11-1 record. This was Penn State’s easiest path to an 11-1 record in several years. It’s not easy to go 11-1, but it wasn’t quite as hard this year as it was when Penn State had to play two of the conference’s best teams, not just one.