Penn State's Drew Allar Analyzes a Loss to Ohio State

The Nittany Lions quarterback breaks down the fourth-quarter breakdown and a key interception against the Buckeyes.

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State quarterback Drew Allar left Ohio Stadium last year blaming himself for the Nittany Lions' 20-12 loss. Allar had more perspective Saturday at Beaver Stadium following the Nittany Lions' 20-13 loss, their eighth straight to the Buckeyes. But he didn't feel any better.

"I feel the same," Allar said. "It sucks to lose."

Allar had a trying day against an Ohio State defense that took away his receivers, took away his tight end early and squelched his run game, forcing the outcome squarely on his shoulders. He finished 12-for-20 for 146 yards and a key end-zone interception late in the first half. He also couldn't swing a fourth-down pass in the end zone late in the fourth quarter that could have tied the game.

Allar's long week, which included treatment for an apparent knee injury he sustained at Wisconsin, ended with four snaps inside the Ohio State 3-yard line but without a touchdown. Of his health, Allar said one word: "Good." Of that final pass play on 4th-and-1, Allar said he thought it would be there.

"It was basically just a pass," Allar said. "We wanted to get it to Ty Warren. The safety or nickel did a good job of playing over the top of it and driving it. It would have been a bang-bang play short of the goal line or incomplete. So I was looking to [tight end Khalil] Dinkins. We just didn’t connect on it."

That was a theme. Allar could not connect with his receivers, who either didn't get separation downfield or didn't get out of their breaks cleanly enough. Running back Nicholas Singleton had Penn State's first five receptions. The receivers finished with three catches, two by Tre Wallace. And after Wallace's best catch of the game, a 24-yarder late in the second quarter, Allar tried to go back to him on the next play.

Ohio State's Davison Igbinosun didn't allow consecutive completions, however, ripping the ball from Wallace's grasp for an interception in the end zone. First ruled incomplete, the interception was awarded upon review.

"I was thinking, one-on-one opportunity to Tre, and I just have to do a better job of making it him or nobody," Allar said.

The quarterback, who rushed 10 times for 31 yards, also explained the first-down play on Penn State's final series. The Nittany Lions had 1st-and-goal from the Ohio State 3-yard line and tried to get into their play quickly. However, Allar said that didn't happen.

"We were in our' sugar' huddle or 'ambush' huddle, and usually the [referee] tells me they’re going to hold us up because we made a [substitution]," Allar said. "They didn’t [tell him], and it kind of affected us because we sprinted up to the line. That’s not how we want to operate that play, so I was trying to communicate to them [coaches on the sideline] that, hey, I didn’t have a heads up because we always talk about that,' letting the referee clear and then running the play. But for whatever reason there was no communication there and that’s all."

Meanwhile, Ohio State defensive end JT Tuimoloau said the Buckeyes had a "lot of great communication out there."

"On the goal line stand, we're expecting everything," Tuimoloau said. "We're just alerting everybody for all the plays that we watched on film, and just keeping everybody on their toes and not getting complacent. Once complacency creeps in, that's when a lot of things can go wrong. But you know, there's a lot of communication, a lot of great physicality in there, and I'm proud of that."

Allar sought to pivot after the game, citing his confidence in how Penn State will respond from the loss.

"I have confidence in our process, I have confidence in our coaching staff, I have confidence in coach [James] Franklin, the leader that he is, I have confidence in coach K [offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki], the leader that he is and I know the defense is going to be perfectly fine with coach [Tom] Allen leading them," Allar said. "I think it’s just our resiliency. We’ve shown it in different ways throughout the year. Obviously we didn’t have the outcome that we wanted, but it’s another test in the road for us and you can respond in one of two ways. You can respond in a negative way and point fingers or you can reflect on yourself and see what you could have done better, and that’s the way we’re going to do it."

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