Penn State fans react to awful first half defensive performance in Big Ten Championship Game

The 2024 Penn State Nittany Lions haven’t been like James Franklin’s other recent College Football Playoff contenders. While those teams were led by elite defenses, new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki has brought Drew Allar and the offense to life while the other side of the ball has regressed with the change from former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to new DC Tom Allen. That trend played out in the first half of the Big Ten Championship Game against Oregon. 

Penn State allowed the No. 1 ranked Ducks to march down the field for touchdowns on their first three drives before finally getting a stop. Then, after an Allar interception that nearly went for a score, gave up another seven points to make Oregon’s lead 28-10. The deficit was eventually cut and the Nittany Lions went into the half trailing 31-24. 

It may not have been as good as years past, but Allen’s defense has been better than it displayed against Oregon. Though, the reason for that could be that Allen’s defense hasn’t faced a unit like Oregon yet this season. 

Oregon was moving the ball down the field so quickly on its first two drives that Penn State linebacker Kobe King literally threw up on the field before giving up another score. 

Penn State is the No. 3 team in the country and ranks fourth in the country in total defense. However, the Nittany Lions have only played two teams currently ranked in the College Football Playoff committee’s top 25, Ohio State and Illinois. 

In the first half, Oregon managed 254 total yards, which is fewer than Penn State’s 283, and Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel is 12/19 passing after a 9/11 start. Gabriel ended the half with 157 yards and three touchdowns. 

However, despite the awful half from Allen’s unit, Kotelnicki has kept the Nittany Lions in the game with a stellar offensive performance which has Oregon fans just as stressed about getting a stop with the game on the line.