Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1528325
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M J aylen Reed couldn't wait to answer the question. Meeting with reporters following Penn State's 33-30 over- time win at USC, the senior safety was asked about the performance of quar- terback Drew Allar. Having reveled in the heroics of what proved to be a game-winning perfor- mance by the junior signal-caller, Reed wanted to recognize the effort. "Drew's a dog," he said. "I feel like Drew's one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He came out and proved that he's one of the best." On the stat page, Allar finished with a career-high 391 yards to go along with 2 touchdowns. He also completed 30 passes for the first time, on a career- high 43 attempts. The numbers helped him climb in Penn State's record books; he's now 12th in career passing yards (4,467), ninth in touchdown passes (40) and total touchdowns (48), and 10th in completions (371). Yet, more than any particular mark on the stat page, it was the nature of Allar's performance that captured the atten- tion of his teammates and coaches. Rallying the Nittany Lions from a 20-6 halftime deficit, Allar stepped up repeatedly in Penn State's comeback. He completed his first 8 passes of the third quarter and 13 of his first 14 passes in the second half. Twice connecting with senior wideout Julian Fleming for crucial fourth-down conversions on the tying touchdown possession late in the fourth quarter, he also exhibited an unflappability that had not been seen to that point in his Penn State career. Afterward, head coach James Franklin praised the perseverance Allar showed and noted its implications for the Nit- tany Lions moving forward. "What I love the most about Drew — and it's probably reflective of our whole team — is that it didn't go perfectly for him today, and he just ground through it," Franklin said. "He flushed the bad plays and moved on. That's what you have to do in college football. It's not going to go perfectly. They have talented guys, and our guys just battled through it. "Drew was just a really good example of what I think our team did all day long. They just kept battling and overcoming adversity." It would have been difficult to say the same of Allar previously. He had arrived at Penn State as a much-heralded five- star prospect, and his trajectory seemed closer to perfection than not. Imme- diately leapfrogging Christian Veilleux into the backup spot behind Sean Clif- ford, he saw extensive action as a true freshman and made the most of it. When he ascended to the starting role in 2023, Penn State fans brought the highest expectations to his promotion. In many respects, he delivered, throw- ing for 25 touchdowns while tossing only 2 interceptions and completing 59.9 percent of his passes. But, in the face of the campaign's most difficult games — a visit to Ohio State and a home date against Michigan, with each oppo- nent ranked No. 3 nationally at the time — Allar struggled to move past setbacks. Com- pleting 28 of 65 passes for 261 yards and 2 touchdowns in those two games, Allar couldn't produce at his prior levels, let alone summon the ready-made Disney movie magic needed to overcome the Buckeyes or Wolverines. A year later — and just a few miles from Hollywood at USC's storied Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum — he did. Allar repeatedly came through in the clutch, start- ing with a 32-yard scoring strike to senior tight end Tyler Warren on a trick play to open the second half and continuing with a 14- yard touchdown pass to junior running back Nicholas Singleton to tie the score in the fourth quarter. The quarterback did what was necessary to win, an effort that included his recovery from a third- quarter interception deep in Penn State territory. Eager to credit his teammates, Allar praised a defense that limited his inter- ceptions' damage to just six points in the second and third quarters. "We found a way to win, and that's the biggest thing. It was a gutsy win, because that was a super-talented team. Not just talented, but a really good team overall," Allar said. "And, for me, the defense had my back when I had those two turnovers in regulation." Allar's maturation is translating into success under the most demanding circumstances. He's determined to con- tinue building on his progress now that the Nittany Lions have entered the back half of their 2024 schedule. ■ Allar threw 2 interceptions in Penn State territory against USC but overcame those setbacks to lead the Lions to an overtime victory. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL O P I N I O N NATE BAUER NATE.BAUER@ON3.COM HOT READ Drew Allar Impresses With Composure And Resilience