Drew Allar defends his receivers from criticism after awful performance in loss to Ohio State

In Penn State's 20-13 loss to Ohio State in Week 10, a Penn State wide receiver didn’t catch a pass from Drew Allar until 1:15 remaining in the first half. Running back Nick Singleton was Allar’s leading receiver with six catches for 54 yards while Harrison Wallace III and Julian Fleming were the team’s only wide receivers to finish the game with receptions, combining for three for 49 yards. 

 The Nittany Lions didn’t manage an offensive touchdown against an Ohio State defense that Oregon torched through the air when the No. 1 ranked Ducks took down the Buckeyes in Eugene earlier this season. However, during his Wednesday media availability, Allar made sure to defend his struggling pass-catchers. 

“Our receivers get a lot of harsh criticism about their performance but I don’t really find it necessary at all,” Allar told reporters. “They’ve had a great year this year and they’re going to continue to build on it. We have a lot of talent in that room and they’ve done great things that even if they don’t show up in the passing column with catches and yards, they’re showing up in the run game.” 

Allar continued to praise the group’s ability and effort in the run game before finishing, “They’re doing a great job, even though they do get a lot of criticism, I’ll defend them ‘till the day I die.” 

While bringing death into the equation may be a bit overboard, Allar’s message is well taken. He’s not going to throw his pass-catchers under the bus for the offense’s struggles after a game in which the team didn’t score a single offensive touchdown. In fact, Wallace had a touchdown pass from Allar plucked right out of his hands for an interception before the half. 

Sure, Allar is wrong about his receivers deserving criticism, but this is meaningful growth from a young quarterback who was ripped by his No. 1 receiver from 2023 after KeAndre Lambert-Smith left in the transfer portal for Auburn. 

Lambert-Smith took a thinly veiled shot at Allar’s leadership when praising Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne this offseason, and now it’d be hard to imagine one of Penn State’s receivers having a bad thing to say about the former five-star junior. 

Allar’s comments are helpful for the locker room this season, are a good sign for NFL evaluators who may have had questions about his personality, and if Allar stays for his senior season at Penn State, could be attractive to transfer portal receivers. However, the comments don’t change the fact that without a single impactful playmaker on the outside, the 2024 Nittany Lions have a ceiling on their offensive production, no matter how well Allar plays.