Penn State fell out of the AP Top 25 rankings after losing 42-37 to UCLA on Saturday. It was a shocking upset that was a clear indicator of the lack of preparation the Nittany Lions (3-2, 0-2 Big Ten) did to rebound after falling to Oregon in Week 5.
Offensively, though it's usually easy to point fingers at quarterback Drew Allar. He's an easy culprit who hasn't developed into the quarterback Penn State was promised. From underwhelming completion percentages to game-sealing interceptions to poor decision making to lack of confidence in high pressure scenarios, Allar is always at fault somehow someway.
On Saturday, the upset was in everyone's hands, but Allar's.
Allar's completion rate (73.1 percent) wasn't anything impressive, but it's a step up from his last three performances that fell in the 50s. He matched his second-highest amount of passing yards so far in 2025 as well at 200. He completed 19 of 33 throws against Florida International in Week 2, which was a lackluster performance of his.
If Allar remained a relatively statue-esque quarterback and relied almost entirely on the pass game, he would have had an average performance against the Bruins. It clearly wasn't his arm that made him look like the best player out there — and it usually never is.
Allar did something he and head coach James Franklin promised the Nittany Lions this season: he ran the ball. After losing weight in the offseason, it was expected for Allar to be more efficient in the run game. He was never going to turn into a dual-threat quarterback, but his supposed newfound mobility wasn't anything head-turning so far in 2025.
On Saturday, he had 11 carries for 78 yards, averaging 7.1 yards per rushing attempt. Fifty-seven of those came from a scramble in second half late in the third and early in the fourth quarters when Penn State was down 34-21. A 75-yard scoring drive was catalyzed by Allar's use of the ground and making decisions to keep the ball and rush forward himself instead of the designed pass play. Him going more than half the distance towards the end zone put the Nittany Lions within six of tying the game.
Allar looked more confident up until offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki had a clear lack of trust in his quarterback's ability to not get intercepted at a crucial moment. The fear is deserved given Allar's past, but in a game where Allar is performing close to his best all season, it's a win-or-lose situation and deflating Allar's confidence when he was rolling made it a lose scenario.
With nearly 15 seconds left on the clock, Allar threw a screen instead of going down the middle. He then proceeded to overthrow Kyron Hudson with clear anxiety of potentially getting intercepted that was instilled in him by Kotelnicki. Allar knew his coaches didn't trust him when he was arguably one of the best, if not the best, offensive weapons on the field Saturday.