After No. 6 Oregon scored the first touchdown of the game, the No. 3 Penn State offense took the field in hopes of tying the game 10-10 late in the third quarter. The White Out atmosphere was meant to throw off the Ducks (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten), but fans didn't shy away from letting quarterback Drew Allar know how they felt with a chorus of "boos" circulating around Beaver Stadium as the Nittany Lions' (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) punt unit ran out onto the field.
It was just one of many disheartening, disappointing, and frustrating moments Allar put the Penn State fanbase through.
Saturday night was his time to prove everyone wrong, but he ended up proving their points exactly. He was always a beat behind, mentally and physically. The pressure and high stakes nature of the game paired with the White Out environment left Allar frantic right out of the gate. After taking the snap, he was always a split second behind as if the gears spinning in his head could be seen. The decision-making wasn't sharp, his footwork was sloppy, and his confidence lacked. Oregon QB Dante Moore looked more like the third-year starter than Allar in his own home environment.
It was the kind of performance that left minds scrambled as to what to think of Allar under center. When looking at the details closely, though, a fourth quarter surge to tie the game was just dangling a carrot in front of fans who wanted to latch onto some sort of hope.
Allar never had it in him to put the first three quarters behind and walk out with a win in double overtime. Since the time he slipped and let the ball float out of his hands, an interception was due and looming over the night. It just so happened that it came at an unfortunately poetic time for the Nittany Lions. Allar basically shut the door on his own team for the Ducks.
During the College GameDay show earlier on Saturday, the cast did a side-by-side comparison of two quarterbacks Penn State is very familiar with: Allar and former backup Beau Pribula. Pribula transferred out of the program before the College Football Playoff started in 2024-25. He now leads the Mizzou Tigers and, unlike his former teammate, kept his squad undefeated after Week 5. Mizzou beat UMass 42-6, bringing its record to 5-0.
Yep, they went there. pic.twitter.com/oXRGZTAfjc
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) September 27, 2025
With the success Pribula kickstarted the Tigers' season off on, Penn State fans are almost longing to have the backup back in Happy Valley. It's just another reason to point fingers at head coach James Franklin for his poor decisions. If Pribula stayed in his blue and white jersey, the Nittany Lions would have more options — in the pass and run game — and a quarterback the offense is confident in.
After the conclusion of Week 5, Pribula is the 23rd ranked quarterback on ESPN's QBR with a 77.8 rating. Allar isn't even in the top 50. The Nittany Lion has a 48.4 total QBR on the season and is 85th in the country. For a player who was projected to be a high first-round draft pick in April, it sure seems like his backup from 2024 is the real spark needed in State College.
Franklin praised Allar for his offseason strides before Week 1. He said the senior was more efficient in the run game and Allar said he focused a lot on cleaning up his footwork. Aside from a few good gains on the ground on Saturday, both of those things fell short. On top of those mishaps, Allar's passing was lackluster and, at times, anxiety-inducing.
Pribula, on the other hand, went into Mizzou with a task at hand and he accomplished the first part of it so far. He claimed his role as the starter and hasn't given the Tigers any reason to not put faith in him. He steps onto the field confidently and has a fiery edge to his game that Franklin anticipated Allar to play with.
What Pribula would have added to the Penn State team in 2025 is a question that will be left unanswered. Given the outcome of Allar's performance against Oregon, it's an unanswered question that might eat some fans alive.