Don’t blame Drew Allar for Penn State’s latest loss to Ohio State

Happy Valley turned into Sad Valley on Saturday afternoon inside Beaver Stadium. Yet again, the Nittany Lions suffered another defeat against the superior Ohio State Buckeyes. This is no different than any other season for Penn State, as they have won every game as the favorite, and lost this one as the underdog.

Saturday’s game was the epitome of Big Ten football. A gritty, but not pretty football game. Both defenses stepped up big time, but Ohio State’s offense severely outplayed Penn State’s offense. It just wasn't the quarterback's fault. Let’s break it down further.

Penn State could not have asked for a better start. It was a long, sustained first drive that ended up in points, followed by a pick-six by sophomore Zion Tracy.

After that, however, it was all downhill for James Franklin's team.

Throughout the game, Allar used his legs to scramble for positive yards, typically after the pocket collapsed. Allar was not listed on the injury report on Saturday morning, although he did suffer a left knee injury that kept him out of the second half of Penn State’s victory over Wisconsin last week. Due to this, fans speculated that he would not use his feet as much against Ohio State, and that was not the case.

Allar had to use his feet multiple times when he did not have anywhere to throw the ball. This was a problem all game, and Penn State wide receivers combined for just three catches and 49 receiving yards. Allar had to check it down to Nick Singleton often, who hauled in six catches for 54 yards. 

Near the end of the first half, Allar threw a beauty to Trey Wallace in the back of the endzone, which was ultimately dropped and led to Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun making a spectacular interception. 

The throw should’ve been six points for Penn State, but it was a blunder that should not go on Allar’s shoulders. 

Penn State’s rushing attack did Allar no favors on Saturday. Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for eighteen carries for 58 yards, which is 3.2 yards per carry. On the season, they’ve averaged 5.6 yards per carry together. It was a letdown from the running back tandem, but you have to give credit to Ohio State’s defense, which bullied Penn State’s offensive line today.

Penn State star tight end Tyler Warren kept the Nittany Lions in the game late in the fourth quarter. He had a catch and run for 31 yards, then a rush for 33 yards to put Penn State at a first and goal at the three yard line. Kaytron Allen proceeded to get stuffed before the goal line three consecutive times, which led to a dilemma on fourth down. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki decided to pass the ball, a play clearly designed for Warren.

Ohio State did a fantastic job reading the play and guarding the flat route to Warren. The second read was to Khalil Dinkins, who got smothered by Ohio State’s Caleb Downs. It was a solid pass to Dinkins, but he could barely get his hands up and make a strong play at the ball.

Credit to Ohio State, they were clearly the better team on Saturday and outplayed Penn State in just about every facet of the game. They are a hard-nosed football team who will be a tough out come December. Penn State’s offense as a whole was stagnant and ineffective on Saturday, but there’s more to blame than just Drew Allar.