For Penn State's Drew Allar, an Unsteady Orange Bowl Ends an Inconsistent Postseason

The Nittany Lions quarterback completed just 12 passes, none to a wide receiver, and threw a critical late interception against Notre Dame.

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar reacts in the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

MIAMI GARDENS | In a dim Penn State locker room, where fitful gutteral screams pierced the silence, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki wanted nothing more than to pardon quarterback Drew Allar.

"That’s tough, because he’s going to put that on himself and he shouldn’t have to," Kotelnicki said. "I’ve got to be better for him and our offense. … I simply say to him, it ain’t you. It’s not on you. You don’t need to take that on your shoulders and feel the blame for that."

Penn State's 27-24 loss to Notre Dame broke on a fourth-quarter interception and a field goal, similar to the Rose Bowl during the team's last great mythmaking season in 2016, and the central figure this time was Allar. Penn State's fiery, often electric and occasionally baffling quarterback threw his first interception of the College Football Playoff at the absolute worst time. He actually was trying to underthrow receiver Omari Evans (or "dirt" the ball, as he said) but released it late and high, in the perfect spot for Notre Dame's Christian Gray to intercept. Seven plays later, kicker Mitch Jeter made a 41-yard field goal, as Allar watched helplessly, to eliminate Penn State from the College Football Playoff.

Allar so desperately wanted that throw back. "Honestly I was just trying to throw it at his feet, but I should have just thrown it away," he said. However, the pass that ended his season felt like a microcosm of his postseason. The quarterback looked off for much of Penn State's last four games, sprinkling a few magical throws into a difficult stretch overall. How did the Big Ten Championship Game effectively end? With an Allar interception after a strong Nicholas Singleton run to start a fourth-quarter series. How did the Orange Bowl effectively end? With an Allar interception after a strong Singleton run to start a fourth-quarter series. Both appeared to be processing errors.

Allar entered the postseason with a completion rate of 71.6 percent, which ranked fifth nationally, and a passer efficiency rating of 167.5 (seventh). In four postseason games, Allar never reached a 60-percent completion rate, didn't top 150 in efficiency and was progressively less consistent. He went 13 of 22 vs. SMU, 13 of 25 against Boise State and 12 of 23 against Notre Dame. Allar did not throw for more than 171 yards in three playoff games. His passer rating in the biggest game of the season was a season-low 92.8.

Though he shouldered the fault, Allar didn't get much help. His receivers labored to get open and didn't catch a pass; he was 0-for-5 throwing to wideouts. Allar was 8-for-18 on passing attempts of 1-14 yards. And he was 1-for-4 for 2 yards on third down, where Penn State went 3-for-11 for the game.

"They're a man coverage team, but yeah, that's a storyline of the game," Franklin said of the wide receivers going without a catch. "That's one of the storylines. I don't think there's any doubt about it."

Pressure largely wasn't an issue. Penn State's offensive line allowed one sack and one hurry, though Allar was under duress on the final interception. Notre Dame broke up one pass. Meanwhile, Penn State's defense made five sacks, broke up four passes and intercepted two others, including a dramatically athletic play by Dani Dennis-Sutton. Allar technically threw one interception, though Notre Dame made two others in the red zone that were called back by penalty. The Nittany Lions needed a huge moment from their quarterback, who just couldn't get there.

Further, Allar just missed a few other chances. Late in the first quarter, he had Nicholas Singleton open on third down at the goal line, but the throw was at the back's knees, where he couldn't corral it. And on Penn State's second-quarter touchdown drive, Allar overthrew Singleton on a lovely sideline route. He simply was off, which culminated with the interception.

Franklin and Allar looked as though the air was let out of their bodies after the play. Allar froze, Franklin slumped. After the game, they were forced to wade through parts of the Notre Dame celebration on their way to the postgame interview room.

"He'll be hurting tonight and he'll be hurting tomorrow and he'll hurt a little bit less the next day and so on and so forth," Franklin said. "But he's a committed guy that's going to do it the right way, and he said it. It may not feel like it right now, but he'll learn from this and he'll be better for it, and so will we."

Allar, who has said he plans to return to Penn State next season, didn't outwardly take the loss as acutely as he did last year against Ohio State. He has built some callouses, and perspective, to these moments. And he sat through a tortured interview session, patiently answering questions about one of the worst games, and moments, of his career.

"Drew is a passionate guy," Franklin said. "He invested so much into his development but also to his teammates and to Penn State, and he'll handle this like he handles everything else, with a first-class approach and with an investment level that's as good as anybody in the country. His jump as a year-one starter to a year-two starter was significant. He's got a chance to take another step next year."

Next year could have been this one, though. Penn State had a rattling defense, two running backs at their peak in the postseason and a tight end who could change games. What it didn't have against Notre Dame, or consistently all season, was a receiving room that helped its quarterback. Warren became the first Penn State player to reach the 100-catch milestone; he finished the season with 104 receptions. That's more than Penn State's top six receivers combined (102).

Next season, Allar needs to be more consistent in big games. And he definitely needs more assets in the receivers room. He'll start processing that soon. For now, the quarterback is looking long at himself.

"I mean, I learned a lot about myself, and I think it's a credit to the coaching staff for just allowing me to be me," he said. "I think I grew a lot, on the field, off the field. Just looking forward to continuing to grow, learn more about myself, get better in any way I can, on the field, off the field. Just looking forward to the opportunity. Definitely going to learn from this and move on and take it on the chin right now."

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