Penn State misses another chance after a late interception

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The hype that erupted with James Franklin coming to Penn State when he was hired a decade ago can be described in four words: He won at Vanderbilt.

That raised expectations surrounding the Nittany Lions to meteoric heights and seemingly put the program on a collision course for the Big Ten and national championships. The Nittany Lions have won a single conference title; The national championship remains difficult to achieve.

Missed chances, missed opportunities, failures in top 5 duels – whether deserved or not, that was the defining characteristic of the Nittany Lions under Franklin. That makes the 27-24 loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals in the Orange Bowl painfully familiar: Penn State is close, but the program’s glass ceiling remains unbroken.

“Everything we did together,” junior linebacker Kobe King said. “The great success we had together. We learn from all the mistakes. But it’s heartbreaking. It’s definitely something for the guys to look forward to next year and some guys to put on their shoulders as a chip to learn from and overcome.”

This loss breathes more life into the image of the Nittany Lions as their own worst enemy.

Penn State led 10-0 late in the second quarter and had a chance to keep Notre Dame off the field. But the defense couldn’t fail on a fumble, so the Irish got into the game with a field goal. After dominating the first half, the running game virtually disappeared in the second. The Nittany Lions led 24-17 with just under eight minutes to play, but allowed the Irish to tie the game due to a mishap in the secondary.

But no game will define the loss — and the team’s entire season — more than a crucial, game-winning interception by quarterback Drew Allar with 33 seconds left.

“We just know we have his back,” All-America tight end Tyler Warren said. “He knows that too. That’s what we do, man.”

There is no way to second-guess the decision to increase the tempo to win the game in regulation time, especially since overtime games have become one due to the rule change that forces each team to alternate two-point conversions starting in the year The third additional frame has become an even bigger piece of crap.

“We made it our mission to play to win,” said offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. “We have a good run to start the drive, hurry up and pick up the pace and turn around at the end, which ended up being costly. That’s what you have to do. You play to win.”

But after Nick Singleton’s 13-yard run brought Penn State to the 28-yard line, Allar dropped back to pass and rolled left to buy time. Then he committed one of the cardinal sins of quarterbacking: He threw a ball across his body and targeted junior wide receiver Omari Evans. The attempt was intercepted by Notre Dame defender Christian Gray.

Allar could have thrown the ball into the front row or even climbed further up the touchline. Any of those decisions could have cost Penn State its momentum. However, in a worst-case scenario, the Nittany Lions would have been able to force overtime due to safer play.

“I’ve made my progress,” Allar said. “I got to the back and honestly I was just trying to get on Omari’s feet. I should have just thrown it away when I thought the first two progressions weren’t open just because of the situation we were in.”

After three offensive snaps brought the Irish to the 25-yard line, quarterback Riley Leonard moved the ball toward the right hashmark to set up kicker Mitch Jeter’s 41-yard field goal with ten seconds left in the game.

“He’s hurting right now, isn’t he? He should be in pain. We’re all miserable,” Franklin said of Allar. “It’s not easy to come here after a game and have a conversation after you’ve just shown your heart and soul on the field. He’ll handle this great.

“He will be in pain tonight and tomorrow. The next day it will hurt a little less and so on and so forth. But he’s a dedicated guy who will do it right. He’ll learn from it and be better for it, and so will we.”

Kotelnicki said: “That’s tough, right? Because that’s what he’s going to impose on himself, and he shouldn’t have to.

“I just say to him, ‘That’s not you.’ It’s not your place to take this on your shoulders and feel the guilt for it.’ Because we will win and lose as a group, as a football team. It’s never a single piece. Everyone will point the finger. But I say, ‘I love you.’ Because I do.”

After taking a step forward in the regular season as a second-year starter, Allar struggled during the playoffs, falling into the background of the Nittany Lions’ running game with wins against Indiana and Boise State and again against the Irish.

He completed 13 of 22 throws for 127 yards against the Hoosiers, matching his season low of 5.8 yards per attempt. He then completed 13 of 25 throws for 171 yards against the Broncos, although he had three touchdowns without an interception. Allar was 12 of 23 for 135 yards against the Irish and was very ineffective downfield, completing only six of 14 attempts that went more than five yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

Overall, the Nittany Lions failed to complete a single pass to their wide receivers.

“We tried a few early in the game but couldn’t convert them,” Franklin said. “Yes, that is the plot of the game. That’s one of the storylines, I don’t think there’s any doubt about it. We had some shots and some contested balls that we couldn’t get.”

The interception threatens to define Allar’s college career – it’s a moment that will remain in program history for all the wrong reasons, and will only painfully grow in magnitude if the Irish beat Ohio State or Texas in the championship game.

He has already committed to coming back in 2025, saying in a social media post last month: “There is still more to do, which is why I look forward to making even more memories with my teammates this year and beyond to collect.”

First, Allar must overcome this moment. How he does this, or whether he does so at all, will play a big role in determining whether Penn State is ready for its ultimate breakthrough in 2025.

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Penn State misses another chance after a late interception

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