There’s no easy way to say it. Drew Allar is completely ruining Penn State’s shot at what should be their best season of the century. Not only that, but he is destroying any hopes that he might have had for a bright NFL Draft future with the way he’s playing this season. If that sounds like hyperbole, rest assured that it is the furthest thing from it.

Allar was indefensibly awful against the Oregon Ducks and he’s played that way and worse all year. James Franklin and Penn State need to figure out what’s wrong with him, and fast, otherwise they’re going to continue their struggles against any real team with a pulse.

Drew Allar’s interception blew the game in overtime, but so did the rest of his play

Football fans, media, and analysts can often struggle with overreacting to singular high leverage plays and moments from a quarterback’s career. That had already been the case with Drew Allar over the last two seasons as he’s struggled in a handful of big moments and games. However, prior to this year, Allar had actually shown consistent improvement and large sample success overall, so the worries about him had been mostly overblown–heavy emphasis on the past tense there.

Unfortunately, Drew Allar has been completely awful outside of just the high leverage moments this season and it got worse on Saturday. The Oregon game was his chance to silence the doubters and prove he was “the guy” once and for all, but he fell short all game long. And when it came to the must-have moment in overtime, Drew Allar made his worst mistake of the season, and perhaps his entire career.

With three defenders in the vicinity, Drew Allar tried to force a shot to Luke Reynolds, but lofted the ball directly into the patiently waiting arms of Oregon Ducks safety Dillon Thieneman. Game over. Oregon wins 30-24.

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That game-ending interception was already disappointing enough, but that was just the bow on top of the depressing pile of garbage that was Drew Allar’s Oregon Ducks game.

Allar barely completed 50% of his passes. He averaged just 5.48 yards per pass attempt. He converted just two third downs through the air all game long. He took foolish sacks, and tried to do too much with his legs, getting stuffed on multiple occasions. Even on the most impressive drive of the game for Penn State that forced overtime, Drew Allar completed just two of his six passes for 14 total yards. Atrocious play.

James Franklin seemed to hold unwavering faith in Allar’s ability to execute down the stretch, but ultimately it was that confidence that cost Penn State the game. Franklin must figure out what’s wrong with his quarterback, because these failures for Allar haven’t been just limited to the Ducks game.

Heading into the weekend Drew Allar found himself ranked 52nd among power conference quarterbacks in yards per play, 53rd in passer rating, and 62nd in QBR–just unimaginably awful for a quarterback getting “first round NFL Draft” hype. Penn State hadn’t played defensive monsters prior to the Oregon game either. Allar was putting up those putrid efficiency numbers against the likes of Nevada, FIU, and Villanova. It’s no wonder he laid an egg facing a much more competent Oregon team on Saturday.

There are so many clear issues with Allar it’s hard to know where to even begin. He’s creating pressures for himself, looking to run too often, missing easy throws, making wrong reads, and in the most critical moments now turning the ball over. That’s not a recipe for Penn State success, and it’s certainly not going to work in the NFL either. Coach Franklin and company will have a couple soft games against UCLA and Northwestern to try and get Allar right here soon, but they’re running out time to salvage what should be the best Penn State season in a generation.

We’ll be back with more Penn State Football coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!

This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Sep 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.