Drew Allar’s game reaches new heights in leading Penn State to college football’s final four
The Nittany Lions needed their junior quarterback to make big plays vs. Boise State when the Fiesta Bowl got tight.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Blue and white confetti feathered the ground just before midnight on New Year’s Eve, and Penn State players began to wander to their families in the stands after celebrating their 31-14 Fiesta Bowl victory over third-seeded Boise State.
Quarterback Drew Allar posed for a selfie with offensive lineman Olaivavega Ioane, who was wearing a lei around his neck as a symbol of what comes next: an Orange Bowl clash with Notre Dame or Georgia in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff (Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m., ESPN) in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Penn State needed its quarterback to make big plays in the biggest moments of the season. As Boise State inched its way back into the game, the Medina, Ohio, native delivered a much-needed touchdown in the third quarter.
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It was Allar’s third touchdown pass of the night and extended the Nittany Lions’ lead from three to 10 to cap a 10-play, 75-yard drive. With some on-the-fly adjustments from freshman tight end Luke Reynolds and senior Tyler Warren, Allar found Warren for a 13-yard touchdown on third-and-11. The touchdown catch made Warren, the John Mackey Award winner as the nation’s top tight end, Penn State’s single-season catch leader.
Warren also hauled in Allar’s first touchdown pass in the first quarter. Allar also connected with Omari Evans from 38 yards out later in the period.
“[On those throws], I’m going to just try to give [my teammates] the best chance possible,” said Allar, who has committed to another year at Penn State. “Top-shelf throws, and let them just use their body and go up and attack the ball and come down inbounds. So those are the two best examples that we’ve had throughout this year. And they came at critical times.
“As soon as I released those two throws [to Warren and Evans], I knew I put it in the spots that I wanted to put it in.”
Added offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki: “Tyler [Warren] and Luke [Reynolds] did what they’re supposed to do [on that touchdown]. They switched their vertical routes, and Drew saw it was man coverage and threw it up to [Warren]. It was a hell of a throw and a hell of a catch.”
Allar’s final stat line won’t tell the full tale of his performance. He completed just 13 of 25 passes for 171 yards and was sacked four times by a Boise State front seven that had him under duress for much of the night, aside from the first two drives.
But when Penn State needed conversions in big spots from its quarterback — along with the touchdowns, his 9-yard completion to Harrison Wallace in the fourth quarter set up Nicholas Singleton’s knockout-blow 58-yard touchdown — Allar delivered.
“His total growth as a football player over the course of two years of being a starter — we just played our 15th game — this is what it is,” Kotelnicki said. “I promise you, because he’s a competitor, like I am, he’s going to look at the film, he’s going to be like, ‘It’s still not perfect.’ [Vince] Lombardi had the famous quote about striving for perfection. You’re going to find greatness along the way, and that’s kind of what we’re about here. He was impressive.”
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Allar said he “had some good moments,” but he also admitted that he missed some throws. He fumbled on Penn State’s third possession, which wasted an opportunity to take a three-score lead after an Ashton Jeanty fumble. And he threw a pass too high to Warren down the seam on the first possession of the third quarter.
But Allar pointed to the timing he had worked on with his receivers and tight ends throughout the summer and the week as a reason for some of his success.
Allar made a couple of “wow” throws against Southern Cal in the Nittany Lions’ comeback win, including on fourth-and-10, when he evaded a defender and tossed a 16-yard pass to Julian Fleming to set up the game-tying touchdown. Against Oregon in the Big Ten title game, down two scores, Allar fired a 14-yard touchdown pass to Wallace with a Ducks pass rusher draped all over him.
His vocal leadership, above all, has been noticeable, even as the Nittany Lions leaned on the running backs — Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who had a game-high 134 rushing yards — to put the game away in the second half.
“He can put footballs in spots where you almost get surprised as a receiver that you turned your head, and it’s right there on your nose,” said Reynolds, who had two catches for 16 yards. “He’s got all the talent in the world. … He’s a great leader. Everyone responds to him well.”
If the Nittany Lions plan to continue their quest for a first national championship appearance since winning it all in 1986, they’ll need more of that playmaking from Allar.
Kotelnicki says Allar is “so capable of making some really, really impressive throws.” But finding consistency could determine whether Penn State holds the national championship trophy on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.
“He’s taking a lot of steps [this year],” said Evans, who finished with 55 receiving yards. “You can see the growth of him and his progressions and his throws and his timing with throws. He’s gotten really better.”
Said coach James Franklin: “Drew makes big-time throws; he’s a big-bodied kid. He was able to make plays with his feet, which I think has been a huge part of his development and our offense’s growth. But Drew has had a phenomenal college career, and I think it’s only going to get better. We’re going to need that.”