Grading QB Drew Allar's unfortunately consistent performance in Week 3

Penn State football beat Villanova 52-6 on Saturday, but that doesn't mean the offense looked smooth, clean, and consistent. Quarterback Drew Allar had yet another questionable performance that left fans concerned, but was it enough to hit the panic button?

For a third-year starting quarterback, Allar shouldn't be at a C-level grade against a weak, non-conference opponent. So, concern is valid. Against Nevada in Week 2, he finished with a 57.6 completion percentage and a flat performance. Then against the Wildcats, he dipped even further down with a 55.2 completion percentage. On top of it, he threw a bad third quarter interception that left fans shaking their heads in disappointment.

The blame isn't entirely on Allar. The offense brought back enough veterans, and seniors at that, to not struggle against the Nittany Lions' non-conference slate. Head coach James Franklin said converting on third down is their biggest struggle as of now, and that goes beyond the quarterback. Running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen shouldn't experience any hesitation and the wide receiver unit showed what its capable of in Week 1. Neither position group has hit the ground running immediately these past two weeks.

In other words, the offense as a whole isn't the well-oiled machine it should be. For Allar, he needs to be the reliable one to offer that offensive spark. Right now, he isn't. Instead, he's throwing passes behind receivers and lofting up interceptions blindly. Fixes need to be made and they need to be made fast before Week 5 against Oregon.

Allar's saving grace is that offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki has to have some tricks up his sleeve. The offensive playbook seen in Weeks 1 through 3 wasn't anything spectacular or dynamic, which is reasonable. Kotelnicki wasn't going to pull out all the stops for three non-conference opponents, so the offense will have more depth play-wise once the Ducks roll into Happy Valley.

The bad is always going to stick out like a sore thumb for a team with high expectations. They're mistakes that shouldn't be made, especially an unacceptable interception. That shouldn't take away from the good entirely, though. In the second quarter, Allar threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Trebor Pena and followed it up with a two-point conversion to the wide receiver right after. Allar needs to reinstate consistency with throws like that moving forward and clean up the easy, routine throws he shouldn't experience any trouble with.