Tom Allen, Connor Bazelak Reunite in Penn State-Bowling Green Matchup

Former Indiana football coach Tom Allen is now the defensive coordinator at Penn State, and on Saturday he coached against Connor Bazelak, one of his former Indiana quarterbacks, who plays for Bowling Green.

Penn State football defensive coordinator Tom Allen talks to reporters at Holuba Hall on June 13 in State College. / Dan Rainville/USA Today Network - PA / USA TODAY NETWORK

Saturday's Penn State versus Bowling Green game created a unique quarterback-coordinator battle with Hoosier ties.

Former Indiana head coach Tom Allen is now the defensive coordinator at Penn State, and his unit went up against Bowling Green quarterback Connor Bazelak, who played for Allen in Bloomington during the 2022 season. And it turned out to be quite the game.

Bazelak and the Falcons gave the Allen and the Nittany Lions all they could handle Saturday in Happy Valley. Bazelak threw two early touchdown passes to give Bowling Green a 17-7 lead at the 12:48 mark of the second quarter, and the Falcons took a 24-20 lead into halftime.

BOWLING GREEN IS UP 17-7 AGAINST PENN STATE!!! 😱 @BG_Football pic.twitter.com/mPcDuFTxxV

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 7, 2024

But Allen's defense stepped up in the second half. Penn State held Bowling Green scoreless in the third quarter and took a 27-24 lead into the fourth.

Bazelak had two opportunities to tie or take the lead in the final 10 minutes, but he threw two fourth-quarter interceptions. After the second interception with 4:16 left in the game, Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton scored a 41-yard touchdown to put the Nittany Lions ahead by 10 points.

Bazelak led the Falcons on a field goal drive with 47 seconds remaining, but it was too little, too late. Penn State came away with a 34-27 win, improving to 2-0 on the season and dropping Bowling Green to 1-1.

The Allen-Bazelak battle swung in different directions throughout the game. Bazelak gave Bowling Green a chance to pull the upset, completing 25 of 39 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns. But his pair of fourth-quarter interceptions proved costly and ultimately helped Allen and the Nittany Lions come out on top.

After the game, the Hoosiers' former coach and quarterback shared moment together on the field.

Penn State DC Tom Allen holds a long embrace with Bowling Green QB Connor Bazelak, who used to play under Allen at Indiana.

Bazelak threw for 254 yards, two TDs and two INTs against the Nittany Lions pic.twitter.com/Nrfe5l6qeq

— Seth Engle (@bigsengtweets) September 7, 2024

Allen is in his first season as Penn State's defensive coordinator, following seven full seasons as Indiana's head coach and eight years in Bloomington overall.

He led Indiana to bowl games during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, and that 14-7 run was the Hoosiers' winningest two-year stretch since the 1993 and 1994 seasons. But his success fizzled out, and a 9-27 stretch from 2021-23 signaled the end of Allen's Indiana tenure.

Bazelak spent one season under Allen in 2022. In 10 games, he completed 235 of 426 (55.2%) pass attempts for 2,312 yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In Indiana's record books, he ranks 13th in single-season passing yards, sixth in single-season attempts, first in single-game attempts with 66 against Cincinnati and eighth in single-season completions.

Bazelak led the Hoosiers on a late touchdown drive to defeat Illinois in the season opener, part of a 3-0 start to the season. But Indiana lost eight of its final nine games and finished the year with a 4-8 record.

The Big Ten eliminated east and west divisions entering the 2024 season, so Indiana won't face Allen and the Nittany Lions until trip to Happy Valley during 2025 season. If Allen is still at Penn State by then, he'll make his return to Bloomington during the 2027 season, according to fbschedules.com.

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