Penn State QB Drew Allar makes a statement with game-tying drive in comeback win at USC
Share this post:
LOS ANGELES — With his back up against the wall, in a city known for making stars, at an iconic venue with a rich history of memorable moments, Drew Allar created his own.
Allar made a statement in Penn State’s come-from-behind, dramatic overtime win against USC on Saturday. Call it a legacy drive. Call it what you want. But Allar delivered when the Nittany Lions needed him most in the fourth quarter at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Allar — against another historic program, in front of a national TV audience, in the biggest game of Penn State’s season so far — engineered the tying touchdown drive with less than three minutes to go in regulation. He converted a pair of fourth-downs. And he capped it with a score, doing his part to send a thrilling game to overtime, where he and the Nittany Lions triumphed.
In the game’s biggest spot, Allar rallied the Nittany Lions and had ice in his veins.
Allar was once a baby-faced, five-star recruit. When he signed in 2022, some thought he could be the kind of quarterback that could change Penn State’s fortunes, to get the Nittany Lions over the hump. On Saturday, Allar proved he has the guts to do just that.
“He’s just growing up,” coach James Franklin said after the 33-30 win. “Based on how he was recruited, he shows up and the expectations are through the roof. Last year, he’s a first-time starter in the Big Ten, and what was his touchdown-to-interception ratio? A lot to a little, and people were still critical. And I get it. At Penn State we’ve got really high expectations.
“But he’s just gotten better. He’s gotten better in every single area. … Coming on the road and finding a way to get a win was big for us. And, obviously, Drew was a huge part of that.”
Allar completed 30 of 43 passes for a career-high 391 yards. In the second half, he completed 16 of 22 for 258 yards and two touchdowns, leading Penn State’s charge to overcome a 20-6 halftime deficit and stay undefeated.
The junior quarterback and captain was far from perfect. Allar threw three interceptions. The last one was a Hail Mary attempt before overtime. But the first two were bad decisions. In the second quarter, Allar threw into triple coverage instead of taking the easy checkdown. He admitted he “got greedy” in that spot. And in the third quarter, he was picked off again on a tight-window throw.
Other quarterbacks would have gone into a shell after making two potentially back-breaking mistakes on the road.
Allar wasn’t necessarily afforded the opportunity to push the ball downfield last year under former offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. So it wasn’t known how he would respond.
Allar, backed by Franklin and new OC Andy Kotelnicki, rebounded with confidence.
“Playing quarterback, you’re going to throw interceptions at some point,” Allar said. “Obviously, I don’t want to make those types of mistakes. But I think the biggest thing for me is I bounce back from it. Coach K, Coach Franklin, they never lost faith in me and allowed me to keep playing.
“We always talk about it in the quarterback room to keep shooting. Keep shooting no matter what. Sometimes things aren’t going to go your way. But it’s how you bounce back from it.”
Allar’s second interception occurred deep in Penn State territory, gifting a sputtering USC offense a field goal and a 23-20 lead. On the ensuing drive, Allar guided the Nittany Lions on a nine-play, 72-yard field-goal drive to tie it up at 23-23. And when USC went down and scored to make it 30-23 with less than six minutes to go, Allar responded again.
Allar strung together a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. He threw a 17-yard bullet to Julian Fleming to convert a fourth-and-7 in his own territory. He avoided a sack and found Fleming again to convert a fourth-and-10 to USC’s 23-yard line. He scrambled for a 9-yard gain to USC’s 14. Then, he hit Nick Singleton out of the backfield for the tying score.
Fleming said there was “no doubt in my mind” that Allar would step up on that drive.
“The consistent build with his confidence, the chemistry he’s built with the receivers and we’ve built as an entire offensive unit, it’s awesome,” Fleming said. “There was no doubt.”
Added tight end Tyler Warren, who caught 17 passes for 224 yards: “It was important to see him still playing his game and not changing the way he was playing. Obviously, turnovers are huge, and he knows that. But he’s also the quarterback, and he’s gonna make plays. I thought he showed great confidence in himself and his teammates.”
The word “confidence” has been thrown around a lot in regards to Allar this year.
Whether it’s his effectiveness as a scrambler or his demonstrative reactions — signaling for first downs, jawing with other players, voicing his displeasure with the referees — fans have seen a different Drew Allar through six games this season.
And on Saturday, when Penn State had to have it, the nation saw what kind of quarterback and leader Allar can be.
“I definitely feel like I’m getting to the point where I’m playing loose and free,” Allar said. “I’m playing how I want to play.”