MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Drew Allar walked to the Penn State bench with his hands atop his head, clearly realizing the direction in which the College Football Playoff semifinal was headed.
He had just thrown an uncharacteristic interception that handed Notre Dame the ball with the Orange Bowl tied at 24 and only 33 seconds left on the clock Thursday night.
Allar, who had accumulated 24 touchdown passes and just seven interceptions this season, and merely two picks prior to this game, attempted an off-target pass intended for Omari Evans. Notre Dame cornerback Christian Gray made a spectacular diving catch, intercepting the ball.
The Fighting Irish took possession at the Penn State 42 and did not require much yardage to set up kicker Mitch Jeter for a field goal attempt. They advanced to the 25-yard line, allowing Jeter to slot a 41-yard field goal that clinched a 27-24 victory for Notre Dame, propelling them to the national championship game.
“I was going through my progressions, and honestly, I was aiming for his feet,” Allar reflected. “I should have just thrown it away when I saw my first two reads weren’t available. I simply didn’t execute what I meant to do.”
While Allar’s interception is bound to be the highlight in discussions about this game, his overall performance left much to be desired, and it might not be the desired conclusion to his college career as he contemplates joining the NFL.
Allar appeared to struggle early, overthrowing several receivers in the first half, although Penn State’s strong running game allowed them to maintain a 10-3 lead at halftime.
The junior, a two-season starter for the Nittany Lions, finished his night with 135 yards on 12-of-23 passing, failing to throw a touchdown after a strong performance in their quarterfinal win against Boise State where he had 171 yards and three touchdowns.
Allar did contribute to getting the Nittany Lions into scoring positions, and running back Nicholas Singleton scored three rushing touchdowns, including a 7-yard run that provided Penn State a 24-17 lead with less than eight minutes on the clock.
“Not winning the game means my performance wasn’t sufficient,” Allar stated. “It’s as straightforward as that. I will learn from this experience and do everything I can to improve and grow.”
It was evident that Allar’s teammates did not place the blame solely on him for the defeat.
Following the emotional aftermath of the loss, defensive tackle D’Von J-Thomas expressed gratitude towards his quarterback for his contributions that season.
“Everyone points to Drew’s last-minute interception,” he said, “but let’s take a step back to the entire season: Drew has made phenomenal plays throughout. He’s the key reason we’ve reached this point. If not for Allar’s efforts, we wouldn’t even be talking about the Orange Bowl today. He threw a pick, but that’s part of football—there are ups and downs. Regardless of how this ended, I thank you, Drew, for everything you’ve done and will continue to do for this program.”
Allar has been regarded by some as a potential first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft.
Recently, Allar hinted via social media that he might return for his senior year at Penn State, saying, “I know there’s still more to accomplish, which is why I’m excited to create more memories with my teammates this year and beyond.”
This season, Allar proved to be solid within Penn State’s primarily run-focused offense, completing over 68% of his passes for more than 3,300 yards and 24 touchdowns, while leading the sixth-seeded Nittany Lions to a commendable 13-2 record before this game.
“People often focus on a single play,” remarked Penn State coach James Franklin. “However, there could have been eight to twelve pivotal plays in that game that changed everything.”
