A 'Really Smooth' Drew Allar Shines for Penn State

Recapturing his 'inner self-confidence,' Allar throws 4 touchdown passes in a big win over Maryland.

COLLEGE Park, Maryland | Penn State quarterback Drew Allar reared back in the first quarter and lofted an over-the-shoulder goal-line fade that wide receiver Dante Cephas hauled in for his first touchdown in more than a year. One quarter later, Allar threw a fastball toward the corner of the end zone, placing the ball high and where only tight end Tyler Warren could get it between two defenders. And finally in the fourth quarter, Allar sent another rainbow in Cephas’ direction, dropping it right on target — once again in the corner of the end zone for a 15-yard score.

Three of Allar’s four touchdown passes in a 51-15 win over Maryland on Saturday reasonably could be classified as NFL-level throws. He dotted the edges of the field as if throwing into a net at practice, only this was against live defenders. And this represented the next phas for Allar.

Since his first career interception against Indiana last week, Allar is 27-for-36 for 308 passing yards and five touchdowns, including the 57-yard game-winner he threw to KeAndre Lambert-Smith. While he denied the interception acted as some sort of sigh of relief after the Indiana win, Allar did acknowledge a change Saturday — and it has been noticeable.

“I think it really set in that last drive [against Indiana] when I just went out there and was confident in myself, took a couple of deep breaths and took in the moment instead of over-analyzing things in the moment,” Allar said Saturday night while tucked into a corner of SECU Stadium. “I think I was just able to find that inner self-confidence that I've always had. Just go out there and perform. I think that's really what triggered it for me.”

Allar’s second touchdown Saturday showed a different type of composure. As Penn State finally employed the Beau Pribula package with both quarterbacks on the field for the first time, the Lions ran what looked like their version of the “Philly Special.”

Pribula took the snap from the 2-yard line and pitched it back to Allar, who ran right and couldn’t find an open receiver. He initially tucked to run up the middle and was hit quickly, but he released a flick pass ahead to tight end Theo Johnson just before being brought down.

“Last week at the end of the game, it finally clicked for me where I was just out there playing, not trying to be perfect or anything like that. I think that really helped me, and that mentality is something that has helped me get to this point and I don't want to lose that,” Allar said. “Theo did a great job of staying in my vision on that play. It's something that I want to keep working on and keep building on, playing a little bit more free and loose. I think when I'm able to do that, it just helps the whole offense.”

Allar also bucked some road-game hiccups with his standout performance, quadrupling the number of passing touchdowns he had thrown in his previous three road trips. He previously averaged 48.1% completion percentage and a 99.99 passer rating on the road but threw at a 74% rate for a 171.6 rating against the Terrapins.

Penn State coach James Franklin nodded toward first- and second-down efficiency as contributing factors in his offense’s success compared to the past few weeks. The Lions averaged 4.6 yards on first down Saturday and faced 3rd-and-9 or longer just three times. Allar finished 10-for-16 with 85 yards among 33 first down plays.

“I thought offensively, probably the most important thing, is we were able to stay on schedule on first and second down. We were efficient and created manageable third-down situations,” Franklin said. “I thought the O-line did a great job of protecting the quarterback. Drew was comfortable moving through his progressions and using his eyes to open people.”

Franklin and Allar both pointed toward increased Cover 0 looks from Maryland (man-to-man defense with no safety help) that allowed the deep-passing game to thrive. Allar completed five passes of 15-plus yards on Saturday and was sacked once.

“When there's no safety, you can put a ton of air on [a pass] because there's nobody. It's truly one-on-one, he's got no help whatsoever. So being able to put air under versus Covers 0, those defenses can act confident all they want,” Franklin said. “[But] when you have the entire 53 ⅓ to cover and that ball's in the air, and you can't find it, and they know where it's going, that's an advantage for us. Especially with some of the height that we have, with some of our tight ends and a few of the receivers.”

A few designed runs were a noticeable wrinkle in offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich’s game plan, as Allar set a career high with 39 rushing yards. He showed the ability to scramble when needed, which he has not done often. Multiple staff members, including strength coach Chuck Losey, have highlighted Allar’s speed as a key area of his growth this year.

“It's definitely something that I've been working on ever since I got here, specifically in the offseason with the strength staff, getting leaner and faster,” Allar said. “I think that's starting to show off more now, especially today.”

What Allar said after Saturday’s game about feeling a rhythm has been clear for his last five quarters of football. He’s playing like the 5-star recruit he was and the quarterback Penn State expected he could be. Maryland and Indiana showed he has the capability to win games with his arm like he wasn’t able to against Ohio State. 

With the Lions’ final chance to capture a Big Ten Championship berth or even a College Football Playoff berth looming large against Michigan next week, they’ll need Allar to stay in this zone he has found. "Really smooth is how I kind of describe it," Allar said.

‘I was just playing free and loose today, and that's one of the things I stressed throughout this week of practice,” Allar said. “Obviously I want to be perfect in everything I do, but that's kind of unrealistic. I'm still gonna try and strive for that, but I'm gonna go out there and play my game and play free and loose.”

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Max Ralph is a Penn State senior studying Broadcast Journalism with minors in sports studies and Japanese. He previously covered Penn State football for two years with The Daily Collegian and has reported with the Associated Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Follow him on Twitter (X) @maxralph_ and Instagram @mralph_59.

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