Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1540433
1 6 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M They Said It "I get that narrative, and it's really not a narrative, it's factual. It's the facts. I try to look at the entire picture and what we've been able to do here, but at the end of the day, we've got to find a way to win those games. I totally get it, and I take ownership, and I take responsibility. At the end of the day, I wanted that for those kids in that locker room. And we had our opportunities, but yeah, I take responsibility." — James Franklin, following Penn State's 30-24 loss to Oregon, which dropped his re- cord against top-10 opponents to 4-21 "It's great to hold something in reserve for when you need it, and that's a clear part of the Penn State approach in big games. But it's producing awfully similar results. … If someone says someone 'can't win the big one,' my natural instinct is to roll my eyes and assume the tables will turn pretty soon. But it's hard to maintain that faith, in either [Drew] Allar or Penn State, at the moment, not when it feels as if we're watching reruns." — Bill Connelly, ESPN.com, on the Nittany Lions' loss to Oregon "Franklin got to the Big Ten title game and the playoff semifinals last season, then brought back much of the talent on both sides of the ball. (Alas, tight end Tyler Warren was off to the NFL.) Penn State was all in on 2025. And now it has arguably the worst loss of Franklin's tenure to sort through as it looks to salvage what it can. "The Nittany Lions' first three quarters on offense against Oregon and the first half for pretty much everyone against UCLA were the work of a mediocre lot. That's nowhere close to playoff territory. Neither is Penn State at this point." — Washington Post writer Steve Patrick on Penn State's 42-37 loss to UCLA "What we can control is our actions from now until tomorrow morning, learn from it, flush it, then come out with the attitude of just swinging. Our backs are against the wall, so we have to come out swinging every day." — Senior quarterback Drew Allar following the UCLA defeat, which dropped Penn State's record to 3-2 "I didn't know if I was going to go to college for a long time. But in January, I thought if I was ever going to go to a college, it would be Penn State. I don't know why, but I had that gut feeling. And obviously, as soon as I saw this place, I knew I was coming here." — Ice hockey freshman Gavin McKenna on his decision to spend a season at PSU before entering the NHL Draft next year "The line on Allar from scouts is that he's talented and toolsy with prototypical arm talent and mobility — but that he also fails to rise to the moment. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound signal-caller has played with consistent tim- ing, accuracy and pace from the pocket. But we saw him struggle against top-tier talent last season, and Allar's play against Oregon was unfortunately what we've come to ex- pect when Penn State needs him to carry the team. He went 14-of-25 for 137 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. The two scores were encouraging, but the 5.5 yards per attempt and one pick indicate that the game is not slowing down for Allar in his senior season. "Name recognition, program legacy and his great physical tools will keep Allar in early-round conversations, but his tape isn't consistent enough to earn him a starting QB label from NFL teams. I polled six scouts Saturday night, and all of them see him as a likely Round 3 option." — ESPN.com analyst Matt Miller on Allar's NFL Draft outlook through the first four games of his senior season PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS "I think we've all got to take accountability, just try and learn. It's a tough loss, and everybody has got to look in the mirror." — Senior defensive end DANI DENNIS-SUTTON on the need for team unity following Penn State's loss to UCLA