Penn State fans torch Drew Allar after after horrible interception cost Orange Bowl

In his second year as Penn State’s starting quarterback, Drew Allar blossomed into a star under first-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. Through the Nittany Lion’s two wins in the 12-team College Football Playoff, the junior even began to drum up NFL draft hype with his performances on the big stage, however, that hype train got knocked off the track by Notre Dame in Thursday night’s Orange Bowl. 

Allar was shaky in the first half, routinely overthrowing receivers as Penn State leaned on the run game to establish a 10-3 lead. He settled in the second half and finished 11/22 for 139 yards and an interception, only his eighth of the season but by far the most costly. 

After forcing a punt in a tie game with under a minute left, Allar gave Notre Dame the ball right back past midfield. Seven plays later, Mitch Jeter hit a field goal to send the Fighting Irish to the CFP national championship game, awaiting the winner of tomorrow’s Cotton Bowl between Ohio State and Texas. 

While James Franklin could have run the ball and settled for overtime, the loss falls squarely on Allar’s shoulders for the horrible decision and even worse throw in a crucial spot. Penn State fans and college football media were quick to point out how poorly the former five-star QB played. 

Allar’s career resurgence spurred talks of his departure for the 2025 NFL Draft. However, Allar reportedly intends to return to Penn State and this performance will cool the hype that was coming from NFL evaluators and even those in league front office positions. 

Allar nearly had two other interceptions in the game, but both were called back by penalties, the first a throw intended for Harrison Wallace III in the back corner of the end zone, and the second was underthrown into triple coverage for Tyler Warren. 

With Allar coming back next year, the Nittany Lions will be surefire Big Ten contenders, but some Penn State fans would rather see the team blow everything up after this disappointing loss. 

Allar will almost certainly return to Happy Valley for 2025 with redemption on his mind, but it will take plenty of impressive performances against good teams to wipe away the memory of this costly turnover.